Alabama Basketball Drops Close Game Against Texas A&M, 74-68

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama basketball dropped a crucial game on Wednesday night in Coleman Coliseum, losing 74-68 to Texas A&M.

The Aggies put together a 12-0 run in the final minutes of the game to seal the fate of Alabama and secure the win.

Freshman guard Jaden Shackelford recorded his third-consecutive game with more than 20 points, registering 24 points on the night, as well as four rebounds and one assist.

"A disappointing loss, one we really needed," Alabama coach Nate Oats said. "Put a big damper in making a run in the NCAA tournament. Gotta give Texas A&M a lot of credit. They played hard, outrebounded us, shot the ball well."

Texas A&M jumped out to an 8-0 lead to start the game, but Alabama pressed its way back into the game to tie it up at 14 apiece with 12:40 left in the first half.

After a little bit of back-and-forth, the Crimson Tide created a 12-0 run to take the lead, powered by two pairs of back-to-back three-pointers. The first pair was by graduate-student guard James 'Beetle' Bolden, while the second pair was by Shackelford.

At the half, Alabama led Texas A&M 34-28.

A three by Shackelford to open the second half game the Crimson Tide its largest lead of the game. For the majority of the half, the Aggies remained in striking distance but were unable to gain any ground.

However, with 3:57 remaining in the game and down by four Texas A&M went on a 12-0 run to take the lead. While Alabama fought to stay close, it was to no avail. The Aggies finished out the half outscoring the Crimson Tide 18-6 and left Coleman Coliseum the victors.

Alabama fell at home 74-68 at the hands of Texas A&M.

"They're a hard playing group," Oats said. "I didn't think we gave the effort there the last four minutes necessary to win the game on the defensive end and it hurt [that] we weren't able to have [Herbert Jones] in as much as we'd've liked just because with the way they play."

The Aggies were able to take advantage of the Crimson Tide in multiple ways, starting with from behind the three-point line. This season, Texas A&M has been one of the worst teams in the SEC from beyond the arc, but the Aggies were able to shoot 11-for-24 and have one of its best nights of the season.

Additionally, pace of play had a huge impact. The Crimson Tide is one of the fastest teams in the nation while the Aggies are one of the slowest. Instead of forcing Texas A&M to play fast, Alabama slowed down to play with the Aggies, giving them the advantage.

Foul trouble was again a mark against the Crimson Tide. Texas A&M had 27 attempts from the free-throw line, making 21 while Alabama only had nine shots and made four of its attempts. With the Crimson Tide only being in the bonus while the Aggies were in the double-bonus in the final minutes, the difference in fouls made a huge difference.

And finally, rebounding. Texas A&M outrebounded Alabama 37-29, with the big difference being in defensive rebounds. On the night, the Aggies registered 27 defensive rebounds compared to the Crimson Tide's 18. This played a crucial role in the game, especially late when Alabama needed to maintain possession to keep its hopes alive.

In addition to Shackelford's 24 points, two other Alabama players registered double-digit points including sophomore guard Kira Lewis, Jr. with 16 points and junior guard John Petty, Jr. with 11.

Junior wing Herbert Jones, still playing with a cast on his left wrist, led the team in rebounds with five.

"It's hard with the matchups right now with what's going on with Herb," Oats said. "With the way they play against the press he can't really handle the ball as well with the right hand if you've got him in there with one of our true five it makes it a little harder for us offensively."

Texas A&M had a total of four players register double-digit points, with junior guard Quenton Jackson leading the team with 20 points. Senior guard Wendell Mitchell had a solid night, recording 18 points while senior forward Josh Nebo had 14. Junior guard Savion Flagg rounded out the four players with 12 points.

Nebo led the Aggies in rebounds with eight.

With the loss the Crimson Tide now drops to 14-12 overall and is 6-7 in the SEC. The Aggies move to 13-12 and are 7-6 in conference play.

The loss comes at a crucial time for the Alabama program. Prior to Wednesday, the Crimson Tide was riding high on a potential shot at the NCAA tournament. While its chances are not completely over and done, a loss to the Aggies was a tough blow to the Crimson Tide.

Texas A&M was a Quadrant 3 team according to the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) rankings. 

While these rankings are not the end-all be-all, they do play some part in the selection process. With only one Q1 game remains  during the regular season, at Mississippi State on Feb. 25.  Alabama needs to perform well if it still wants a shot.

"We've got to get this figured out," Oats said. "Some of this is on the coaching staff. We didn't do a great job at attacking the pressure. That's on me. We need to get them more prepared to play and that's on me, too."

The Crimson Tide travels to Oxford, Miss., to take on Ole Miss on Saturday (7:30 p.m. CT, SEC Network).