Texas A&M topples Syracuse, 57-45, in SEC/ACC Challenge at Reed Arena

On Wednesday evening, Texas A&M defeated the Syracuse Orange with a comeback win in the second half, 57-45.

“We were able to get out and run a little bit off of their turnovers and open some things up for us in the open floor,” A&M head coach Joni Taylor said. “We just wanted to make every shot of theirs a tough shot.”

After a neutral site win at the Battle 4 Atlantis against Southern Miss following two losses to Ball State and Villanova, respectively, the Aggies have put together two solid performances in a row.

“The third quarter was really huge for us,” Taylor said. “Syracuse has really good third quarters, and I thought we ended the game really, really well.”

Taliyah Parker headlined the Aggies’ efforts, boasting a career-best with 14 points while also accumulating five rebounds.

“This win was very important,” said Parker. “I think just taking pride in the things we could take care of, the little things, and me being confident and my teammates being confident in me.

“When I get the ball, they know I just go to the basket. They just trust me. That just goes back to my team and them trusting me, so I’m thankful for them.”

Another standout performance was by Janae Kent. Matching Parker’s 14 points, Kent also accounted for a new career-high.

“We had a rough start, but I think it goes back to going into practice,” said Kent. “We just took pride in every little detail all week coming up until this game.”

A commanding block by Sahara Jones on the game's first possession showed off the Aggies' defensive prowess. However, a 7-0 deficit followed by an A&M timeout meant the Syracuse Orange had all the momentum.

After a traveling violation by Syracuse’s Sophie Burrows, A&M put its first points on the board with a layup from Jada Malone. Subsequently, a two-point jumper from Parker showed that the Aggies had finally awakened from their snooze.

Back-to-back fouls from Syracuse put the Aggies within two possessions of the Orange. After a 3-pointer by Parker with 16 seconds on the clock, the Aggies scored the last points of the first quarter to decrease its deficit to 15-10.

The second quarter was rough for the Aggies. Missed triples and bad passes, combined with good coverage from Syracuse, left A&M trailing by nine.

Kaylen Kruse, TexAgs

Janae Kent shot 50 percent from 3-point range to notch a career-high 14 points.

From anyone who had seen the first 14 minutes of the game, it had looked all but over for the Aggies, but a 7-0 scoring run from Lauren Ware and Kent had other ideas. The Aggies soon trailed by only two points and were on a roll.

For the rest of the second quarter, the Aggies tried to even the score with little luck. The Maroon & White still trailed slightly at halftime, 26-24.

The Aggies returned from the break with a fire lit under them, which was apparent in the difference in play from the first half. Two jumpers from Aicha Coulibaly gave A&M the equalizer and their first lead of the game.

Following the lead change, they never looked back. A&M finally had the high ground. The momentum shift led to a timeout called by a frustrated Syracuse sideline. The Aggies had found their groove, and the score reflected that.

Back-to-back missed free throws from Syracuse were followed by a fast break from Parker and a made layup. At the end of the third quarter, A&M was ahead 45-37.

The fourth quarter brought a hungry Syracuse back to life, but Taylor’s Aggies were determined to hold onto the lead they had worked hard to create. A last-ditch effort by the Orange shrunk the lead to two, but a 3-pointer followed by a jumper by Kent was the dagger in the heart.

Taylor’s Aggies look to keep the momentum gained in the past two games, facing No. 13 Kansas State on Sunday at 3 p.m. at Reed Arena.