By Ken Cross
NASHVILLE – Florida guard Denzel Aberdeen led five Gators in double figures with 20 points and Florida fashioned a strong come-from-behind win in defeating Texas A&M, 95-90, on Saturday.
Aggies guard Wade Taylor hit a three off the right baseline, to cap an 11-0 Aggies run and they took their biggest lead of the game at 40-22 with just over five minutes left in the first half.
Aberdeen then flexed potentially as a team leader for the first time of the season as he scored 10 of his 20 points in the next five minutes before halftime to cut the Aggies’ lead to 48-42 at the break.
Aberdeen would be considered the ninth man in the Gators rotation and he worked extremely hard to put himself in a position to be able to come through for his team. He lead five Gators in double figures as Florida shot 49.1 percent from the field for the entire game.
“He’s one of the hardest workers I know,” said guard Chris Richard. “You never hear him complain about minutes or anything. He just stays the course.”
Aberdeen was consistent throughout the afternoon as he helped Richard and Walter Clayton, Jr., combine for nine threes. Aberdeen’s work was complementary to Pullin’s playmaking and Samuel’s work in the paint was fostered by the way Texas A&M had to change defensively to account for Aberdeen.
After Solomon Washington tied the game at 72-72 with 7:27 to play, Richard hit a three and Samuel blocked a shot and ran the floor, finishing with a layup in transition via Pullin. Aberdeen’s three capped what was the decisive 8-0 run that gave Florida an 80-72 advantage.
“He was close to dominating in the second half, just the way he was able to play in the paint physically,” explained Florida head coach Todd Golden. “He did a great job in passing. They trap a lot in the post. I think he is one of the better-passing bigs in America and composed.”
With 3:21 remaining, Clayton connected with his four-point play as he made a three off of the left baseline and nailed a free throw for an 86-75 advantage.
Texas A&M’s Wade Taylor led all scorers with 30 points as he, Tyrece Radford, and Manny Obaseki had their dribble drive games working once again and the Aggies were playing off that to form the big first-half lead.
Will Richard followed Aberdeen with 19 points while Walter Clayton scored 16 points. Tyrese Samuel joined Pullin with 15 as Pullin had five assists and four rebounds in 37 minutes.