Texas A&M
17-1,8-1SEC
LSU
8-8,6-4SEC
Wells, No. 7 Aggies Stifle LSU, 54-41
Feb 04, 2021 | Women's Basketball
BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP)--Kayla Wells scored 14 points and No. 7 Texas A&M overcame a slow start with strong defense late to beat LSU 54-41 on Thursday night.
The Aggies (17-1, 8-1 SEC) have won five in a row since LSU (8-8, 6-4) handed them their only loss, in overtime on Jan. 14.
Khayla Pointer scored 12 points to lead LSU, which scored its fewest points of the season.
Texas A&M led by two after three quarters and scored the first 10 points of the fourth to push its lead to 49-37 with about six minutes left. Aaliyah Wilson and Destiny Pitts got things going in that stretch, making back-to-back 3s.
The Tigers finally got on the board in the fourth when Faustine Aifuwa made a free throw with 4 1/2 minutes to go. LSU had six turnovers and missed 10 shots before Pointer made the team's only field goal of the period, a 3 with 29 seconds left.
The Tigers were up by as many as 10 in the first half and had a nine-point lead early in the third quarter after a layup by Awa Trasi. The Aggies then used a 10-4 run, with six points from Wells, to get within 33-31 with about four minutes left in the quarter.
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POSTGAME NOTES
RECORDS & SERIES NOTES
- Following the win, Texas A&M advances to 17-1 with an 8-1 record in Southeastern Conference games, the best start since the 2010-11 National Championship Team.
- LSU drops to 8-8 with a 6-4 record against SEC opponents.
- The Aggies collected their 15th victory over LSU in the all-time series.
TEAM NOTES
- A&M improves to 10-0 in the familiar surroundings of Reed Arena, earning double-digit wins at home for the 17th-consecutive season.
- After trailing throughout the first half, Texas A&M utilized a 14-2 run starting at the 1:47 mark of the third quarter to take a 47-37 lead.
- The Maroon & White have enjoyed a lead of 10-or-more for the 16th time this season.
- Texas A&M trailed by as many as 10 points in the first half. The last time the Aggies overcame a deficit of 10-or-more points was on Jan. 25, 2020 at Alabama.
- A&M's defense held LSU to a season-worst 41 points on a 32% shooting clip from the field with a 29.4% mark from three.
- The Aggies have held their opponents to under 50 points in back-to-back games. The last time A&M accomplished this feat was last season when the Maroon & White held Houston and Georgia Tech to 43 and 48 points, respectively.
- Although the turnover battle was deadlocked at 19-19, A&M capitalized more efficiently, winning 23-11 in points off turnovers.
- Bench scoring also favored Texas A&M by a 16-3 margin, winning the scoring battle off the pine for the ninth time this year.
- A&M excelled in transition scoring opportunities, dominating the differential in fast break points 11-0.
- This was the fourth time this year the Maroon & White has held their opponent to zero fast break points.
- The Aggies opened the game with a lineup of Aaliyah Wilson, Jordan Nixon, Kayla Wells, N'dea Jones and Ciera Johnson for the 18th time in as many games.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- Kayla Wells finished as the game-high scorer with 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting, marking her eighth double-digit scoring performance this season and 58th such performance of her career.
- Wells scored in double figures for her third-straight game.
- Aaliyah Wilson finished the night with a stat line of 11 points, five rebounds and four assists. The senior scored in double figures for the 13th time this season and 32nd time in her career.
- The Muskogee, Oklahoma, native hauled in five-or-more rebounds for the 10th time this year and 28th time in her career.
- She also tied her season high in assists with four, last set in the win over then-No. 10 Kentucky on Jan. 7 of this year.
- Wilson completed the game with a game-high plus-22 plus/minus.
- Jordan Nixon led the Texas A&M offense with five assists, marking her fifth performance of five-or-more assists this season and sixth of her career.
- Nixon added seven points, three rebounds and finished the game with a plus-20 plus/minus.
- N'dea Jones was the game-high rebounder on Thursday night, finishing with nine boards.
- The Lawrenceville, Georgia, native now stands at 960 career rebounds, only 42 shy of the Texas A&M record of 1,002 set by Anriel Howard.
- Gary Blair rises to 830-331 in his career as a head coach with a 422-168 record since joining the Texas A&M program in 2003-04.
UP NEXT
The Maroon & White get set for their third-consecutive home game on Sunday, Feb. 7 as the Aggies play host to the No. 16 Arkansas Razorbacks at 2 p.m. inside Reed Arena.
POSTGAME QUOTES
TEXAS A&M QUOTES
Head Coach Gary Blair
Opening Statement…
"We hit timely threes that we had to have. Zaay [Green] and [Destiny] Pitts in the first half, when we were on a life raft over there, they came in and were attacking when everyone else was settling for shots. Our shooting in the second half, if I could keep our offense in front of me and [Assistant Coach] Kelly [Bond-White] the entire game I would have. We ran our offense very well in the second half. More importantly, LSU was missing, and we got into transition. Every shot wasn't a layup on those opportunities, but it was still 11-0 in transition points. Sometimes, our kids are as frustrated as y'all are watching the first half. But I don't think anyone asked for their money back at halftime because we found a way in the second quarter to get back in the game defensively. Our bench really helped us with minutes tonight. Our turnovers have been going up, so we have to solve that problem."
On the team's defensive performance in the fourth quarter…
"It was wonderful. I think that they were missing some shots that they normally hit, but they were not getting the post touches that they wanted. So, they were having to put up shots from outside, and when you play as many minutes as their shooters did in this game that hurts you. LSU is a good team, but [LSU Head Coach] Nikki [Fargas] has missed the last two games, and that's tough. If I had to go home and watch a game on Zoom, I would go bananas. I hope Nikki gets back right away."
On Aaliyah Wilson's critical buzzer beater at the end of the third quarter…
"I think that shot was huge. If I remember correctly, we were playing great and all of a sudden we let them have a basket inside where one of their players got an offensive rebound. When we came down the other way though, [Aaliyah] Wilson wants the ball in that situation. That was a tough shot that she hit, and it gave our crowd and me a lot of momentum going into the fourth quarter. We were able to relax and kept encouraging them when they were playing well on defense, which we did consistently all night."
Senior guard Destiny Pitts
On the three-pointers and the momentum shift…
"We were taking what the defense gave us. They were sinking back a little bit, so we were able to get those threes and transition. They were needing to get back and protect the paint which worked out for us to get those threes. I think the threes gave us a lot of momentum, especially to propel us on the run we were going on in the fourth quarter. That was a big turning point. It deflated their energy, and our crowd played a factor. It seemed like there were more fans than what was there."
On the defensive performance tonight…
"The whole team was locked in on our game plan of what we wanted to do. We knew that they are a really good team that likes to score in the paint. I think we did a good job taking away the paint and when the shot clock was low, they held onto balls, which we were able to defend. That stopped the drop-offs that they used to get the paint points. We focused on that and did a good job taking away what they liked."
On what this win means…
"I think this win means a lot, especially since we haven't beat LSU in a while. It'll give us momentum moving into the rest of the season. We carried this momentum since our loss to LSU last time since it was our last loss. We are ending with great momentum to end this regular season and taking it one game at a time."
Sophomore Guard Jordan Nixon
On the changing moment…
"We can all shoot the ball and I think LSU, like any other team we play respects us. It was a matter of attacking those open gaps and having the confidence to do so. LSU is a good team defensively since they are quick. We talked about this in preparation for the game that we needed to take what was there while having the confidence to do so. The game is trial and error, we missed a couple of opportunities, so we tried something different."
On the three-points…
"We always go in with a shooter's mentality and that the next one is going to go up too. Aaliyah (Wilson) had the confidence to keep shooting after she missed a couple. I think we all were able to find that confidence. I was glad I could find her in those moments along with her finding me. As far as focusing on the three-pointers, it is all within the flow of the game and we were able to hit them."
On the Zaay Green and Alexis Morris's performance off the bench…
"They are huge players that bring a lot to the table. They are both different but similar in the way they can spark us at any given moment. We need them, all 15 of them. This is the SEC, the best league in the country. Every given night anything can happen, so it's extremely important to have that depth."
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