Dry spell continues as injury-riddled Aggies fall to Tennessee, 62-50

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No rest for the weary.

The Southeastern Conference slows for no one, even if you barely have enough players to fill the floor.

Texas A&M (5-10, 0-5) has yet to find a spark in conference play after suffering its six-straight loss to Tennessee on Thursday night at Reed Arena, 62-50.

Plagued by injuries, the shorthanded squad of seven gave its best effort to shake up the Lady Volunteers and even held Tennessee (13-6, 5-0) to its second-lowest scoring output of the season. Aaliyah Patty and Sydney Bowles led the sparse Aggies with 12 apiece to keep the team afloat offensively. 

“We’re getting better,” A&M coach Joni Taylor said. “We’ve been fighting. We are continuing to fight, and we’re getting better in those situations. I can’t say enough how proud I am of our seven that are doing everything it is we ask and are locking in.”

A&M kept the battle close to start but a seven percent clip from the field limited the Aggies offensively. The second quarter did not look much different as a defensive battle ensued. 

After what was a fairly slow-paced first half, Tennessee began to find its rhythm and build on its lead, speeding up the game but only outscoring the Aggies by three points in the third.

“Defense is something we’re taking pride in as a team, from the coaches to the players,” Patty said. “It’s something that we’re really putting our focus into, because we know with the defense and how we play it will give us our best chance.”

Tennessee's paint presence wounded A&M, outscoring the Maroon & White 44-12 inside the lane. Forward Rickea Jackson took advantage of A&M’s lack of bigs on the floor and posted 22 points. 

“I thought at times we were good against (Jackson). We had good awareness of where she was. At times, we allowed her to go one-on-one, and that's hard for us,” Taylor said. “She is constantly moving. She took advantage of the opportunity when there was a miscue.”

Jamie Maury, TexAgs

The Aggies have held every opponent this season under their scoring average. 

The Aggies remained within reach with two minutes to go. However, a lack of response on offense eventually led to A&M’s demise. 

Though facing a five-game conference losing streak, Taylor is still hopeful for light at the end of the tunnel. She remains confident in her team’s abilites and cites the smaller victories as reason for hope. 

“We held Tennessee to their lowest point total in a quarter. At halftime, we again held them to their lowest point total. This is the second lowest they’ve been held to in terms of points,” Taylor said. “Those are wins for us.”

Texas A&M currently sits at the bottom of the SEC, and its schedule does not appear to let up anytime soon.

Up next, the Aggies face Mississippi State (12-5, 1-3) on Sunday. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. CT.