No. 13 Texas A&M cruises past SMU 79-66 in a meeting of old SWC foes

DALLAS -- — Henry Coleman III grabbed a loose ball, hit a bucket and got fouled, the show of emotion illustrating a key moment as No. 13 Texas A&M quieted an SMU crowd looking for a rally.

The Aggies soon had their lead back to double digits Tuesday night, and they finished the sweep while playing back-to-back true road games in non-conference action for the first time in 20 years.

Tyrece Radford scored 16 of his 21 points in the first half, Coleman had 13 points and 15 rebounds, and Texas A&M beat SMU 79-66 in a meeting of old Southwest Conference foes.

The Aggies (3-0) won again four nights after a 73-66 victory at Ohio State. They hadn't done this sort of road trip before conference play since splitting a pair of games against Houston and Louisiana-Monroe in 2003-04.

“We had never done this as far as out of conference,” said Coleman, who tied his career high in rebounds. “It's kind of like an NBA thing, quick turnaround, so you're not going to get as many practice reps. So you have to be better mentally, and I think that's what our team has done.”

Chuck Harris scored 21 points and Zhuric Phelps had 13 on just 3-of-14 shooting for the Mustangs (3-1), who hosted the Aggies at Moody Coliseum — with plenty of maroon in the crowd — for the first time since 2009.

It was the fifth meeting between the schools since the SWC’s final season in 1995-96, and Texas A&M beat SMU for the second year in a row.

Wade Taylor IV, the Aggies' leading scorer, had 15 points on a rough shooting night in his hometown, going 4 of 17 and missing all seven of his 3-point shots. But he scored 11 points after the break to help keep Texas A&M in front.

Radford punctuated his big first half with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to cap an 8-2 run for a 39-32 lead.

“It changed the game,” Taylor said. “It was a momentum swing, for sure.”

The Mustangs had trimmed a 12-point second-half deficit to four when Coleman grabbed a loose ball under the basket after a miss, made the putback and was fouled.

Coleman's free throw put the Aggies up 57-50 with 8 1/2 minutes to go, and Texas A&M eventually restored its double-digit lead.

BIG PICTURE

Texas A&M: Coleman has consecutive double-doubles for the second time in his three-plus seasons, and 12 for his career. He had his first 20-point double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds against the Buckeyes. “I think those are the best two back-to-back games he's had in his college career,” coach Buzz Williams said.

SMU: The Mustangs got off to a great start from 3-point range and finished 10 of 23. But they struggled all game inside the arc, going 13 of 42 (31%).

UP NEXT

Texas A&M: Oral Roberts at home Friday.

SMU: West Virginia in the Fort Myers Tip-Off in Florida on Monday.

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