Texas A&M men’s basketball starts its run for a national championship against Yale on Thursday. After one half of action, the Aggies lead the Bulldogs, 40-29.
A&M controlled the tempo for much of the first half. After falling behind 0-2 to start the game, the Aggies maintained the lead throughout, ballooning it to 11 points at the half, thanks to quality shooting and their signature defensive effort.
With much attention paid to Yale’s sharp shooter, John Poulakidas, A&M has limited his impact as he enters half with seven points on 2-for-8 shooting.
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Aggies’ were led by forward Pharrel Payne, who finished the half with 10 points, while forward Andersson Garcia led A&M in rebounds, collecting five.
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Three Bulldogs finished with a team-high seven points, while guard Bez Mbeng led Yale in rebounds, collecting six.
Yale ended the season on a three-game winning streak, finishing 22-7 and capturing its fifth NCAA Tournament bid in the last 10 years. The Aggies are looking to avoid being the recipient of a Cinderella story and are one-half away from doing so.
Stay tuned for updates from the action:
Texas A&M vs Yale basketball live updates
6:29 2H: Texas A&M 63, Yale 52
Yale is fighting back, cutting the deficit down to as little as six points and getting the pro-Bulldogs crowd fired up. However, five straight Jace Carter points quiets the crowd and push the Aggies’ lead back to nine at the third media timeout.
11:11 2H: Texas A&M 54, Yale 45
The Aggies have continued to play their brand of basketball, but the Bulldogs aren’t going away. Yale has trimmed the lead by two from the previous media timeout, while A&M has hit a bit of a drought, having gone scoreless in the last two minutes and 38 seconds.
15:33 2H: Texas A&M 49, Yale 38
Aggies head into the first media timeout of the second half, holding on to their 11-point lead. A&M is still shooting 54% from the field and has five total turnovers to the Bulldogs nine.
Halftime: Texas A&M 40, Yale 29
3:20 1H: Texas A&M 32, Yale 25
A&M maintains a lead, but Yale is chipping away, cutting the deficit to just seven with Poulakidas going to the line to shoot two. The Aggies are shooting 56% from the field still, but are 3-of-9 from beyond the arc thus far.
8:00 1H: Texas A&M 29, Yale 19
The Aggies continue to hold a double-digit lead, although the Bulldogs are heading to the line to shoot two. Both teams’ offensive starts have been impressive, and both units combined have made eight of the last nine shots attempted.
8:58 1H: Texas A&M 25, Yale 14
A&M is shooting exceptionally well right now, going 11-for-17 from the field (60%), and, as a result, is going into the second media timeout with an 11-point lead.
15:21 1H: Texas A&M 9, Yale 5
The Aggies are out front early, led by Taylor’s four points and a Manny Obaseki 3-pointer. Yale’s Poulakidas is 0-for-2 from the field to start.
Texas A&M basketball vs Yale starters
Texas A&M starting lineup
- G – Hayden Hefner
- G – Wade Taylor IV
- G – Manny Obaseki
- F – Andersson Garcia
- F – Henry Coleman III
Yale starting lineup
- G – Bez Mbeng
- G – John Poulakidas
- F – Casey Simmons
- F – Nick Townsend
- C – Samson Aletan
When does Texas A&M play Yale?
Time: 7:25 p.m.
Date: March 20
Location: Ball Arena in Denver.
How to watch, listen to Texas A&M vs Yale on Thursday
TV channel: TNT
Radio: 1370 AM.
Texas A&M men’s basketball and Texas will be broadcast and streamed on TNT. Other streaming options for the game include ESPN and Fubo.
Reach Texas A&M Beat Reporter Tony Catalina via email at [email protected]. Follow the American-Statesman on Facebook and X for more. Your subscription makes work like this possible. Access all of our best content with this tremendous offer.
