It was another come from behind victory for the Ducks, and this one was about as messy as the others. 

Oregon (5-0) led for just over five minutes in Tuesday afternoon’s contest against the No. 20 Texas A&M Aggies (4-2), but head coach Dana Altman’s squad got it done yet again after facing a large deficit. 

Thanks to a 12-1 run in the final three minutes, and the fact that the Ducks held the Aggies scoreless for the final two minutes ensured victory in a battle at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. 

In the first half, Oregon’s offense appeared outmatched in the face of Texas A&M’s experienced defense. The Ducks shot a measly 31% in the first half, which was coupled with 22% shooting from beyond the arc. 

The Ducks’ defense held strong throughout, however. Oregon stepped up especially well when it came to star Aggie guard Wade Taylor IV, who entered the game averaging 14 points in the four games preceding Tuesday. Taylor was silent in the opening frame, as the Ducks held him to five points on 2-7 shooting. 

Taylor’s woes would continue for the rest of the game, and the senior guard tallied 15 points, going 4-16 from the field and 2-10 from three, which are his worst shooting splits of the season by a significant margin. 

The success of Oregon’s defense allowed the Ducks to stay in the game and keep close behind the Aggies. Texas A&M matched a 5-0 Oregon run with an 8-0 spurt of its own, which helped the higher-ranked Aggies maintain their lead. 

The first half ended 32-29 after Oregon made just one of its last eight shot attempts and A&M went scoreless for the last three-and-a-half minutes. 

The Aggies seemed to take control as the second half started, which culminated in a 10 point lead with nine minutes to go in the game. 

The Ducks responded with an emphatic 14-0 run, which included just one three-pointer from Brandon Angel. Angel collected an efficient 16 points on 5-6 shooting and a perfect 4-4 from the free throw line. 

That run put the Ducks up five, and even after a back-and-forth battle towards the conclusion of the contest, Oregon held onto the lead and only gave it back once afterwards. 

The Ducks shot 61% from the field in the second half, which fueled their defense to hold the Aggies to just 27% shooting in that same stretch. Oregon outscored Texas A&M 24-10 in the paint in the closing frame of the game, which proved to be the dagger for the Aggies. 

That and the 31-20 free throw attempt margin Oregon obtained through its aggressive offensive play thrust the Ducks over the Aggies on Tuesday. That aggressiveness shined in TJ Bamba’s team-leading 18 points, which included a 10-12 afternoon from the line. 

Jackson Shelstad’s second timely late game floater in the last six days proved the final dagger in the Texas A&M coffin and was the cherry on top of a 16 point night for the sophomore guard. 

Oregon’s work in Vegas is far from finished, however, as the Ducks take on the San Diego State University Aztecs at 1:00 p.m. PST in the same arena.