COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) - Tyler Davis scored 20 points, including Texas A&M's final basket, and the Aggies defeated Mississippi 71-69 on Tuesday night for A&M's first victory in Southeastern Conference play this season.
With the scored tied at 69, Davis missed a short jumper but grabbed the rebound for the putback and a 71-69 A&M lead with 22.7 seconds remaining. The Rebels' Breein Tyree missed a 3-point attempt at the other end that rattled in and out as time expired, and the Aggies could finally celebrate an SEC victory.
A&M (12-6, 1-5 SEC) led 64-62 with 3:19 left after Robert Williams collected an alley-oop pass from Duane Wilson and slammed the ball home. On the other end, Williams blocked a shot following a Rebels offensive rebound, and D.J. Hogg caused one of the loudest roars of the night when he drained a 3-pointer from the far right corner to lift A&M to a 69-62 lead with 2:51 left.
That wasn't enough to stave off the Rebels, however, and the Aggies needed Davis and decent defense to finally close it out. The Rebels (10-8, 3-3) have never won in College Station, falling to 0-3.
The teams played before a good crowd of 10,578 in the 13,000-seat arena considering A&M was closed on Tuesday because of an ice storm that had enveloped the region starting early that morning. On Tuesday afternoon the university offered free parking for all comers and free admission for all A&M students to try and create a home-court advantage.
BIG PICTURE
Texas A&M: The Aggies needed this win in the worst way, considering they had been ranked No. 5 as recently as Dec. 31 before falling to No. 11 and then completely out of the rankings in the last two polls.
Mississippi: The Rebels once again failed to string together consecutive victories since SEC play started, as they've traded wins and losses in each of their first six games against their conference brethren.
UP NEXT
Texas A&M: The Aggies play their second consecutive game at home when Missouri visits Saturday afternoon, in trying to win two in a row for the first time in SEC play this season.
Mississippi: The Rebels stay on the road for a second straight game when they play at Arkansas on Saturday afternoon, in trying to avoid losing two in a row for the first time against league competition.
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