WBB: No. 15 A&M an "embarrassment" in 80-66 loss to No. 18 DePaul

During this week’s mid-week press conference, Texas A&M women’s basketball coach Gary Blair warned that the DePaul team coming into Reed Arena on Saturday would be extremely hungry for an upset after playing close with three of the top four teams in the country this season.

Their appetite looks to be satisfied.

Behind 11 three-pointers and a plus-16 mark on the boards, the 18th-ranked Blue Demons upset the 15th-ranked Aggies 80-66 on Saturday afternoon. Guard Jessica January scored 11 points and dished out 13 assists, while guard/forward Megan Podkowa poured in 20 points and pulled down 18 rebounds for DePaul (7-3).

Courtney Walker scored 14 and Chelsea Jennings had 13 to lead A&M (7-3).

“That was an embarrassment out there today,” said Blair. “When your own fans starting getting on you at the end after giving up four offensive boards on one possession … I took the starters out to see if I had any energy off the bench. The bench was doing the same thing the starters were.”

From the start, the Aggies played from behind as the Blue Demons used a 7-0 run over the game’s first 2:16 to set the tone for the afternoon. During that stretch, A&M’s Courtney Williams picked up two quick fouls and was forced to the bench for the majority of the half.

Despite the quick start from DePaul, A&M rallied over the course of the second quarter and briefly took a lead late in the period before going into the break down just one point at 34-33.

“I felt great going into halftime even though they scored on three of their last four possessions,” said Blair. “I felt like we had turned the corner but we came down to start the second half and missed an easy shot and they were off in transition.”

Like the beginning of the first half, the Blue Demons started quick out of the gates and forced the Aggies to play from behind. Over the first 5:17 of the third quarter, DePaul used an 18-7 run to open up a 12-point lead that A&M would never cut lower than 10 again.

“We didn’t slow them down enough in the second half,” said A&M point guard Jordan Jones. “I felt like the third quarter run they made, usually we can sustain it and come back but we didn’t do a good job of executing our half-court defense and they executed against us.”

Over the course of the contest, DePaul registered an unheard of 29 assists on 32 field goals. Additionally, the Blue Demons connected on 11 three-pointers and grabbed more offensive (27) than defensive (25) rebounds.

After the game, Blair was not shy about taking the blame for his team’s performance.

 “I haven’t been beat at home like that since some of my first Baylor games,” said Blair. “That was an embarrassment and I’m sorry to the great fans that were there. It was an embarrassment on how well I didn’t have my team ready to play. And that’s on me.”

With Saturday’s lackluster performance now behind them, the Aggies now switch their focus to playing Oklahoma in the Big 12/SEC Challenge next Sunday in Oklahoma City.

“We have to get back in the practice gym and show more effort and toughness,” said Jones. “I feel like accountability is something this team needs to have more of, and that starts with myself and the seniors. We have to set the tone and show the younger players what Aggie basketball is about, and I don’t feel like we have done that so far this season.”