Texas A&M
Connecticut
Texas A&M Women's Basketball
Texas A&M Athletics
Named to the All-Regional team, Courtney Williams scored 13 points and added six rebounds for the Ags in Monday's loss.
Texas A&M Athletics
Courtney Walker is just one of many bright spots the A&M program has to look forward to for years to come.
A&M's season ends with 69-54 loss to UConn in Elite Eight
LINCOLN, NE – Prior to the bracket being announced for the 2014 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament, the general consensus was that no team wanted to be placed in a region with undefeated Connecticut because of the way they simply tore through their schedule with absolutely no problems.
When the pairings were set and Texas A&M found themselves where no one wanted to be, the Aggies didn’t complain. A&M head coach Gary Blair admittedly did not expect to be in the Huskies’ region, but once his team was through the Sweet Sixteen and officially had Connecticut on the schedule, he welcomed the challenge.
Unfortunately, the living buzz saw that is the 2013-2014 Connecticut squad continued to turn on Monday night as the defending national champions outscored the Aggies 69-54 in the finals of the Lincoln regional. With the victory, the Huskies advance to their seventh straight Final Four.
Texas A&M Athletics
Named to the All-Regional team, Courtney Williams scored 13 points and added six rebounds for the Ags in Monday's loss.
“I liked the pride in my kids,” said A&M head coach Gary Blair. “Give their team credit. They’re one of the best defensive teams I’ve played against in a long time.”
The Aggies raced out to an early 11-4 lead over the Huskies after a flurry of baskets, mostly from sophomores Courtney Walker and Courtney Williams, and seemed to be somewhat in control after limiting Connecticut to seven ‘one-and-done’ offensive possessions over the game’s first 6:12.
However, Connecticut rallied back behind the sharp shooting of All-Regional Most Outstanding Player Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis and their overwhelming presence on the defensive end of the court.
“We were running the offense 25 feet from the basket. That’s not us. (A&M center) Karla (Gilbert) was just completely ineffective in there. Their defense is so good because they understand the game.”
Blair tried multiple combinations of players, but none seemed to have an effect on the Huskies down the stretch of the first half. In fact, over the final nine minutes of the period, the Aggies managed just eight points and fell behind 34-23 as the teams went to the locker room.
“We controlled the first 10 minutes of the half and it was still about an even ball game,” Blair said. “They controlled the last ten minutes of the half and they got up 11.”
Despite their lackluster play over the final minutes of the first half, A&M showed resiliency and clawed back right out of the gate to start the second.
On the Aggies first two possessions, point guard Jordan Jones calmly knocked down a pair of three-pointers to pull A&M back within five. Minutes later, Jones drove the lane and laid the ball off the glass and in to close as close as three.
But that’s as near an upset as the Aggies would come.
Over the next three minutes, the Huskies rattled off a quick 10-0 run, keyed by back-to-back three-pointers, to retake control of the contest.
“Their transition game is so good. They have three kids that can shoot the three-ball,” Blair stated of Connecticut’s ability to score quickly. “They shot high percentage shots.”
Texas A&M Athletics
Courtney Walker is just one of many bright spots the A&M program has to look forward to for years to come.
Connecticut eventually rode out their double-digit lead to the final buzzer and claimed their 44th consecutive victory. Even though the Huskies’ starting five have been stellar all season, Blair knows that the program’s success starts with Hall of Fame coach Geno Auriemma.
“He understands the game of basketball so well, and I just think he is a heck of a coach,” Blair said when asked about Auriemma. “He teaches the unselfishness that you have to play with at this high of a level.”
Although the season ended on Monday night in Lincoln, an Elite Eight berth with the amount of youth on the A&M roster is something to be applauded. The Aggies lose seniors Karla Gilbert, Kristen Grant and Cristina Sanchez-Quintanar, but plan on making noise in the tournament for years to come.
With a returning nucleus of All-Regional selections Walker and Williams, and the sure hands of Jones at the point, the future of the Texas A&M women’s basketball program is in good hands (literally).
“We have three starting sophomore guards (coming back),” said Williams. “That’s scary for the next few years. We’ll come back faster and stronger.”
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