Gordon’s fearlessness key in Aggies’ recent victories
COLLEGE STATION — Texas A&M sophomore guard Andre Gordon described the Aggies’ ideal positioning late in what became their second Southeastern Conference victory Wednesday at Mississippi State.
“We had everyone where they needed to be,” Gordon said, “and it worked out toward the end of the game.”
Chief among the solid setup was Gordon receiving the ball — this time on an alley-oop pass from Savion Flagg pushing A&M to a one-point lead with 2:38 remaining. Forty-six seconds later, Gordon coolly sank a 3-pointer ultimately proving the difference in the Aggies’ 56-55 comeback victory.
A&M, which hosts No. 17 Missouri at noon Saturday in Reed Arena, has two SEC victories in five tries — and Gordon has made the gamewinning shots in both. It’s no coincidence.
“He’s not scared, and I’m not implying that anybody else on our team is scared,” A&M coach Buzz Williams said. “… (But) it just speaks to his toughness.”
When A&M (7-4, 2-3) hosted Auburn on Jan. 2 and the Aggies had lost by 23 a few days before at LSU, Gordon drove the left side of the lane, spun and faked a shot as a defender flew by. He smoothly banked the game-winner off the backboard with a second remaining in the Aggies’ 6866 victory.
“I have to guard ‘Dre’ a lot in practice, and he makes that move a lot,” A&M guard Quenton Jackson said. “I don’t think he even thinks about it.”
Gordon is third on the team in scoring behind forward Emanuel Miller (17 points per game) and Jackson (12 ppg), but when a game is on the line the ball finds its way to Gordon, the
man with ice water in his veins.
“At the end of the game if the ball is in my hands or anyone else’s hands, we just have to be comfortable enough and have the confidence to make those kinds of shots,” Gordon said of his two game-winners this season. “We’re all capable of making those shots, and I’ve been in position the last two times to make those shots.”
The key for the Aggies is being in position to have a chance to win at game’s end, because outside of Gordon’s clutch baskets, that hasn’t been the case in league play. The Aggies’ three losses to LSU, South Carolina and Tennessee have been by an average of
20 points, and they’ve prevailed in their two tight SEC contests.
A&M overcame a 10-point halftime deficit at Mississippi State, and Williams is hoping the comeback is a springboard for better things for the Aggies with 13 SEC games remaining. Last year, in Williams’ first at A&M following his hire from Virginia Tech, the Aggies started 2-3 in SEC play before finishing 10-8, their first winning record against league foes since 2016.
The season was cut short entering the SEC tournament because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Are we going to be the team from the second half (at Mississippi State) relative to our energy and the competitive spirit with which we played?” Williams asked. “That was the most ‘together’ we have played relative to the recipe that is required of us for it to be a game.”
The Bulldogs outscored the Aggies 33-23 in the first half; the Aggies responded by outscoring the Bulldogs 33-22 in the second half.
“I hope that the second half will be an acceptance similar to what our team did last year,” Williams said. “(Because) we’ve tried a lot of different things that don’t work. … Can we take the second half, and can we take a baby step away from the end of this game?”
No. 17 Missouri (7-2, 1-2) rolls into Reed Arena following the postponement of its last two scheduled games because of COVID-19 cases within the program. The Tigers lost 78-63 at Mississippi State on Jan. 5, and the two postponed games in the past week against LSU and Vanderbilt were both supposed to be played in Columbia,
Mo.
“Guys seems to be in good shape considering,” Missouri coach Cuonzo Martin said. “I’ve been in leagues where you had a week off, so I don’t think that’s a bad thing. Oftentimes you’re playing a lot of games and that takes a toll on your body — playing consecutive games.”
A&M beat Missouri twice last season, in Columbia (66-64) and College Station (68-51).
“You have to stay aggressive start to finish, you can’t be passive,” Martin said of facing Williams’ Aggies, while invoking football as a comparison. “It’s a physical game, and you know what you’re getting when you play against them. You better be battle-tested, and you better strap on your helmet.”