No. 17 Aggies bolster resume with 70-66 win over No. 11 Boilermakers

On the last question about Texas A&M’s basketball strength, the Aggies took the fifth.

On Saturday afternoon, No. 17 A&M (9-2) posted its fifth consecutive win in a resounding 70-66 victory over No. 11 Purdue (8-3) at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

The Aggies used clutch free throw shooting, typical tenacious defense and atypical perimeter shooting to capture their most impressive victory of a challenging non-conference slate that’s among the nation’s most difficult.

Zhurich Phelp hit a crucial layup with just over two minutes left, and Manny Obaskei and Solomon Washington combined to convert 6-of-8 free throws in the final seconds to close out the win.

Phelps and Pharrel Payne each scored 16 points, and Wade Taylor IV had 15 to lead the Aggies.

“I thought it would be a little higher possession game than it was,” A&M coach Buzz Williams said. “I think both teams played incredibly hard, very physical.

“Some of the guys on our team that are probably basketball junkies are aware of Purdue’s consistency during their basketball career. I think our coaches did a good job presenting how good they are.”

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Pharrel Payne’s 16 points are a season high. He also grabbed a team-high nine rebounds in Saturday’s win.

Purdue reached the championship game of last year’s NCAA Tournament. Three starters from that team returned.

The Boilermakers entered Saturday ranked 25th nationally in field goal percentage (49.8 percent) and sixth in 3-point percentage (40.7 percent).

But the seemingly quicker Aggies limited Purdue to 45.3 percent shooting from the field and 34.6 percent from 3-point range.

At one juncture in the second half, the Aggies held Purdue scoreless for over seven minutes.

Meanwhile, A&M shot 40.9 percent from behind the arc as Taylor hit three times, and Phelps and Hayden Hefner connected twice from long range.

In doing so, the Aggies built a 62-50 lead on a 3-pointer by Taylor with 4:44 remaining. It was the Aggies’ ninth triple of the game.

“I think just the confidence we have in each other just to shoot the ball,” Phelps said when asked why the Aggies were successful behind the arc. “If you’re open, you’re going to shoot it. We had a lot of open ones today, and they just fell.”

Although shots weren’t frequently falling for Purdue, the Boilermakers responded to Taylor’s trey with a 6-0 run.

That’s when Phelps scored a layup with 2:10 remaining. Then Obaseki hit 5-of-6 free throws, and Washington added a clincher with 6.9 seconds left to stave off any hopes Purdue had to rally.

Even though the Aggies clinched the win at the foul line, a strong argument could be made that A&M won on the defensive end.

Trey Kaufman-Renn, Purdue’s 6-foot-9 forward, was averaging 18.9 points and shooting 59 percent from the field. A&M held him 11 points. He hit just 3-of-9 field goal attempts.

Although guard Braden Smith scored 15 points, fellow guard Fletcher Loyer was held below his average with just 12 points. He did not hit from 3-point range.

Williams credited assistant coach Devin Johnson for devising a defensive strategy to limit Purdue to its second-lowest scoring output of the year.

“He works really hard at trying to figure out how to change rhythm change, the pace change, change the catches of the opponent’s best players,” Williams said of Johnson. "I think our guys over this week were really good in preparation relative to (Johnson’s) plan. At times, I thought we executed it really well.”

The victory will no doubt endure as a Quadrant 1 victory, which will benefit the Aggies when NCAA Tournament selections and seedings are announced in March.

The win over Purdue is the highlight of what has been a highly successful run through a demanding non-conference grind, which has also included hard-fought victories over highly-regarded Ohio State, Creighton, Rutgers and Texas Tech.

“This is a two-possession game,” Williams said. “Texas Tech was a two-possession game. Rutgers was a two-possession game. Creighton was a two-possession game. Against Oregon (an 80-70 loss), it was a tie ballgame with four minutes to play.

“But it can also go the other way. When it goes the other way, numerically, you may be sound as it relates to a resume, but the wear and tear is genuine.

“To be in this position, we feel incredibly grateful because we understand how thin the margin is.”