WBB: Aggies prove too much for Auburn, move to 3-1 in SEC play

One day after the Texas A&M men's basketball team proved their SEC worth by beating the defending national champion Kentucky Wildcats, the 20th ranked A&M women's team continued to do the same by torching the Auburn Tigers (13-4, 2-2) 78-56 at Reed Arena.

"I think we played a perfect first half," said A&M head coach Gary Blair. "Their press didn't bother us, we were shooting layups. This is the third game in a row we have shot well over 50% in the first half."

5,836 fans watched as Kelsey Bone scored 19 points to lead the Aggies (13-5, 3-1) to their third conference victory in four tries. Three other Aggies also scored in double figures during the lopsided victory.

"If I had Bone inside, I could control the inside also," said Auburn head coach Terri Williams-Flournoy. "She's probably one of the best post players in the country."

Bone also proved that she can pass the ball when needed by tallying four assists, including one just before halftime when the junior from Houston found Courtney Williams wide open under the basket after leading a fast-break opportunity with 33 seconds left in the first half.

"I've just slowed down. I've just relaxed," said Bone. "In the past, I've always felt like I had to prove a point, but I've just decided to let the game come to me. My teammates do a great job of finding me and looking for me."

However, Bone wasn't the only Aggie who turned in an all-around solid performance.

Kristi Bellock recorded her fourth double-double of the season when she knocked down a pair of free throws with 14:01 left in the game. The senior forward finished the game with 13 points and 10 rebounds.

"Bellock is as solid as can be," said Blair.

After the halftime intermission, Blair opted to use his reserves, sometimes four at a time, in order to gain valuable experience during conference play.

"Those reserves are next year's team," Blair stated. "They have to understand that. They need to learn to value a possession, sometimes you're open for a reason. We were making five to six passes to score [in the first half] and the bench wanted to score on one or two passes."

The Aggies continued to build their lead in the second half to as high as 30 points on a Williams three-pointer with 4:35 remaining before finishing the game 22 points better than the Tigers.

Next up, the Aggies travel to play Georgia and Mississippi State before returning to Reed Arena to face fellow SEC rookie Missouri on January 27th.