Aggies Advance, Down Commodores 87-75 in SEC Semifinals.

The Aggies rode a red-hot first half to a win, fending off a furious second-half charge by the Commodores to advance in the SEC Tournament.

The Texas A&M Aggies men's basketball team will play in the SEC Tournament Finals for the second-straight season.

A&M earned a spot in the final game against Alabama by virtue of an 87-75 victory over the Vanderbilt Commodores at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on Saturday in the SEC Semifinals.

The Aggies started red-hot, outscoring the Commodores 27-9 to open the game, as A&M shot over 70 percent from the field in the first half, and led 49-25 at the break.

But the Commodores weren't finished and showed the same gumption they'd shown all tournament long in the second frame. Vanderbilt narrowed the Aggies' lead to just 12 with 12 minutes left in the game.

But the Aggies cracked back down on defense as their offense wavered. The Commodores would never get closer than 12 as A&M pulled away late for the 12-point victory.

The Aggies were led by Wade Taylor IV, who scored 25 points and had four assits. Tyrece Radford chipped in 16 points and five assists, while Julius Marble registered 13 points and four assists. Dexter Dennis contributed nine points and seven rebounds.

Vanderbilt had four players in double digits, with Tyrin Lawrence leading the way with 18, while Jordan Wright chipped in with 17, Ezra Manjon scored 16, and Colin Smith scored 15.

The Aggies ended the day shooting 59.6 percent from the field, while the Commodores recovered to shoot 53.8 percent. The Aggies owned the boards for the second-straight contest 30-23 and won the turnover battle with just 12 compared to Vandy's 17.

Next up for A&M is the SEC Tournament Finals against the Alabama Crimson Tide, Sunday at 12 p.m. CT at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.

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