Texas A&M rallies to knock off LSU 59-55 after strong fourth quarter

The No. 22 Aggie women’s basketball team (19-5, 8-3 SEC) is back in the win column following a 59-55 victory over the LSU Tigers (14-9, 5-6) in Thursday night’s SEC rivalry game at Reed Arena. Despite trailing for almost 22 minutes of the game, the Aggies shut down LSU’s offense in the fourth quarter, holding the Tigers to just 4-16 in the final ten minutes.

But the BTHO Breast Cancer game meant more to the team than a victory on the court. The Aggies wore special jerseys to honor important people in their lives who have battled cancer. For the team, it was an opportunity to pay homage to mothers, grandparents, aunts and uncles, and former coaches who have struggled with the disease.

“We knew that we were playing for the people on the back of our jerseys, so we had to make something happen,” said sophomore guard Kayla Wells.

Wells led the Aggies with 16 points, Chennedy Carter scored just 15, and Ciera Johnson tallied 12. N’dea Jones added 15 rebounds to help the Aggies solidify a win over team that severely challenged them on the boards.

LSU bested Texas A&M on the glass, out-rebounding the Aggies 44 to 35. However, the Aggies shot 43.6% from the field, 25% from deep, and 9-13 at the charity stripe. Texas A&M scored ten points off the fast break, which, combined with solid half-court defense, kept them in the game.

The Tigers’ leading scorer, Khayla Pointer, scored 21 points and 7 rebounds. Despite the hot start, Texas A&M held LSU’s point guard to just four points in the final period as they shut down the Tigers’ offense entirely and rallied from a 10-point second-half deficit.

At the end of the game, Texas A&M head coach Gary Blair was disappointed in his team’s numbers but said he enjoyed the challenge the LSU Tigers brought to Reed Arena.

“It was just scratch-and-claw in the fourth quarter,” Coach Blair said. “That was the fifth time we played them in thirteen months, and that is how even both teams are.”

In the last six matchups between the Tigers and the Aggies, the home team has been able to pull out a win, but in the year where the A&M-LSU rivalry is hotter than ever, the Aggies came out victorious.

“I like playing against them,” said All-SEC point-guard Chennedy Carter. “They make us tougher, stronger, and better players overall.”

Looking ahead, the team remains at home on Sunday to take on the highest ranked SEC team in the country, Mississippi State.

A SPECIAL THANKS TO
Mac Resource Computers for their sponsorship of all women's basketball content produced throughout the season at TexAgs.com! For the seventh consecutive year, all WBB content will be available to you for free!