Texas A&M
23-10
UALR
29-4
Aggies Fall to UALR
Mar 21, 2015 | Women's Basketball
TEMPE, Ariz. -- Taylor Gault scored a season-high 25 points, Kiera Clark added a career-best 22 and 11th-seed Arkansas-Little Rock beat sixth-seeded Texas A&M 69-60 Saturday in the opening round of the NCAA tournament.
UALR (29-4) led almost the entire game in career victory No. 700 for coach Joe Foley.
It was the second NCAA tournament victory for the Trojans. In 2010, also as a No. 11 seed, they beat Georgia Tech.
Courtney Williams scored 23 for the Aggies (23-11), who were without point guard Jordan Jones, SEC defensive player of the year the last two seasons, who tore an ACL against Missouri on Feb. 26. The Aggies lost that game and three of the four after that.
UALR was the third 11th seed to win in this year's tournament.
The Trojans led by as many nine in the first half but Texas A&M scored the final nine points of the half to lead 28-27 at the break.
The Aggies took their biggest lead at 34-31 when Tori Scott scored inside with 16:40 left. They would never lead again.
Gault sank a 3-pointer to ignite a 9-0 run, then capped the outburst with a jumper in the lane and the Trojans were up 40-34.
UALR repeatedly responded to threats from the much bigger Texas A&M.
The Aggies were down just 48-46 after Williams' 15-footer with 8:09 to play, but the Trojans' Alexius Dawn sank a 3-pointer, her only field goal in eight attempts, to boost the lead back to 51-46. Williams' inside basket with 6:37 left cut it to 53-50.
On the next possession, with the shot clock almost at zero, Gault let fly for another 3.
Texas A&M cut it to 63-57 when Williams made two free throws with 1:09 to go before UALR put the game away from the free throw line.
The Aggies didn't get a field goal from the 3:13 mark to when Williams made a 3 with 17 seconds to go.
Gault made 5 of 7 3s. Clark scored 16 in the second half, when the Trojans shot 52 percent in the second half and outscored Texas A&M 42-32. She also gra 12 rebounds as the smaller UALR team fought the Aggies to a 36-36 standoff on the boards.
Notes
•Texas A&M is 21-11 (65.6%) all-time in the NCAA Tournament. That figure ranks 10th all-time in the Division I Tournament
•The Aggies went on a 9-0 run over the last 4:06 of the first half to take a 28-27 lead into the break.
•This is Texas A&M's first loss in the NCAA First Round since 2006. The Aggies are 9-3 in the NCAA First Round all-time.
•Courtney Williams matched a season high and a career NCAA Tournament high with 23 points. It is tied for the fifth-most points by an Aggie in an NCAA Tournament game all-time.
•Williams also matched her career high for rebounds with 12, tied for the fifth-most by an Aggie in an NCAA Tournament game.
•Williams scored 20+ points for the second time in her NCAA Tournament career, sixth time this season and 13th time in her career. She averages 15.0 points per game in the NCAA Tournament for her career.
•Williams posted her first double double in her NCAA Tournament career and her third this season. She has five double doubles in her career.
•Williams has scored in double figures in six of her seven career NCAA Tournament games.
•Williams has scored in double figures in 10 straight games. She has reached that plateau 23 times this season and 57 times in her career.
•Courtney Walker scored in double figures for the fifth straight career NCAA Tournament Game, 26th time this season and 74th time in her career. She averages 14.0 points in her NCAA Tournament career.
•Khaalia Hillsman had double digit rebounds for the fourth time this season and first time in her NCAA Tournament career.
•Gary Blair is now 695-282 in his career and 287-119 at Texas A&M
•The Aggies end their season at 23-10, while UALR is now 29-4.
