No. 23 Texas A&M defeats Oklahoma Baptist in exhibition game, 89-38
Press conference video courtesy of Texas A&M Athletics.
The reigning SEC regular-season champions hit the hardwood on Wednesday evening and earned an exhibition win over Oklahoma Baptist, 89-38.
No. 23 Texas A&M demonstrated excellent team chemistry, tallying 20 assists on the night despite it being their first outing with six newcomers on the roster.
“All they need is playing time,” Texas A&M head coach Gary Blair said. “They wouldn’t be here or invited here unless I believed in what they were doing at their other schools or what these freshmen can give. They need playing time. It’s hard once the season starts.”
“But this isn’t normal minutes for an SEC game. We got to spread it out and see what they can do.”
Four Aggies cracked double digits as freshman Jada Malone led the way with 14 points. The impressive all-around team play is a product from last season that continues to benefit the team.
“Just like last year, we didn’t have anyone that average more than 20 points, and we were one of the best teams in the SEC,” said guard Kayla Wells. “It’s really not about that. We know that everyone on the court can score at any time, and we just want to get the best shot we can get.”
Ann Meyers-Drysdale Award Watchlist honoree Destiny Pitts set the Aggies’ offense in motion with a pull-up 3-pointer and a trip to the line to start the game.
While Oklahoma Baptist remained ice-cold, the Aggies got out to a commanding 20-0 lead by taking control through one quarter.
Even though A&M was able to hold the advantage in fast-break points (19-8) and boast an overall uptempo offense, there were plenty of opportunities lost to sloppy transitions.
“We need post-players to score in transition and not just guards driving,” Blair said. “We need to be able to run the floor with our bigs instead of always just screening the guards.
“We’ll work on that. I got five of them I can put in, and I can put Wells and Pitts at the forward as well. It just takes time. That’s what November is all about.”
The Lady Bisons found some rhythm from deep, hitting two consecutive 3-pointers to open up their offense after being locked out of the paint by the Aggies’ frontcourt.
St. John’s transfer Qadashah Hoppie piloted first-half offensive efforts for the Maroon & White, scoring 7 points to cushion A&M’s dominating lead. Wells added 6 points despite being double-teamed for most of the first half.
Junior Jordan Nixon kept A&M’s stellar offensive play flowing into the third period, sinking a pair of 3-pointers in the opening minutes of the frame, providing a healthy retainer to the team’s 53-22 advantage.
Sophomore guard Sahara Jones earned her second and third and-one conversions on back-to-back possessions within the first two minutes of the final stanza, sustaining A&M’s control of the paint.
With nothing Oklahoma Baptist could do, the game finished with the Aggies holding a 51 point lead and big expectations heading into the regular season.
“I would say a team is only as good as we are under pressure, and our team is really good under pressure,” Malone said. “We love each other like sisters. We fight like sisters. We’re a family.”
The Aggies will square off with Texas A&M-Corpus Christi next Wednesday at 7 p.m. to begin regular-season action at Reed Arena.