Dallas ? Antoine Wright and the Texas A&M Aggies did their best to keep coach Melvin Watkins on the job one more day.

But, as happened so many times during his six-year tenure, they couldn’t come through when it mattered most.

Jason Conley hit consecutive three-pointers during a 9-0 run late in the second half that erased A&M’s final lead, sending Missouri to a 74-68 victory Thursday night in the first round of the Big 12 Conference tournament.

Watkins announced Wednesday he was resigning after A&M’s next loss. It was no surprise it came so quickly as the Aggies (7-21) lost their 19th straight conference game.

Yet A&M was in most games. The Aggies led in the second half nine times during their 0-16 conference season and finished within 12 points in 12 games. This one kept up both trends.

“We’ve been competitive all year,” Watkins said. “We just haven’t learned how to win games. It was the same thing as it has been all year. We just didn’t make the plays down the stretch.”

Missouri (16-12) will play No. 18 Kansas University tonight. The Jayhawks beat the Tigers 84-82 on Sunday.

The rematch gives Missouri a great chance to bolster its hopes of making the NCAA Tournament for the sixth straight year. The Tigers were ranked No. 3 early this season, but plummeted to 9-10 in early February. They’ve worked their way back into consideration by winning seven of nine.

“We’re not paying attention to the bids and all that stuff,” said Conley, who scored 13 points. “Everybody expects us to go out and maybe lose. If we stay tight, we’ll be fine.”

Missouri guard Rickey Paulding, center, passes under pressure from Texas A&M's Jesse King and Nick Anderson, left. The Tigers beat the Aggies, 74-68, Thursday at the Big 12 Conference tournament in Dallas.

A&M led by nine in the opening minutes, but trailed by five at halftime. Down seven early in the second half, the Aggies rallied to lead 54-53 with 7:42 left on a free throw by Wright, who scored 22 points.

Then the Tigers snapped into action. A perfectly timed putback by Rickey Paulding put Missouri back ahead, and Conley’s three-pointers stretched the lead. A free throw by Jimmy McKinney capped the run, leaving Mizzou up 62-54.

McKinney scored 20 points, hitting 5-of-6 three-pointers. Arthur Johnson, coming off a 37-point game against the Jayhawks, added 14 points, and Travon Bryant had 16 points and nine rebounds.

A&M hurt itself with turnovers before each of Conley’s baskets. The second miscue was Kevin Turner dribbling the ball out of bounds off his foot. Watkins took him out after that, stopping him on his way to the bench for a hug and some encouraging words.

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The Aggies kept things interesting until the end, getting within 69-66 with 1:48 left. When it ended, Watkins bit him bottom lip, congratulated the nearest Missouri player, then hugged Tigers coach Quin Snyder and shook hands with the rival staff.

“Everyone came out and gave their all for coach Watkins, but we were just not able to knock down our shots tonight,” said Wright, who had 14 of his 22 points in the opening minutes.

Texas A&M has never won a Big 12 tournament game. The Aggies have lost 11 straight in conference tournaments, starting with the 1994 Southwest Conference finals.

Watkins leaves with a mark of 60-112, 21-76 in conference play. He lost his final 17, with his last win coming Jan. 6 against Long Island.

Missouri went from a bottom-six seed to the tournament finals last season, but lost to Oklahoma in the title game. Now the Tigers again have a chance to become the first team in Big 12 tourney history to win four games in four days.

Texas A&M guard Leandro Garcia-Morales (10) pushed past Missouri's Rickey Paulding in the Tigers' 74-68 victory. MU's win Thursday in Dallas set up today's Big 12 Conference tournament meeting with Kansas University.

Texas A&M coach Melvin Watkins shouts to his players during a loss to Missouri. The loss ended the Aggies' season and Watkins' tenure at A&M.