No. 5 Aggies win eighth straight, down Ole Miss in Oxford, 66-55

Coming off a one-week, winter storm-inducted hiatus, No. 5 Texas A&M took care of business with a 66-55 victory over Ole Miss on Sunday afternoon.

The Maroon & White lead the country with eight ranked victories and have now won 20 games for a 16th consecutive season. The win pushed the Aggies’ winning streak to eight games. 

The Aggies started slowly with a low-scoring opening quarter, 10-9, and scattered scoring droughts. 

A&M’s offensive push improved in the second, and the Aggies closed the half on top, 26-23.

The Maroon & White struggled down low, as the Rebels scored 16 of their 23 first-half points in the paint as opposed to the Aggies’ six paint points at the break. 

The Rebels controlled the glass, outrebounding A&M 26-17 at the half and 43-34 in the game. Shakira Austin led the way for Ole Miss on the boards, grabbing 10, while Donnetta Johnson followed with nine.

Despite the Rebels’ dominant paint performance, the home team struggled to play a clean game, committing 13 fouls in the first half vs. the Aggies’ four. The Aggies finished with 13 fouls to the Rebels’ 21.

Ole Miss head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin spelled out her team’s missing elements from today’s game. 

“Texas A&M was the more mature team,” McPhee-McCuin said. “We knew if we wanted to beat Texas A&M today, we needed to have a complete game. We outrebounded them by 10, but our turnovers and fouls killed us. They turned it on when they needed to.” 

Kayla Wells showcased her shooting, leading all scorers with 18 points. Wells also grabbed nine rebounds.

The Aggie offense came alive to open quarter three.

The Maroon & White ran the floor with a 9-2 run as Wells hit a trey, while N’dea Jones and Jordan Nixon put up shots underneath. The Rebels trimmed the Aggies’ lead with a spirited offensive effort, but the Aggies maintained control of the frame, 44-39 after three. 

Jamie Maury, TexAgs

Zaay Green scored all six of her points in the final quarter.

Zaay Green set the tempo for the Aggies in the final quarter as she came off the bench ready to contribute with back-to-back jumpers and a layup, totaling six points, 50-41.

Texas A&M head coach Gary Blair touched on how crucial Green’s presence was as a spark for this team.

“She knew exactly what to do when she came into the ball game,” Blair said. “That’s how much confidence we have. Hopefully, this will give her a boost for the last two ballgames we have left. Zaay Green’s six points were huge in this ball game.”

Nixon contributed nine points in the final quarter and 11 total. Aaliyah Wilson dropped 10 points, and Destiny Pitts had nine. Ciera Johnson joined the 1000-point club with a free-throw in the game's final minute and finished with five points.

Next, the Aggies will look to extend their streak to nine in-a-row as they travel to Tuscaloosa to play Alabama, Thursday, February 25, at 6 p.m.