No. 13 Texas A&M routs Abilene Christian 92-54, Taylor moves into 2nd in Aggies' all-time scoring

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Wade Taylor IV had 15 points and a career-high 10 assists, and Zhuric Phelps had 12 points and 10 rebounds in No. 13 Texas A&M’s 92-54 win over Abilene Christian on Saturday.

Taylor’s 15 points passed Vernon Smith, who scored 1,778 points at A&M from 1977-81, for second on Texas A&M’s all-time scoring list. Taylor now has 1,779 career points and needs 212 more to pass Bernard King, who scored 1,990 points from 1999-2003, as Texas A&M’s all-time scoring leader.

Taylor returned to action after he missed his first career game on Dec. 20 against Houston Christian.

The Aggies (11-2) opened the game on a 7-0 run and never looked back. Texas A&M led 48-29 at halftime and ended the game on a 12-0 run over the final 5:24.

Quion Williams led Abilene Christian (8-6) with 14 points.

No. 13 Texas A&M routs Abilene Christian 92-54, Taylor moves into 2nd in Aggies' all-time scoring | iNFOnews.ca — Texas A&M forward Pharrel Payne, left, dunks past Abilene Christian forward Jack Sawyer, right, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/Sam Craft)

Takeaways

Abilene Christian: The Wildcats lost to Texas A&M 81-80 in November 2021 but were too overmatched this season to have a chance at an upset bid.

Texas A&M: The Aggies closed nonconference play on a seven-game winning streak in Taylor’s return.

Key moment

The Aggies used a 14-0 run in the first half to build an 18-point lead. Texas A&M guard CJ Wilcher made three straight 3-pointers during the run, including back-to-back from the right wing during fastbreaks. The Wildcats never got within single digits again.

Key stat

Texas A&M continued to show its depth as the Aggies had 45 bench points. Wilcher led the way with a season-high 14 points and forward Andersson Garcia had 12. Twelve players saw action and all 12 scored.

Up next

The Aggies start Southeastern Conference play against rival Texas on Jan. 4. Abilene Christian closes nonconference action on Dec. 31 at home against Stephen F. Austin.