No. 23 Texas A&M beats No. 21 Ohio State 78-64 for third straight win after season-opening loss

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) Wade Taylor IV and Manny Obaseki each scored 15 points and No. 23 Texas A&M beat No. 21 Ohio State 78-64 on Friday night.

Zhuric Phelps added 14 points and Henry Coleman III chipped in 12 for the Aggies.

The Aggies have won three consecutive games following a season-opening loss at UCF and handed the Buckeyes their first loss of the season. The Aggies led 31-22 at halftime before starting the second half with two 3-pointers from Phelps and Taylor to build a 37-22 lead.

Bruce Thornton led the Buckeyes with 15 points, John Mobley Jr. added 13 and Ohio State shot 34% (20 of 59) from the field, compared to 39% (19 of 49) by the Aggies.

Ohio State: The Buckeyes made 24 3-pointers in their first two games but weren’t nearly as effective from long range on Friday. They only went 5 of 17 (29%) in the first half and wound up 8 of 30 (27%) from the 3-point line.

Texas A&M: The Aggies’ subpar nonconference scheduling in the past has caught up with them in NCAA Tournament seeding but that shouldn’t be a problem this season. Texas A&M got a Quad 1 victory with its win over Ohio State.

Aggies guard Hayden Hefner grabbed a loose ball out of midair in front of the free-throw line and heaved a prayer that dropped through the basket, lifting the Aggies to a 27-17 lead with 2:41 remaining in the first half.

The Aggies outscored the Buckeyes 16-9 in second-chance points.

The Buckeyes host Evansville on Tuesday night for their second home game of the season, and the Aggies stay at home on Wednesday night against Southern.

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