Tennessee basketball’s February road woes rolled on Tuesday in brutal fashion.
The Vols got within one at Texas A&M in the final 30 seconds and got a steal they needed, but squandered the opportunity as Aggies guard Wade Taylor brilliantly ripped the ball away from Santiago Vescovi.
No. 13 Tennessee (20-8, 9-6 SEC) lost 68-63 to No. 25 Texas A&M (21-7, 13-2) at Texas A&M’s Reed Arena. UT has lost four straight road games and hasn’t won away from Knoxville since Jan. 21 at LSU. The Vols have lost five of their past seven games.
Tennessee trailed 64-63 when Vescovi forced a steal on an inbound play, but Texas A&M stole it back and sealed the win at the free-throw line. UT almost forced a steal on the previous possession, but Aggies coach Buzz Williams was granted timeout during a loose ball.
Zakai Zeigler missed a game-tying 3-pointer in the final seconds.
RANKING: Tennessee basketball ranked No. 9 overall in the March Madness Bracket Preview Show on CBS
Santiago Vescovi battled through illness
Vescovi was battling illness prior to playing at Texas A&M. He turned in a well-rounded performance anyway. Vescovi had 14 points, matching Zeigler for the team high. Vescovi had 10 rebounds with five offensive rebounds and seven assists.
The senior guard willed Tennessee back into the game in the second half with gritty offensive rebounding and timely 3-point shooting. He was 4-for-10 shooting on 3-pointers. Vescovi and Zeigler combined for nine of UT’s 16 turnovers.
Tennessee got crushed at the free-throw line again
Texas A&M had made more free throws (511) than Tennessee had attempted (505) entering Tuesday. The Aggies crushed the Vols at the free-throw line, holding an 18-point edge. Texas A&M shot 28 of 34 on free throws. UT was 10 of 14.
Kentucky had a 19-point edge at the free-throw line Saturday, when UT shot 4 of 14 at the line.
No Josiah-Jordan James, Julian Phillips again
Josiah-Jordan James and Julian Phillips were in uniform but neither played against the Aggies. James missed his fourth straight game since suffering a sprained left ankle at Vanderbilt on Feb. 8. Phillips missed his third straight after he suffered a hip flexor strain on Feb. 10 and left UT’s game against Missouri on Feb. 11.
Up next
Tennessee hosts South Carolina on Saturday (6 p.m. ET, SEC Network) in its ultimate home game. UT beat USC 85-42 on Jan. 7 in Columbia, South Carolina.
Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee basketball loses to Texas A&M, Vols’ road woes continue