Tenth-ranked Aggies run away from Sam Houston, 99-69
The No. 10 Texas A&M Aggies (7-0) returned to Reed Arena and extended their winning streak to seven against the Sam Houston Bearkats (2-2), with a final score of 99-69. It had been fourteen years since the last matchup between these squads, when the Aggies more than doubled Sam Houston’s score, 93-43, in December of 2006.
The Aggies continue to showcase the competitive nature of the SEC, which boasts five teams in the top 25, as they capped their fourth victory over the Southland Conference this season, with the Bearkats holding the No. 2 spot in the conference’s standings. The other three wins were over Lamar (twice) and Abilene Christian.
Head Coach Gary Blair anticipates a competitive schedule this season and every season in the SEC.
“We expect a lot of very good teams year-in and year-out, in every sport. That’s what the SEC is all about. This league produces All-Americans, Olympians, great players, and great people. We can’t wait for the challenge when we get into league play. Tennessee is coming in for our first game on New Year’s Eve."
Despite the Aggies controlling the score at the end of quarter one, 27-12, the Bearkats displayed grit and shooting ability on the hardwood. Junior, Jolicia Williams drilled two threes within the first two minutes of the game and Faith Cook scored four threes for the Bearkats. The Aggies quickly recovered, and within three minutes of tip, each of the starters recorded buckets.
Kayla Wells emphasized the importance of getting things rolling early.
“We like to get out there in the first five minutes and show them who we are, show them we are a top 10 team, and just dominate,” said Wells. “I feel like we didn’t do that in the first few minutes like we wanted to, but Coach [Bob] Starkey brought it in and told us that we needed to pick it up, and we knew what we needed to do.”
The Bearkats made some adjustments going into quarter two, scoring 10 points in the first three minutes. Blair was quick to call a timeout for the Aggies when the score reached an 11-point margin, 33-22. Coming off this timeout, the Aggies launched a 13-0 run, pushing the score to 46-22. Junior center Ella Tofaeono scored 6 of her 7 points in the second quarter and grabbed four rebounds.
Blair explained his mindset in calling the early timeout.
“I just didn’t like the flow of the game,” said Coach Gary Blair. “They were hitting some good shots, but at the same time we were sorta interested in trading baskets with them, and I wanted us to tighten it up and that’s what we did.”
The whipping endured after intermission.
All five starters in the maroon and white finished the game in double-digits: Aaliyah Wilson (17), N’dea Jones (15), Ciera Johnson (12), Kayla Wells (12), and Jordan Nixon (10). N’dea Jones led the way in rebounding, grabbing 8, and Aaliyah Wilson dished out 4 assists.
Looking forward, the Aggies will maintain a home-court advantage at Reed Arena as they host another in-state opponent, the undefeated Rice Owls. Tipoff is this Sunday, December 20 at 2:00 p.m., and the game can be streamed on ESPN+ and heard on 1150AM/93.7FM.
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