Moody, Tate help No. 12 Arkansas win 11th straight SEC game
AP
Mar 06, 2021
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) Moses Moody scored 28 points, Jalen Tate added 22 and No. 12 Arkansas Razorbacks beat Texas A&M Aggies 87-80 on Saturday to match the program's longest Southeastern Conference winning streak at 11 games.
The Razorbacks also won 11 straight SEC games in 1993-94 en route to a national championship.
''The general fan doesn't understand how hard it is to win 11 games in a row in league play,'' Arkansas coach Eric Musselman said. ''Trust me, it's difficult. Did we play great tonight? No. We played well enough to win and we buckled down the stretch when we had to get defensive stops.''
Arkansas (21-5, 13-4) trailed by two until Moody sank a 3-pointer with 56 seconds left, prompting Texas A&M to take a timeout. Davonte Davis stole the ensuing inbound pass, threw it up the court to Justin Smith, and Smith threw down an emphatic, two-handed dunk.
Quenton Jackson's 3-pointer from the corner on the next possession rimmed out, and Arkansas finished the game from the free-throw line.
Smith's dunk marked the first time either team led by more than three points in the final 13 minutes. Musselman said he wanted to take a chance.
''We talked about trying to get a piece of the ball as the guy guarding the inbounder with our staggered jumps,'' he said. ''We were willing to gamble a bit instead of sit back and concede an inbounds pass. They were in the bonus and we didn't want to foul and sometimes you can be overly aggressive.''
Moody, a freshman, tied his career high for points, while Tate finished three points shy of his best.
Moody and Tate torched Texas A&M for 29 of Arkansas' 38 points at halftime on a combined 10-of-18 shooting. Texas A&M had an 18-2 run in the first, though, and led by three at the break.
Seconds before the under-12 timeout of the second half, Moody found Tate at the elbow, and the senior made a jumper to give Arkansas its first lead, 58-57.
Texas A&M (8-9, 2-8) relied on a trio, rather than Arkansas' duo. Jackson (23 points), Emmanuel Miller (23) and Savion Flagg (16) combined for 60 points.
Davis and Justin Smith joined Moody and Tate in double figures for Arkansas with 12 and 11, respectively.
Moody ended his freshman regular season as the fourth leading scorer in the SEC and also had the fourth highest field goal percentage in the league among guards. Musselman made his pitch for his first-year wing as SEC Player of the Year.
''He's played as good as any player in the entire country,'' Musselman said.
FORCING THE ISSUE
Arkansas' rally was largely spurred by the aggression on defense. The Razorbacks forced 11 second-half turnovers and scored nine points from them. They also cut Texas A&M's fast-break points from 11 in the first half to three in the second.
BIG PICTURE
Arkansas is playing for NCAA Tournament seeding and a potential SEC Tournament crown, a trophy the Razorbacks have captured only once, in 2000. They're likely a top-six for the NCAAs but could play their way into a top two or three with a deep SEC run.
The game was only Texas A&M's second since Jan. 30 as postponements prompted by COVID-19 protocols sapped half the Aggies' season. Still, the .200 winning percentage in league play was the team's worst showing since joining the SEC in 2012-13.
UP NEXT
Arkansas was locked into its No. 2-seed for the SEC Tournament before Saturday's result. The Razorbacks' first game of the postseason will be Friday against the winner of the No. 10-seed and No. 7-seed game.
Texas A&M will play in the league tournament in Nashville this week, though its seed and opponent are yet unknown. The Aggies will play in the tournament opener Wednesday as either the No.12 or No. 13 seed.
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1st Half
TXAM
Aggies
41
ARK
Razorbacks
38
Time
Team
Play
Score
20:00
Jonathan Aku vs. Connor Vanover (Aggies gains possession)
19:55
+2
Quenton Jackson makes two point dunk (Jonathan Aku assists)
2-0
19:36
+3
Moses Moody makes three point jump shot (Davonte Davis assists)
2-3
19:16
Emanuel Miller misses two point jump shot
19:14
Davonte Davis defensive rebound
19:10
Quenton Jackson shooting foul (Moses Moody draws the foul)
19:10
Moses Moody misses regular free throw 1 of 2
19:10
+1
Moses Moody makes regular free throw 2 of 2
2-4
18:52
+3
Quenton Jackson makes three point jump shot (Emanuel Miller assists)
5-4
18:34
Connor Vanover misses three point jump shot
18:32
Jonathan Aku defensive rebound
18:22
+3
Savion Flagg makes three point jump shot (Andre Gordon assists)
8-4
17:51
+2
Jalen Tate makes two point jump shot
8-6
17:37
+2
Andre Gordon makes two point jump shot (Jonathan Aku assists)
10-6
17:25
Justin Smith misses three point jump shot
17:23
Jonathan Aku defensive rebound
17:12
Emanuel Miller misses two point jump shot
17:10
Davonte Davis defensive rebound
17:03
+3
Connor Vanover makes three point jump shot (Moses Moody assists)
10-9
16:43
+3
Quenton Jackson makes three point jump shot (Emanuel Miller assists)
13-9
16:28
+3
Moses Moody makes three point jump shot (Jalen Tate assists)
13-12
15:54
Andre Gordon turnover (bad pass) (Connor Vanover steals)
15:49
+2
Moses Moody makes two point dunk (Jalen Tate assists)
13-14
15:32
Savion Flagg misses three point jump shot
15:30
Quenton Jackson offensive rebound
15:25
Quenton Jackson misses two point jump shot
15:23
Aggies offensive rebound
15:25
TV timeout
15:20
Quenton Jackson misses three point jump shot
15:18
Connor Vanover defensive rebound
15:01
+3
Jalen Tate makes three point jump shot (Davonte Davis assists)
13-17
14:31
Hassan Diarra misses three point jump shot
14:29
Savion Flagg offensive rebound
14:27
Savion Flagg turnover (lost ball)
14:10
JD Notae turnover (lost ball) (Quenton Jackson steals)