WBB Thoughts and visit with Alexia Standish after A&M win

Post-game thoughts

In A&M's 78-63 victory over the Kansas Jayhawks, Gary Blair was missing his 'silent assassin' in Tyra White, due to a foot injury. Even with White's absence, the team managed to pick up the slack and compete for 40 minutes. The most notable performances came from a senior leader and a freshman guard.

The first 20 minutes proved to be a tough battle for the Ags as they went into the locker room with a 32-30 lead. The Aggies outplayed the Jayhawks in the first period in every category except one: Rebounding. Kansas' 11 offensive rebounds (20 overall) almost matched A&M's total of 13 rebounds in the first half.

If it wasn't for the hot shooting of Alexia Standish and Sydney Carter, the Ags may have found themselves going into intermission with a deficit. Standish connected on 3-of-6 shots from behind the three point line and 4-of-8 attempts total. Carter also shot 50 percent from beyond the arc in the first half as the two guards combined for a total of 21 out of A&M's 32 points.

The second half was more of the same from both Sydney Carter and Lexi Standish as they continued their hot shooting. Standish ended the game with a game and career-high of 25 points, while Carter filled up the stat sheet with 18 points, eight assists, seven rebounds, one steal and zero turnovers.

The difference in the two halves was A&M's ability to turn up the defensive pressure and dominate the glass. The Aggies forced Kansas into 16 turnovers while only committing eight of their own. And after allowing 20 rebounds in the first half, A&M held their opponent to 10 total rebounds in the last 20 minutes.

One-on-one Locker Room Chat with Alexia Standish

On getting her first collegiate post-season win…

“It’s definitely really exciting. Just playing out there with my team and seeing how motivated we were, especially in this big tournament. It’s motivating just to see how far we’re going to go. If we play like we did tonight we’re going to do really well in this tournament.”

On what led to her getting open shots…

“They’re probably were really concerned about our post play. We have some great post players and so the fact that they were doubling down on them left me open for my shots and hitting them was exciting and I’m glad I could help our team.”

On switching positions back and forth with Sydney Carter…

“Me or Sydney can bring the ball up. We can both handle the ball and we can both shoot, so either way, if she’s bringing it up I can run the two, if I’m bringing it up she can run the two. It’s really about who gets the ball on the inbound and off the rebound.”

On picking up the slack for an injured Tyra White…

“We all knew someone had to step up and so whether that was Kelsey Bone or Sydney or me. I just happened to be left open tonight and I got lucky and made my shots so it really helps out.”

On hanging out in the ice tub after the game…

“I’ve been in a cold tub, but not an ice tub. This was literally ice and it was the coldest thing I’ve ever been in.”

On letting loose and playing her best game of the season…

“It was exciting. This is a big tournament, a big game and coming off the loss against Texas, we needed some motivation and excitement. If I can go out there and show it, even as a freshman, this team needs to be motivated and excited when we make a good play. If I can get the team motivated, then I’ll do it.”

On how a game like tonight can boost her confidence…

“I definitely think it helped my confidence a lot. As a freshman, it has been up and down, so my confidence is up and down as well. With a game like tonight, me making my shots and playing like I did, it definitely helped my confidence and so hopefully it will help me out from here on out and the rest of the tournament.”

On how much the older players have helped her this year…

“Definitely a lot. With Sydney being a senior, she’s a great leader. With her leaving next year we’re going to need a leader on this team, so getting to watch her be a leader as an example, and as a vocal leader has been great because I can watch her play every play and she never takes a play off. She’s a great leader.”