GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A late surge by the Texas A&M women's basketball team came up short as the Aggies lost to the Florida Gators, 61-54, in Thursday's game at Exactech Arena.
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Trailing 51-40 at the 4:20 mark of the fourth quarter, A&M's Janiah Barker scored six-consecutive points to spark a 9-2 run and the Aggies cut the gap to 53-49 with 1:52 remaining.
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The Maroon & White missed on a chance to cut the lead to two the next time down the court and after four A&M fouls, Florida's Jordyn Merritt hit two from the charity stripe to stretch the lead back to six points with :35 seconds remaining.
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After the Aggies called a timeout to put the ball at halfcourt, Sahara Jones made a layup, shaving the Florida margin to 55-51 with :31 seconds on the clock. The Gators made 2-of-4 free throws and the Maroon & White faced a six-point deficit again.
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Sydney Bowles made it a one possession game, 57-54, when she drained a 3-point shot at the :19 mark, but Florida sandwiched four made free throws around an A&M turnover to pull away at the end.
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Barker led the Aggies with 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the field and 3-of-3 from the foul line. She also contributed six rebounds, two steals and a block. Tineya Hylton registered career highs with 11 points and three steals. Bowles notched 10 points, five rebounds, two steals and an assist. Aaliyah Patty pulled down a team-high 11 rebounds and added six points and four steals.
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Florida hit a late bucket to take a 16-14 lead at the end of the first quarter. Barker came off the bench to power the Aggies in the period, logging seven points on 3-of-5 shooting from the field.
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After trailing by five early in the second quarter, Texas A&M battled back to tie the game at 26-26 at the 3:47 mark, but the Gators scored the last four points of the half to take a 30-26 edge into the intermission.
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Florida inflated its cushion to 44-34 in the third quarter, as the Aggies went without a field goal in the final seven minutes.
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Up Next
Texas A&M returns to Reed Arena for Sunday's 1 p.m. contest against the LSU Tigers. The game is A&M's BTHO Breast Cancer game and senior day.
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POSTGAME NOTES
RECORDS & SERIES NOTES
TEAM NOTES
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
Janiah Barker
Hit 3-of-3 from the free throw line, improving to 13-of-13 for her career.
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Trailing 51-40 at the 4:20 mark of the fourth quarter, A&M's Janiah Barker scored six-consecutive points to spark a 9-2 run and the Aggies cut the gap to 53-49 with 1:52 remaining.
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The Maroon & White missed on a chance to cut the lead to two the next time down the court and after four A&M fouls, Florida's Jordyn Merritt hit two from the charity stripe to stretch the lead back to six points with :35 seconds remaining.
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After the Aggies called a timeout to put the ball at halfcourt, Sahara Jones made a layup, shaving the Florida margin to 55-51 with :31 seconds on the clock. The Gators made 2-of-4 free throws and the Maroon & White faced a six-point deficit again.
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Sydney Bowles made it a one possession game, 57-54, when she drained a 3-point shot at the :19 mark, but Florida sandwiched four made free throws around an A&M turnover to pull away at the end.
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Barker led the Aggies with 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the field and 3-of-3 from the foul line. She also contributed six rebounds, two steals and a block. Tineya Hylton registered career highs with 11 points and three steals. Bowles notched 10 points, five rebounds, two steals and an assist. Aaliyah Patty pulled down a team-high 11 rebounds and added six points and four steals.
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Florida hit a late bucket to take a 16-14 lead at the end of the first quarter. Barker came off the bench to power the Aggies in the period, logging seven points on 3-of-5 shooting from the field.
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After trailing by five early in the second quarter, Texas A&M battled back to tie the game at 26-26 at the 3:47 mark, but the Gators scored the last four points of the half to take a 30-26 edge into the intermission.
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Florida inflated its cushion to 44-34 in the third quarter, as the Aggies went without a field goal in the final seven minutes.
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Up Next
Texas A&M returns to Reed Arena for Sunday's 1 p.m. contest against the LSU Tigers. The game is A&M's BTHO Breast Cancer game and senior day.
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POSTGAME NOTES
RECORDS & SERIES NOTES
- Texas A&M moves to 6-14 in the 2022-23 regular season, including 1-9 in the SEC.
- The Aggies' overall record against the Florida Gators moved to 11-4, including 4-2 in Gainesville.
- Joni Taylor's career record advances to 146-89 all-time and to 6-14 in her first season with the Aggies.
TEAM NOTES
- Texas A&M utilized a starting lineup of Sydney Bowles, Kay Kay Green, Eriny Kindred, Jada Malone and Aaliyah Patty for the eighth time this season (1-7).
- The Aggies outshot the Gators from the field 53.8% (7-of-13) to 36.4% (4-of-11) in the fourth quarter.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
Janiah Barker
- Tallied 15 points, six rebounds, two steals and one block.
- Led team in scoring for the fifth time this season.
- Registered double-digits in the scoring column for the seventh time this season.
- Averaging 16.0 points in the three games since her return to the lineup, all off the bench.
- Tallied 11 rebounds, six points, four steals and an assist.
- Registered double-digit rebounds for the seventh time this season and the 20th time in her career.
- Led the Aggies in rebounds for the 12th time this season.
- Logged a season high and matched a career high with four steals.
- Enters LSU game needing 11 points for 1,000 in her career.
- Led the Aggies in assists for the 11th time this season.
- Logged 10 points, five rebounds, two steals and one assist.
- Registered double-digits in the points column for the ninth time this season.
- Hit two shots from 3-point range, marking her 12th game with multiple trifectas and her 16th game with at least one.
- Matched a career high with two steals.
- Logged career highs with 11 points and three steals.
- Registered double-digits in the points column for the third time this season.
Hit 3-of-3 from the free throw line, improving to 13-of-13 for her career.