Aggies overrun in second-round loss to Nebraska, 74-63

A lackluster first half proved to be too much to overcome for the Texas A&M women’s basketball team on Monday night.

In front of 5,886 fans, the third-seeded Aggies dropped a disappointing contest to sixth-seeded Nebraska, 74-63, in the second round of the 2013 NCAA Tournament. The loss concludes an up-and-down season for A&M that was highlighted by an SEC Tournament championship just two weeks ago.

“We were a little short tonight on how we played the game,” said A&M head coach Gary Blair. “I’m not sure if Nebraska could have played any better than they did. They were magnificent. It’s hard to beat a team that was playing that well.”

The Cornhuskers (25-8) were led by Lindsey Moore, who finished with 20 points and 10 assists; Hailie Sample, who registered 10 points and 11 rebounds; and All-Big Ten Conference forward Jordan Hooper, who had a game-high 21 points and eight rebounds.

“We knew coming in that [Hooper] was going to be a difficult matchup,” said A&M center Kelsey Bone. “She’s a great player. She can score on the inside and she can knock down the three. That’s a different look than we’re used to guarding.”

Four Aggies finished in double figures, with Adrienne Pratcher‘s 17 leading the way.

With 16:12 left in the first half, Bone threw up a prayer from behind the arc late in the shot clock that glanced off the backboard and through the hoop to give the Aggies an early 9-6 lead. Courtney Williams hit a three-pointer and forward Kristi Bellock completed a layup 55 seconds later to grow the A&M lead to eight, the Aggies' largest of the night.

But it was all Cornhuskers from that point forward.

Over the next 7:09, Nebraska would go on a 14-2 run to take a 25-16 lead with 8:08 remaining in the first half.

A&M trimmed the lead to two, but Nebraska made another push just before the break and Rachel Theriot hit a jumper as the first half clock expired to give the Huskers an 11-point advantage at the break.

“We had two more fouls to give,” exclaimed Blair. “We didn’t even know how to foul in that situation. [Therior] stepped up and hit a big time shot. That was a huge momentum play right there.”

The second period was more of the same. Nebraska grew its lead to 16 on three separate occasions, the latest coming with 4:37 remaining in the game.

The Aggies would make one final push, rattling off 11 straight points — nine of which came from freshman Jordan Jones — to cut the lead to Husker lead to 66-59 with 2:01 left.

“Throughout the season, the team relied on my defense and me just being a spark player,” said Jones. “I really wasn’t known for my offense, but I just didn’t want to lose.”

On the Cornhuskers' next possession, Moore found Sample for an easy layup to push the lead back to nine, ultimately icing the game — and a spot in the Sweet Sixteen — for Nebraska.

Although seniors Cierra Windham, Bellock and Pratcher finished their A&M career on a disappointing note, their record of 108-34 over their four years in Aggieland and a national championship in 2011 makes them members of one of the most successful senior classes in A&M history.

“We know everything comes down to the postseason, and it proves how far you’ve come as a team,” concluded Pratcher.

“We played hard, but not hard enough.”