A&M WBB defeats PVAMU 90-62 in final non-conference game
In their final game of the 2016 calendar year, the Texas A&M women's basketball team defeated the visiting Prairie View A&M Lady Panthers 90-62 on Wednesday afternoon at Reed Arena.
Point guard Curtyce Knox had 12 points and 15 assists and forward Anriel Howard added 10 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Aggies. Additionally, center Khaalia Hillsman scored 22 and guard Danni Williams added 19 in the win.
With their performances on Wednesday, Williams, Knox and Howard finish non-conference play as the SEC leaders in points per game, assists per game and rebounds per game, respectively.
“With the schedule we’ve played, we’ve had to play those kids a lot of minutes,” said A&M head coach Gary Blair. “I’m pleased with the offense.”
Brian Okosun
Point guard Curtyce Knox registered a career-high 15 assists on Wednesday afternoon.
From the onset, it was clear that the Lady Panthers had no answer for A&M inside as the Aggies dominated Prairie View 48-18 on points in the paint.
If A&M couldn’t get the basket to fall, they were usually rewarded with a trip to the free throw line. In total, the Aggies went 20-of-29 (69%) from the charity stripe including a 10-of-16 performance at the line in the first quarter.
“It’s always a point of emphasis with me to use my size to my advantage,” said Hillsman. “I just have to be able to utilize it every game.”
But the Lady Panthers wouldn’t go down easy.
After the Aggies raced out to an 11-point advantage late in the first quarter, Prairie View used a 17-4 run through the majority of the second quarter to take a two-point, 33-31 lead at the 4:40 mark of the period. A&M battled back and took a six-point, 43-37 lead into the break at the half.
“We came out with some pretty good defensive intensity and then we sort of lost our focus,” said Hillsman. “We started to not play hard and that transitioned to offense where we couldn’t get shots because we were frustrated.”
Though the Lady Panthers kept things interesting in the first half, a quick 16-2 A&M run to start the second half squashed any thoughts Prairie View might have had about an upset.
A&M would go on to lead by as many as 34 in the second half, allowing Blair to get his bench some much needed game action.
“We got 11 kids some minutes,” said Blair. “That’s what I wanted. Jasmine Williams did some good things for us and Rakell Spencer is going to be a player.”
With non-conference play behind them, the Aggies now turn their attention to SEC play as the Vanderbilt Commodores come to town on Monday night.
“That’s 13 games out the window,” said Blair. “Now its 0-0. Us and Vanderbilt play on Monday. I think it’s huge for us. We’re just going to have to find our way.”