Moses Moody and Jalen Tate combined for 50 points and No. 12 Arkansas survived Texas A&M's upset bid for an 87-80 victory in a Southeastern Conference game Saturday at Fayetteville, Ark.
Moody matched his career high with 28 points for a second consecutive outing, and third time this season, while Tate added 22 points after just scoring two in each of his two previous outings.
The Razorbacks (21-5, 13-4 SEC) closed out the game by outscoring the Aggies 11-2 over the last 56.5 seconds.
A Moody 3-pointer gave the Razorbacks the lead for good at 79-78 with just under a minute remaining, and Davontae Davis' steal led to Justin Smith's dunk and an 81-78 cushion with 41 seconds remaining.
Quenton Jackson and Emanuel Miller led the Aggies (8-9, 2-8) with 23 points each.
It was a dazzling shooting exhibition by both teams, especially in the second half. The Razorbacks shot 60 percent after halftime, while the Aggies shot 53.6 percent. Arkansas finished at 50.8 percent for the game. Texas A&M ended up at 50.8 after entering the game shooting an SEC- worst 40.9 percent.
The Aggies saw a 14-point lead late in the first half cut to one at 43-42 just over a minute into the second half but went on an 8-0 run to get their lead back to 51-42 with 17:16 remaining. It was still a nine-point lead at 53-44 with 16:13 remaining before Arkansas began to surge again.
Tate's short jumper gave the Razorbacks their first lead since early in the first half at 58-57 with 11:52 remaining.
The Aggies stunned the Razorbacks by hitting 13 of their first 20 field goal attempts to build a 35-21 lead less than 13 minutes into the game.
After missing 12 of 13 shots over one stretch, the Razorbacks closed out the first half cashing in on half of their last 10 attempts and closing their deficit to 41-38 at the break.
--Field Level Media
Texas A&M | Arkansas | |
Quenton Jackson 23 | Scoring | Moses Moody 28 |
Andre Gordon 4 | Assists | Davonte Davis 5 |
Emanuel Miller 10 | Rebounds | Jalen Tate 7 |
Emanuel Miller 7 | Free Throws Made | JD Notae 6 |
Quenton Jackson 2 | Steals | JD Notae 3 |
Luke McGhee 3 | Blocks | Moses Moody 1 |