Aggies fall to .500 overall after suffering lopsided loss in Fayetteville
A short-handed squad led to shortcomings as Texas A&M (10-10, 3-5) fell in disappointing fashion at Arkansas (9-14, 2-6) on Thursday night, 72-51.
With only eight Aggies available, the Razorbacks — located in the SEC's cellar — gave Joni Taylor's injury-riddled team all they could handle.
On Sunday against LSU, leading scorer Aicha Coulibaly went down with a season-ending knee injury. A devastating blow for the Aggies, Thursday's contest saw the effects.
Learning how to play without Coulibaly, A&M’s struggles were apparent. The Maroon & White greatly missed their downhill driver as the youthful backcourt could not supplement her usual production.
A&M was also missing Kyndall Hunter for a second-straight game and Vanessa Saidu, who has not seen the floor this season with a leg injury.
With three players sidelined, the Aggies needed someone to step up and provide an initial spark to carry the Aggies through in Fayetteville. Attempting to make up for A&M's shooting woes early inside the arc, point guard Solè Williams launched back-to-back 3-pointers, but the efforts from deep weren't enough to keep up with Arkansas' Izzy Higginbottom.
A&M’s defense had no response for the Arkansas State transfer, who engineered a 21-point first half and finished with 33.
Arkansas was scorching from deep in the first half, firing at a 50 percent clip from 3-point range. With the Hogs building up a 46-36 lead at the break, the Maroon & White let the deficit grow as an abysmal shooting performance followed.
Making just 5-of-28 field goals in the second frame, A&M's anemic offensive outing resulted in single-digit scoring totals in the final two quarters. The Aggies scored just nine and six points in the third and fourth, respectively.
Already playing with limited numbers, foul trouble led to a shortage in minutes for Williams, who scored 13 in 21 minutes but finished with four fouls.
Down a fifth-year veteran in this league in Coulibaly, Thursday made it clear that Taylor’s Aggies are facing a very tall task when it comes to operating at a level consistent in the SEC.
On Sunday, the competition stays tough as fifth-ranked Texas comes to Reed Arena for the Lone Star Showdown.
With eight regular-season remaining, it will take a boost in output from veteran post players Lauren Ware and Sahara Jones to keep A&M afloat.
Expedited growth from Williams, LSU transfer Janae Kent, freshman Taliyah Parker and Erica Moon is a must.
Without it, the Aggies might sink further.