No. 24 A&M salvages Myrtle Beach finale against Loyola Chicago, 67-51
The Texas A&M basketball team used a suffocating defensive effort forcing 27 turnovers on 16 steals in a decisive 67-51 win over Loyola Chicago in the seventh-place game of the Myrtle Beach Invitational on Sunday afternoon.
“On Saturday morning, I met with each player for 25 minutes each over five-and-a-half hours. Then after film study, we got on the bus and had practice for 90 minutes at a good pace,” A&M head coach Buzz Williams said. “Then we met with the players again to go over game clips from the first two games. This morning, we had a really good shoot-around, and I broke the team into three groups and worked defensively on ten plays.”
It was a crash course in getting back to the team’s identity, according to Williams, and it paid off in the best defensive outing of the young season.
“We forced them into 27 turnovers because we were better at what we’re supposed to be relative to our defensive principles,” said Williams. “I’ve done a really bad job over the last three weeks. We have good players who are better people, and I’ve done a really poor job as a leader. We subliminally got away from what we need to be about. That’s never a young person’s fault. That’s always the leader’s fault. In the last 36 hours, we got back to what we’re supposed to be about.”
Junior post Julius Marble II agreed that the team had to get back to the basics with a level of energy that drives the defensive intensity.
”We had to get back to our identities,” Marble said. “We need to get defensive stops and create turnovers, and that’s what we did today. We need everybody engaged and focused on the task at hand to win the game.”
Leading just 26-22 at the 4:05 mark in the first, the Aggies closed the half on a 7-0 run and went to the locker room with a 33-22 cushion thanks to a trio of Ramblers turnovers. A&M continued to stretch the lead to 52-32 at the 9:53 mark of the second half with a plethora of Loyola Chicago live-ball turnovers and easy transition baskets.
Williams says that is a lesson learned by the team, especially himself as the leader.
“We played like we had very high egos, and we can’t be that,” said Williams. ”Our response was better today. So in week two, we learned that lesson, and I should be at the front of that lesson.”
Henry Coleman III led the way with 13 points, while Marble chipped in 11, and Wade Taylor IV generated 10 points. Mississippi State transfer Andersson Garcia had his best outing as an Aggie with six rebounds, including a team-leading five offensive boards. He also had two critical steals that led to four A&M points the other way.
”He’s sneaky good. Sometimes he strays from what we need him to do,” said Williams of Garcia. “But when he stays within the plan, he has a distinct role, and he’s a productive player.”
Williams added: “I think when we stay within our role definition as a team, I think we’re pretty good. I don’t know exactly how good, but I was thinking we were better than we actually have been, and that’s fool’s gold.”
The Aggies return from Myrtle Beach with a 3-2 record overall. They are back on the road next Friday, playing DePaul at Wintrust Arena in Chicago. Tip is scheduled for noon CT.