Texas A&M Aggies lose to Oregon Ducks in Las Vegas

The Texas A&M Aggies were the comeback kids in their win over Southern, but the opposite was true in their first game in Las Vegas on Tuesday against the Oregon Ducks.

No. 20 Texas A&M gave up a 16-0 run in the second half as the Ducks rallied from a 10 deficit with 9:35 to play to claim an 80-70 win at the Players Era Festival at MGM Grand Garden Arena .

Aggies guard Zhuric Phelps led all scorers with 20 points to go, five rebounds and four assists. Added Wade Taylor IV

For Oregon (6-0), TJ Bamba scored a team-high 18 points on 10 of 12 from the free throw line. Brandon Angel and Jackson Shelstad both had 16 points for the Ducks, while Jadrian Tracey had 11 points, six rebounds and four assists.

The Aggies (4-2) took an 8-0 lead behind threes from Andersson Garcia and Phelps. Obasaki and Phelps added two more 3s to give Texas A&M a 16-13 lead with 9:12 left in the first half. The Aggies scored just one field goal in the final 4:20 of the first half, allowing the Ducks to cut the lead to 32-29 with a header into the locker room.

At halftime, Phelps led all scorers with 10 points, while Taylor IV had five points and three assists. The Ducks had a balanced scoring effort as Bamba and Tracey each scored a team-high six points.

Shelstad and Angel both scored three-pointers early in the final 20 minutes for Oregon. The two teams traded blows in the first ten minutes of the second half as the Aggies got a healthy dose of Phelps and Taylor IV. But then the game changed.

After a layup by Jace Carter with 9:35 left to give Texas A&M a 58-48 lead, the Ducks began a 16-0 run that eventually gave them a 64-58 lead with 6:23 to play. The Aggies took a 69-68 lead on a triple by CJ Wilcher at 4:41, but that was the last time Texas A&M took the lead. Missed shots by the Aggies in the final minutes allowed the Ducks to end the game at the foul line.

Texas A&M faces Creighton on Wednesday in Las Vegas.

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