ORLANDO, Fla. - Texas A&M junior Wade Taylor IV poured in a career-high 35 points but the Aggies fell short against 2023 Final Four participant Florida Atlantic, 96-89, in the semifinals of the ESPN Events Invitational on Friday at the State Farm Field House.

The Aggies fell to 5-1 as they suffered their first loss of the season and will face the loser of the Virginia Tech-Boise State matchup in the third-place game at 5:30 p.m. CT on Sunday and will be broadcast on ESPN2.

Taylor IV, picked as the preseason SEC Player of the Year, hit 12-of-26 shots, including 5-of-8 from the 3-point line and 6-of-7 free throws, to score the highest total of the Buzz Williams era at Texas A&M. In fact, Taylor's 35 points were the most since Elston Turner had 37 vs. Ole Miss in 2013. It was the third-most points in the 17-year history of the Orlando tournament. The Dallas native also tied for the game high with five assists in 34 minutes of play.

Also scoring in double figures were senior Hayden Hefner with 14 and junior Manny Obaseki with 13. Hefner hit 5-of-10 shots, including four 3-pointers, while Obaseki provided a spark off the bench by hitting 6-of-12 shots and grabbing four rebounds in 18 minutes. Skip Ad

Once again, the Aggies were dominant on the glass with a 41-23 advantage in total rebounds, and a 22-7 bulge on the offensive glass. The rebounding advantage led to Texas A&M having a 40-28 advantage in points in the paint. With starters Henry Coleman III (14 minutes) and Tyrece Radford (18 minutes) relegated to the bench due to injury or sickness, the Aggies' bench was key with 28 point from reserves. Senior Andersson Garcia matched his Texas A&M career high with 13 rebounds, including five offensive boards, while junior Solomon Washington contributed a career-best eight rebounds.

After a tight first half, the Owls came out hot in the second stanza, racing to a 15-point advantage less than four minutes into the half. The Aggies were game for the challenge as they battled back to get as close as four points with 6:04 left. The veteran Owls made their shots and free throws down the stretch to hold off the Aggies.

In the first half, out of the of 8:00 media timeout, the Owls turned a tie game into a 10-point lead with five straight buckets including a pair of treys. A 3-pointer from Taylor stopped the streak but the Owls took a 43-35 advantage to the 4:00 media break. The resilient Aggies closed the half on an 8-2 run to close the gap at halftime to 46-44.

GAME NOTES:

FOUR: Wade Taylor IV scored a career-high 35 points, beating out his previous-best 28 points scored against Alabama on March 4, 2023. Taylor tied his career-high three-pointers made with five, registered 12 field-goals made and added on six from the free-throw line. This is the most points scored in a game by an Aggie in the Buzz Williams era (since 2019-20) and the most since Elston Turner poured in 37 vs. Ole Miss in 2013. His 35 points were the third-most in the 17 years of this tournament. Markus Howard of Marquette holds the top two spots with 51 and 40 in 2019. Skip Ad

BENCH BOARDS: Texas A&M grabbed 41 to Florida Atlantic's 23 total rebounds. Out of the 41 Aggie boards, 30 of those came from players off the bench. Led by Andersson Garcia who compiled a game-high 13 and Solomon Washington who snagged eight. While doing so, the A&M reserves came together to score 28 bench points.

MILESTONES: Taylor surpassed the 1,000-point mark with the 35 points scored to have now scored 1,027 in his time in the Maroon & White. The Dallas, Texas native is the 40th Aggie to have reached the 1,000-Point Club.