Aggies Fall Short in Bid for Third Straight SEC Final

Saturday, March 16

Nashville, Tenn.

2:30 PM

Texas A&M

20-14,9-9SEC

Florida

24-10,11-7SEC

Texas A&M

Florida

Photo by: Craig Bisacre/Texas A&M Athletics

Mar 16, 2024 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Highlights Postgame Press Conference

By: Brad Marquardt, Assistant AD/Athletics Communications

NASHVILLE – The Texas A&M men's basketball team could not hold off the charging Florida Gators and dropped a 95-90 decision in the semifinals of the 2024 SEC Tournament on Saturday at Bridgestone Arena.

The Aggies fell to 20-14 overall and will learn their postseason destination on Sunday.

Texas A&M controlled the first half and took a 50-42 advantage into halftime after leading by as many as 18 points in the opening half of play. The Gators rallied in the second half and took their first lead of the game eight minutes into the final stanza. The two teams traded the lead multiple times midway through the half before the Gators took control with a pair of 3-pointers at the six-minute mark. The Aggies battled to the end but couldn't get closer than four points.

Junior Wade Taylor IV led the Aggies with 30 points as he hit six 3-pointers while distributing three assists. His second straight game with 30 or more points pushed his career point total at the SEC Tournament to 173 points, which is the second-most in SEC history behind only Tennessee's Allan Houston, who tallied 187 points in four tournaments from 1990-93. Taylor raised his season point total to 641, which vaulted him over Acie Law IV, John Beasley and Tony Milton into fourth on the Aggies' season scoring list.

Delivering a double-double was sophomore Solomon Washington with 18 points and 10 rebounds, while also delivering a clutch 7-of-8 effort from the free throw line. Graduate Tyrece Radford produced 18 points while grabbing eight rebounds and hitting 8-of-10 from the charity stripe. For his career, Radford scored 154 points in 10 career SEC Tournament games. Junior Manny Obaseki chipped in 12 points and five rebounds.

Senior Andersson Garcia pulled down seven rebounds to etch his name into the record book as the school's single season rebounds leader. Garcia supplanted Texas A&M Athletics Hall of Famer Claude Riley as the Aggies' rebound king with 320 boards, taking down the Crockett Rocket's 42-year old school standard of 317 from 1981-82.

GAME NOTES:
ANDY REBOUNDS: Andersson Garcia collected seven rebounds for a total of 320 rebounds on the year. This makes Garcia the individual Texas A&M leader for rebounds in a season passing Claude Riley who had 317 in the 1981-82 season.

WADE THREE'S: Wade Taylor IV recorded 30 points against the Gators to tab back-to-back games with over 30 points. In both games Taylor hit six beyond the arc. With the six three-pointers made, Taylor has 88 three's this year to have the most 3-point baskets made in a single season at Texas A&M passing Josh Carter who made 86 in the 2006-07 season.

SOLO: Solomon Washington earned his second double-double of his career scoring a career-high of 18 points and grabbing 10 boards. Washington went 5-for-10 from the field and 7-of-8 from the charity stripe while dishing out two assists and compiling two steals.