WBB: A&M moves into SEC quarterfinals with 57-47 win over Auburn

Little Rock, Ark. – The month of March and the coming of Spring means life anew. After a rocky end to the regular season, the Texas A&M women’s basketball team hit the reset button on the 2014-2015 year and began the ‘second season’ with a double-digit victory.

Behind 14 points and six rebounds from Courtney Williams and seven points and five rebounds from point guard Curtyce Knox, the fifth-seeded Aggies defeated the 13th-seeded Auburn Tigers 57-47 in the second round of the 2015 SEC Tournament. The win snaps a two game losing streak and was the first victory since A&M lost point guard Jordan Jones for the year due to injury.

“That is one of the reasons we needed to play today, I had to get my point guard some experience,” said Blair. “I thought Knox came in and handled herself a lot better than what she did in the second half against Missouri and against LSU.”

With Knox acting as the floor general, the Aggies methodically built a double-digit lead over the first fifteen minutes of the game, and held a 26-14 advantage with 4:55 remaining in the half.

However, Auburn turned up their defensive intensity and their full-court press forced six A&M turnovers in the half’s final five minutes, leading to a late 8-0 run by the Tigers that cut the lead down to four at halftime.

“Right before half, we decided to let them back in the ball game,” said Blair. “Some of it was by me, some of it was by [Courtney Walker and Williams], but we let them back in the ball game.”

However, the Aggies weren’t to be denied. After Auburn cut the lead as low as three with 16:52 to play on a layup from Brandy Montgomery, the Aggies rattled off a 10-0 run to open up a 13 point lead at 42-29 with 14:22 left in the game.

Delayed by traffic and icy roads, the Hullabaloo Band, the A&M dance team and the Yell Leaders all did not grace the arena with their presence until the 15:57 mark of the second half. As soon as the support groups entered, the Aggies rattled off the final six points of that 10-0 run and used the push to finish off the Tigers.

“I heard them singing one of our school songs when they got there,” said Walker. “It gave us some energy.”

With a game-high 14 points, Williams scored in double figures for the 21st time this season, however maybe more impressive than that was her career-high six assists. In fact, in three of her last four games, Williams has given out five or more dimes.

“I thought Courtney Williams was number one,” Auburn head coach Terry Williams-Flourney said when asked how A&M was able to push their lead back to double figures. “I really thought she took the game over in the second half. She’s a very good player.”

In addition to Williams’ strong play, the Aggies’ bench also proved to be an important piece of the victory. Guard Chelsea Jennings was one of four A&M players in double figures with 10 points over the course of 15 minutes of action and center Rachel Mitchell blocked three shots – altering many more – and grabbed two steals in her 14 minutes of play.

“I thought Jennings, Tori Scott and Mitchell were all very good,” said Blair of his bench. "Jennings, she’s 007 or something. The kid isn’t afraid to take a shot. She’ll kill you over in the left corner. That’s hers, she owns it and feels good about it.”

While reaching the quarterfinals of their conference tournament for the 10th straight season is an accomplishment for the program as a whole, this year’s A&M squad assuredly has higher goals. Reaching those goals starts with earning a spot in the tournament semifinals by defeating the fourth-seeded LSU Tigers on Friday afternoon.

The Aggies and Tigers split the regular season series with A&M picking up a seven-point home win in January, while LSU defeated the Aggies, 80-63, just four days ago in Baton Rouge.

Hopefully for Blair, his team can use Thursday's win over Auburn as a springboard into Friday's important contest.

“Give Auburn credit, they made a good run,” said Blair. “They’re ready to start next year, but we’re ready to keep this year going.”