Hassan Diarra drained a 3-pointer with 0.9 seconds left in the second overtime Friday night, lifting Texas A&M to an 81-80 win over Abilene Christian in College Station, Texas.
The Wildcats (0-2) weren’t able to secure a rebound after Henry Coleman missed a foul shot with 5.4 seconds left and it cost them. After a timeout, the Aggies (2-0) inbounded to Diarra, who dribbled twice and then nailed a 22-footer. Abilene Christian wasn’t able to get off a shot as time expired.
Andre Gordon scored 17 points to lead four players in double figures for Texas A&M. Tyrece Radford added 15, Quenton Jackson hit for 13 and Marcus Williams chipped in 12 points.
Reggie Miller and Coryon Mason each scored 18 points to pace five Wildcats in double figures. Makhi Morris netted 15, Cameron Steele hit for 11 and Airion Simmons added 10 points.
Texas A&M forced overtime when Radford drilled both ends of a one-and-one with 1:18 left in regulation. ACU had a chance to win at the end of regulation, but Damien Daniels’ runner in the lane missed just before time expired.
The Aggies led by seven points with 1:26 left in the first overtime, but the Wildcats extended the game five more minutes when Morris swished a 3-pointer with 0.8 seconds on the clock.
Abilene Christian made a national splash in March when it stunned Texas in the first round of the NCAA Tournament behind a staunch defensive effort. It was defense that gave the Wildcats a chance in this one, even as they struggled to score in the first half.
Steele stuck a 3-pointer just under eight minutes into the game to give ACU a 12-11 edge, but its offense went flat after that. The Wildcats didn’t score for nearly four minutes in one stretch and then experienced a drought of more than 5 1/2 minutes.
But Texas A&M couldn’t gain nearly enough separation. Its lead never expanded beyond 10 points and a driving layup Reggie Miller with 36.5 seconds left enabled ACU to head for the half trailing just 28-20.
–Field Level Media
