Mitchell leads Texas A&M past Arkansas 77-69
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Wendell Mitchell scored 25 points and Texas A&M defeated Arkansas 77-69 on Saturday in the teams’ regular-season finale.
The Aggies (16-14, 10-8 Southeastern) trailed 28-21 with a little more than three minutes remaining until halftime before outscoring the Razorbacks 12-2 headed to the locker room.
A&M’s scoring flurry was capped by Josh Nebo’s offensive rebound and dunk as time expired in the first half.
Emanuel Miller made four free throws and Mitchell made two layups in that span in shoving the Aggies to a surprising halftime lead.
The Aggies outscored the Razorbacks 44-39 in the second half, despite Mason Jones scoring 30 points for Arkansas (1912, 7-11).
The Aggies, led by Miller’s 10 boards, outrebounded the Razorbacks 41-25 and avenged a 69-59 loss at Arkansas to begin SEC play on Jan. 4.
BIG PICTURE
Arkansas: The Razorbacks started the season 12-1 under first-year coach Eric Musselman but wound up with a losing record in league play.
Still, they won three of their last five games to close out the regular season despite Saturday's setback, and fans have reason for optimism moving forward under Musselman.
Texas A&M: The Aggies wrapped up a successful regular season under first-year coach Buzz Williams, finishing with a winning record in SEC play for the first time since 2016.
When A&M lost to Harvard, Temple, Fairfield and Texas in four straight games in late November and early December, some fans wondered if the Aggies would win a league game.
They wound up winning 10, their most since finishing 13-5 in 2016.
UP NEXT
The Razorbacks play in next week's SEC tournament at a time and against an opponent to be determined later Saturday.
The Aggies play in next week's SEC tournament at a time and against an opponent to be determined later Saturday.