USC hands Aggie Women's Basketball first loss of season, 66-62

On Wednesday afternoon the USC Trojans defeated the 25th-ranked Texas A&M Aggies 66-62, resulting in the Aggies' first loss of the season.

Reed Arena was filled with a lot of noise as the Aggies hosted over 7,000 students at the fourth annual Elementary School Day game.

The Aggies started off strong, holding a close lead after both the first and second quarters. However, the Trojans came out of the halftime break with incredible energy that changed the whole dynamic on the court. Instantly, Texas A&M felt the pressure and USC capitalized on this momentum shift.  

“They could see the fear in us against pressure,” A&M head coach Gary Blair said.

Blair argues that his lack of trust in the bench is what ultimately led to the Aggies' demise in the second half.

“I’m having to play my first six so many minutes. I’m wearing out that first six,” Blair said.

Those "first six" were visibly tired, whereas the Trojan’s bench had fresh legs deep into the game. The Aggies turned the ball over 11 times in the second half, while the Trojans gave it away just five times.

“In the second half, they were playing hard," said A&M point guard Curtyce Knox. "They put a lot of pressure on me. I think we need to play harder when adversity hits.”

Knox had six assists, but turned the ball over three times in the second half.

Offensively, center Khaalia Hillsman led the Aggies by scoring 21, one third of the team's total points in the game. Meanwhile, sophomore Anriel Howard was arguably the most aggressive player on the court as she pulled down 17 total rebounds on the day.

“The difference in that fourth quarter is that they had kids who would go one-on-one and score off of the bounce," said Blair. "We’ve got kids who have to get open off screens in order to shoot the ball. And that’s a whole lot of difference."

Looking forward, Blair noted that the team needs to rest up before their upcoming week in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. The Aggies next take on SMU on Monday night at 7 pm before facing TCU on Thursday night at 7:30.