BATON ROUGE, La. — Wade Taylor IV made history by scoring 17 points, securing his position as Texas A&M’s all-time leading scorer. His achievement came during the Aggies’ victory over LSU, with a final score of 66-52 in the SEC regular-season finale for both squads. The Aggies, currently ranked 22nd, improved their record to 22-9 overall and 11-7 in conference play. This win followed their significant home triumph over top-ranked Auburn earlier in the week.
Taylor’s career total now stands proudly at 1,999 points, eclipsing Bernard King’s former record of 1,990 points, which he held between 1999 and 2003. As an offensive powerhouse, Texas A&M demonstrated their prowess especially in the second half, transforming 10 offensive rebounds into 10 points. The game concluded with the Aggies boasting 14 offensive rebounds and achieving 17 points from second-chance opportunities.
LSU, with a season record of 14-17 and 3-15 in the SEC, saw Jordan Sears lead the Tigers’ scoring efforts with 21 points. Taylor, particularly instrumental for Texas A&M, returned to form after missing earlier SEC games due to a knee injury. In his career against LSU, he has averaged 15.4 points per game. Early in the contest, he was pivotal, contributing 11 points including three successful three-pointers, within the first five minutes and 11 seconds.
A defining segment in the game was a 15-3 surge by Texas A&M, breaking the previous deadlock and establishing a 49-37 lead. This sequence was characterized by the Aggies securing seven offensive rebounds, leading to 11 points derived from these opportunities. The team dominated the rebounding game, especially in the second half, outrebounding LSU 28-13, which also translated to an overall 42-27 rebounding advantage.
Looking ahead, LSU has been positioned as the No. 15 seed for the SEC Tournament in Nashville. They are set to face Mississippi State, the No. 10 seed, in the first round on Wednesday. Texas A&M, entering as a projected No. 5 seed, will commence their tournament journey on Thursday in the second round against either Vanderbilt, Texas, or Oklahoma. Within the larger scope of college basketball, the Aggies are anticipated to be a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament, as one of 12 SEC teams expected to receive invitations.
