Ags squander 10-point second-half lead as season ends in second round

DENVER — A 10-point lead evaporated in a second-half dry spell that resulted in Texas A&M (23-11) falling 91-79 to Michigan (27-9) on Saturday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Aggies held a 60-50 lead when Pharrel Payne completed a three-point play with 13:17 to play.

But Michigan’s Vladislav Goldin responded with his own three-point play 13 seconds later. That began a Michigan rally that started gradually and quickly picked up steam.

A&M maintained a 67-61 lead with 9:14 to play, but Michigan went on a 14-3 run over a period of three-and-a-half minutes to take a 75-70 lead.

The Aggies never regained the lead. They did not manage a field goal for almost most six minutes and eventually fell behind, 82-73 with 3:08 left.

A&M mounted a final rally to pull within 82-79 when Zhuric Phelps hit two free throws with 1:29 remaining.

However, Michigan’s Tre Donaldson answered with a pair of free throws.

Then, Wade Taylor IV launched a 3-pointer that could have brought the Aggies within two with less than a minute remaining.

The shot spun out of the rim. Michigan rebounded, was fouled and hit two free throws to seal the victory.

Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Pharrel Payne scored a career-high 26 points on 10-of-13 shooting from the field.

Payne scored a career-high 26 points to lead the Aggies. Taylor, in his final game for A&M, had 14.

Michigan was led by Roddy Gayle Jr. with 26 points and Goldin with 23.

Midway through the first half, the Aggies appeared in trouble when Taylor went to the bench with his second foul, and Michigan led 18-17.

Appearances can be deceiving.

Manny Obaseki hit a pair of free throws, and Payne scored eight points as the Aggies built a 29-23 lead.

Michigan responded to take a 35-34 lead on a pair of Goldin free throws with 2:18 left before halftime.

But Michigan missed its last seven shots in the opening period.

A&M capitalized and reclaimed the lead when Payne scored on a put-back.

Then CJ Wilcher drilled a wide-open 3-pointer from the left wing to give the Aggies a 39-35 edge at the break. That was A&M’s fourth 3-pointer. Andersson Garcia hit a trio of triples in the first half.

A&M had taken a halftime lead with Taylor playing just eight minutes and having no points, which seemed like a good sign.

Taylor hit three layups in the first six minutes to help the Aggies build a 10-point lead.

But struggles on the offensive end and the inability to keep Michigan off the foul line — the Wolverines hit 23 of 27 free throws in the second half — brought an end to A&M’s season.

Star of the Game: Pharrel Payne followed up his 25-point performance in the opening-round victory over Yale with 26 against Michigan. Alas, he didn’t get enough help inside against Michigan 7-footers Vladislav Goldin and Danny Wolf.

Key Stat: Michigan got to the free-throw line 36 times. The Wolverines hit 29 for 80.6 percent. They shot 85.2 percent (23-of-27) in the second half.

Turning Point: A 14-3 Michigan run erased a six-point A&M lead and put the Wolverines in front, 75-70, with 5:17 remaining. The Aggies made a couple of charges but never pulled even again.

It was clinched when: Trailing Michigan 84-79, Wade Taylor IV lofted a 3-point attempt that could have brought the Aggies within two with less than a minute remaining. The shot was halfway down but shockingly spun out of the rim. Michigan rebounded, was fouled and hit two free throws with 46 seconds left to put the game away.