Syracuse vs. Texas A&M: Score, Highlights, Reaction from Battle 4 Atlantis 2015

The Syracuse Orange defeated the No. 25 Texas A&M Aggies, 74-67, on Friday to capture the 2015 Battle 4 Atlantis championship at Imperial Arena in the Bahamas.

Michael Gbinije put together another strong performance for the Orange with 20 points and four assists. Malachi Richardson, Trevor Cooney and Tyler Lydon also played key roles in the win, combining for 44 points and seven three-pointers. Jalen Jones had a game-best 23 for the Aggies in the loss.

Longtime Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim got a chance to see Texas A&M earlier in the tournament and knew the Aggies represented a tough matchup. He sent along some high praise after his team edged the Connecticut Huskies on Thursday for a spot in the final, per Ben Sigel of Scout.com.

"I watched Texas A&M and I haven't seen a bigger, stronger, more physical team in my life. I'm not going to have much rest the rest of today," Boeheim said.

The Aggies put each of those attributes on display during a highly competitive opening 20 minutes. They managed to stretch their lead to seven points with 39 seconds left in the half, but some mistakes in that remaining time allowed the Orange to close the gap.

Gbinije made a three for Syracuse and then picked up a loose ball off a lazy turnover by Jones near midcourt. Wisely, he immediately began to throw up a shot and was fouled by Anthony Collins in the act of shooting.

He made two of his three free-throw attempts, trimming the Texas A&M lead to 35-33 after scoring five points in seven seconds.

Jeremy Ryan of WKTV noted the last whistle wasn't the only questionable decision:

With that said, Brian Snow of Scout.com summed up the final seconds:

The back-and-forth battle continued after the break. Neither side led by more than four for a majority of the half as the teams traded buckets and stops in a game that had a grind-it-out feel.

Syracuse finally managed to get a foothold in the contest after the under-four media timeout. The Orange went on an 11-2 run, including a personal 5-0 burst from Cooney, to take a nine-point lead and didn't look back.

ESPN highlighted the three-point play by Cooney that put Syracuse firmly in the driver's seat:

The Aggies couldn't get things going on the offensive end when it mattered most. A combination of turnovers and an inability to create open looks against the zone doomed them down the stretch.

Syracuse celebrated the triumph:

Brent Axe of ESPN Radio Syracuse recapped a nice run from the champs:

Moving forward, there's a lot to like about the way Texas A&M played throughout the tournament. Perhaps the biggest question is whether the Aggies can maintain their physical brand of basketball all year and still play their best in March. Up next is a clash with Florida Gulf Coast on Wednesday.

The Battle 4 Atlantis also served as a measuring stick for Syracuse. The Orange should come away happy with how they're playing, and there's still plenty of time to build off the strong foundation. Another solid test will arrive Wednesday in the form of a visit from Wisconsin.

Postgame Reaction

Boeheim talked about the seemingly uncharted territory his group battle through in order the capture the coveted trophy, as pointed out by the Post-Standard's Syracuse Basketball feed:

Texas A&M's Billy Kennedy felt his side deserved better in the end, per Sam Blum of the Daily Orange:

Syracuse rose to the occasion when it mattered most and earned the championship. It's exactly the type of effort that can really provide a confidence boost for the rest of the season. The only difference now is the Orange will have to deal with the added pressure of rising expectations.