Taylor's 18 points leads No. 8 Texas A&M to 69-61 win over Arkansas

Taylor’s 18 points leads No. 8 Texas A&M to 69-61 win over Arkansas

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Texas A&M forward Pharrel Payne (21) grabs a rebound against Arkansas during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/Sam Craft)

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Texas A&M guard Wade Taylor IV (4) makes a three point basket over Arkansas forward Karter Knox (11) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/Sam Craft)

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Arkansas guard D.J. Wagner, left, dunks the ball over Arkansas forward Zvonimir Ivisic, right, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/Sam Craft)

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Texas A&M forward Andersson Garcia (11), tries to shoot between Arkansas forward Jonas Aidoo (9) and forward Trevon Brazile (4) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/Sam Craft)

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Texas A&M forward Solomon Washington (9) yells to Arkansas forward Adou Thiero (3) during a timeout after a Texas A&M scoring run during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/Sam Craft)

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Arkansas guard D.J. Wagner (21) dives for a loose ball against Texas A&M during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/Sam Craft)

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Arkansas forward Karter Knox (11) falls into the scores table after saving a ball from going out of bounds against Texas A&M during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/Sam Craft)

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Texas A&M forward Andersson Garcia, left, tries to get around Arkansas forward Zvonimir Ivisic, right, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/Sam Craft)

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Texas A&M guard Manny Obaseki (35) tries to shoot as Arkansas forward Karter Knox (11) blocks the basket during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/Sam Craft)

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Texas A&M forward Pharrel Payne (21) shoots the ball against Arkansas during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/Sam Craft)

By KRISTIE RIEKEN

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Wade Taylor IV scored 18 points and No. 8 Texas A&M extended its winning streak to five games with a 69-61 victory over Arkansas on Saturday.

The game was tied with less than 10 minutes to go before the Aggies (20-5, 9-3 Southeastern Conference) used a 9-0 run to take a 59-50 lead with five minutes left. Taylor got things going with a 3-pointer and Andersson Garcia added four points in that stretch to help Texas A&M build the lead.

Karter Knox ended an Arkansas scoring drought of almost seven minutes with about 4 1/2 minutes left, but Jace Carter had a layup for the Aggies seconds later.

Zhuric Phelps had 12 points and nine rebounds for Texas A&M, which improved to 12-1 at home this season. Garcia finished with 11 points.

Knox led Arkansas (15-10, 4-8) with 17 points as the Razorbacks lost for the second time in three games. Zvonimir Ivisic, a 7-foot-2 sophomore, was limited to 13 points Saturday after combining for 52 points in the last two games.

Takeaways

Arkansas: The Razorbacks must take better care of the ball after their 17 turnovers led to 22 points for A&M.

Texas A&M: The Aggies need to find a way to start games better. After trailing Georgia by 9 at halftime Tuesday, A&M fell behind 8-0 Saturday before getting its offense going.

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Kansas head coach Bill Self reacts to a play against BYU during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025, in Provo, Utah. (AP Photo/Rob Gray)

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Key moment

Taylor’s 3-pointer started the big run and put the Aggies on top for good.

Key stat

The Aggies outscored Arkansas 34-22 in the paint.

Up next

The Aggies visit No. 22 Mississippi State on Tuesday night and Arkansas hosts top-ranked Auburn on Wednesday night.

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