COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Zhuric Phelps had 18 points and Pharrel Payne added 15 to lead No. 13 Texas A&M to an 80-60 win over Texas in the Southeastern Conference opener for both schools Saturday night.
Texas A&M (12-2, 1-0 SEC) extended its winning streak to eight games in the first on-campus meeting between these rivals since 2012.
The game was tied at halftime before the Aggies opened the second half with a 15-2 run to make it 52-39 with about 14 ½ minutes left. Phelps led the way in that stretch with six points and a steal.
Texas (11-3, 0-1) got going after that, used a 13-5 spurt to get within 57-52. But Texas A&M went on an 11-3 run, highlighted by a 3 from Hayden Hefner, to push the lead to 68-55 with less than five minutes to go.
Tramon Mark had 14 points for the Longhorns in their first SEC game after spending the last 28 seasons in the Big 12.
Texas: The Longhorns will get a big dose of the rigors of their new conference early with their next four games coming against teams currently ranked in the top 15 in the AP Top 25 poll, including three in the top 10.
Texas A&M: Dominant defense continues to be a calling card for coach Buzz Williams’ team as the Aggies held an opponent to below 70 points for a seventh straight game.
Texas A&M’s big run to open the second half in a stretch where Texas missed eight shots.
The Aggies won despite making just 2 of 19 3-point attempts.
Texas hosts No. 2 Auburn Tuesday night and Texas A&M visits No. 12 Oklahoma Wednesday night.
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