Brown leads Longhorns to 70-68 win over Texas A&M

COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Texas has had trouble winning close games and getting victories on the road this season.

On Monday night they did both in a 70-68 win over Texas A&M.

J'Covan Brown hit the go-ahead layup with less than a minute remaining and added a pair of free throws after that to lift Texas to the win.

It's the Longhorns' fifth straight over A&M in the last regular-season Big 12 meeting between these schools, with the Aggies leaving for the Southeastern Conference.

Brown's free throws with 17 seconds remaining made it 70-67. Elston Turner was fouled before he could get a shot off on the other end. He made one free throw and missed the second one, and Julien Lewis grabbed the rebound to cap the Texas win.

Brown led the Longhorns (15-9, 5-6) with 20 points and Sheldon McClellan added 15.

Seven of the Longhorns' nine losses this season have come by six or fewer points, and they hadn't won on the road since Dec. 3 at UCLA.

"We've had situations where we've needed to get a basket, and we've had games where we've had a lead and couldn't get a stop," Texas coach Rick Barnes said. "Tonight we had the lead and we got the stop."

Barnes wouldn't acknowledge that the win had any extra meaning because it was the last scheduled game against A&M, but the players weren't as diplomatic.

"I've been watching Texas and Texas A&M for a long time," McClellan said. "It felt great to be part of the last victory for Texas at A&M. It brings us together because we haven't won a road game since UCLA."

Turner had 20 points for Texas A&M (12-11, 3-8), which has dropped three straight. He said this one hurt more because it could be the last chance to beat the Longhorns at home.

"We wanted to win not just for us but for the whole university, former players, students, graduates," he said. "It was a big game not just for the basketball programs, but for the whole schools."

The Aggies, who were playing without two starters, were trailing by five points with 3½ minutes remaining before a 3-pointer by Turner made it 64-62. Ray Turner's three-point play after a basket by McClellan got Texas A&M within one point.