Texas A&M (17-5, 7-2 SEC) couldn’t keep the win streak alive in SEC play on Wednesday night, falling on the road 100-97 to Alabama in one of the more entertaining college basketball games of the season, which came down to the final possession.
Questionable calls, including a sudden change of possession that Alabama guard Latrell Wrightsell’s three-pointer to take a 97-95 lead, and after Texas A&M guard Jacari Lane’s missed three-point attempt, Aden Holloway’s circus shot placed the Aggies in a four-point hole with 22 seconds remaining.
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Thanks to Texas A&M senior guard Marcus Hill’s impressive performance, finishing with 18 points off 8-13 shooting, including two three-pointers and six rebounds, the NC State transfer gave the Aggies a chance to tie or win the game after his layup brought the Aggies within two points with 15 seconds remaining.
However, after trapping Alabama for what looked like a 10-second violation, which would have been the Aggies over five seconds to tie the game, the refs did not see eye to eye, leading to two more seconds coming off the clock after Rashaun Agee stole the ball and was fouled.
After missing his first free-throw attempt, Agee intentionally missed the second to give his team a shot at tying the game, leading to Rubén Dominguez’s rebounding, finding Rylan Griffen for a solid three-point look that nearly went in.
Despite the loss, Marcus Hill’s impact can’t be understated, as head coach Bucky McMillan stated after the game during his radio show interview that his senior guard is finally healthy and playing his best basketball at the perfect time.
“He’s been battling a knee injury. Yesterday, he came to us and said, ‘Man, it’s over for everybody now. My knee is good. I’m back. They ain’t going to be able to stop me.’ So you could see he’s feeling pretty good about himself.”
Averaging 10.7 points per game and shooting 50.9% from the field, Marcus Hill has become an offensive focal point over the past two games after scoring 15 points against Georgia, while his four fouls on Wednesday are one area he’ll need to clean up, especially early in games, to prevent teams from getting in the bonus.
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Texas A&M will host No. 17 Florida on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. The game will air on the SEC Network.
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Texas A&M senior G Marcus Hill’s healthy knee could be a game-changer
