BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas - The Texas A&M men's basketball team took down the newly-crowned SEC regular season champion and No. 2-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide, 67-61, in front of a raucous, sellout crowd of 12,989 on Saturday at Reed Arena.

Already locked in as the No. 2 seed at next week's SEC Tournament in Nashville, Tenn., the Aggies improved to 23-8 overall and 15-3 in league play. The 15 conference wins were the most in 100 years, matching D.X. Bible's Aggie squad in 1922-23. It also wrapped up the Aggies' first undefeated conference home worksheet in more than 40 years (1979-80 team went 8-0 in Southwest Conference play).

The conquest of the Crimson Tide marked Texas A&M's highest ranked win in school history, supplanting last year's win over No. 4 Auburn in the SEC Tournament. It was Texas A&M's fifth-straight win over the Crimson Tide.

The highest scoring guard tandem in the SEC didn't disappoint as sophomore Wade Taylor IV and graduate Tyrece Radford combined for 49 points to lead the Aggies to the upset of the Tide. Taylor, from Dallas, Texas, poured in a career-high 28 points, while Radford, from Baton Rouge, La., added 21 points. The Aggies' lone Senior Day celebrant, graduate Dexter Dennis also chipped in 11 points.

Texas A&M took control early and enjoyed at least a nine-point cushion through the second half of the first stanza and took a 32-22 lead to the locker room. The game tightened up in the second half with the Tide evening up the game at 45-45 at the 8:59 mark.

The SEC's top two teams exchanged buckets over the next four minutes before the Crimson Tide grabbed their first lead of the game on a Jaden Quinerly 3-pointer at the 4:47 mark to earn a 54-51 advantage. But Taylor IV evened the game back up with a clutch 3-pointer 30 seconds later and Radford gave the Aggies a lead they would not relinquish with a pair of free throws at 3:16.

SEC Sixth Man of the Year candidate Andersson Garcia contributed one of the biggest plays of the game with a steal after the Crimson Tide had posted a defensive stop with 35 seconds remaining and the Aggies clinging to a two-point lead. After the Tide's Mark Sears pulled down a rebound, Garcia stepped in front of his pass for the steal and then got the ball to Taylor IV, the SEC's top free throw shooter, who calmly moved the advantage to four points with a pair of free throws.

The Aggies limited Alabama to 34% shooting from the field and just 19% from the 3-point line as the Crimson Tide missed 29 of 36 tries from deep. Texas A&M, the nation's leader in free throws, hit 27-of-28 shots from the foul line for a gaudy 96% success rate. Texas A&M limited Alabama to 22 points in the first half, which was the Tide's lowest scoring half of the season. For the Aggies, it was the ninth time in 18 games that they have limited a SEC opponent to 25 or fewer points in the first half.

Texas A&M Men's Basketball Postgame Quotes/Notes
#24 Texas A&M 67, #2 Alabama 61
Reed Arena (Bryan-College Station, Texas)

Head Coach Buzz Williams

On How the Team Has Fought Through Adversity...
"Our staff has been as good a staff as I've ever seen. I'm thankful for the receptiveness of the players to do the work and be engaged mentally, emotionally and physically. The last 60 days has been a lot. They carried the burden from when we were 6-5, and now we're preparing for game number one of the SEC tournament in Florida."

On How the Team Works Together...
"We don't have the best players. We don't have the best coaches. I'm not the best coach. But we have the best team. We have the best staff. Everyone is very aware of what they're good and not good at. They help each other with their strengths and weaknesses. The character of the team is reflected by the way this team has been playing. It's all built on love. I'm thankful to be able to get to be a part of the energy and cohesiveness of this team."

RECORDS & SERIES NOTES

• Texas A&M defeated the No. 2-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide, 67-61, Saturday afternoon at Reed Arena.
• The Aggies improved to 23-8 overall, 15-3 in Southeastern Conference play and a perfect 9-0 at home in league play.
• The Maroon & White's 15 conference wins are the most in 100 years, matching D.X. Bible's Aggie squad in 1922-23.
• Texas A&M has won five straight games against Alabama, moving the all-time series to 11-12.
• The Aggies are 3-0 against the Crimson Tide in the Buzz Williams era.
• Texas A&M played in front of its second consecutive sold out crowd (12,989).

TEAM NOTES

• Three players finished in double figures for sixth straight game and the 15th time this season.
• The Aggies are 4-0 against ranked opponents this season.
• Texas A&M limited Alabama to 22 points in the first half, marking the lowest point total in any half this season by the Crimson Tide.
• The Aggies held SEC opponents to under 25 points in the first half for the ninth time this season.
• The Maroon & White had fewer turnovers than the Crimson Tide, while forcing Alabama to commit 18 turnovers.
• Texas A&M used the starting lineup combination of Henry Coleman III, Dexter Dennis, Julius Marble, Tyrece Radford and Wade Taylor IV for the 21st time this season (17-4).

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

Dexter Dennis

• Finished with 11 points and seven rebounds.
• Registered double digit points for the 14th time this season and the 64th time of his career.

Julius Marble

• Swatted two blocks to match his career high.

Tyrece Radford

• Tallied 21 points while finishing 5-of-16 from the field and 10-of-10 from the free throw line.
• Has double digit points in 11 of the last 13 games.
• Finished in double figures for the 22nd time this season and 80th of his career.
• Has scored 20 or more points for the sixth time this season and 13th time of his career.
• Tied his season high in steals with three.
• Dished out a team-high four assists to lead the team in steals for the sixth time this season and 15th time of his career.

Wade Taylor IV

• Recorded a career-high 28 points after finishing 8-of-15 from the field and a perfect 10-of-10 from the charity stripe.
• Registered double figures for the eighth straight game.
• Tallied double digit points for the 24th time this season and 40th time of his career.
• Led the team in points for the 15th time this season and 19th time of his career.
• Logged 20 or more points for the 11th time this season and 12th time of his career.
• Taylor concludes the regular season 24-0 from the free throw line in the final two minutes of games.
• His 1.000 clip at the free throw line marks the seventh time this season he's been flawless at the charity stripe.
• Solomon Washington Hauled in a career-high seven rebounds. Matched his career high in steals with two. Also had a block and an assist.