Texas A&M women’s basketball hosted No. 11 Kentucky on Thursday in front of a never-disappointing Reed Arena crowd, pulling off a 61-55 upset and handing the Wildcats their first Southeastern Conference loss of the season.
The Aggies got off to a strong 6-0 start, led by redshirt senior Aicha Coulibaly scoring the first four points of the first quarter. Coulibaly led the Aggies in points, steals and minutes last season, and she has not slowed down, as she is currently leading in points and steals for this year.
The Maroon and White lost the rebound game in the first quarter, 14-10, which allowed Kentucky to take a 14-11 lead late in the quarter. The Wildcats were led by graduate G Georgia Amoore, who had four points and two assists.
The Blue and White began to take control early in the second quarter, going on a 6-0 scoring run started by sophomore center Clara Strack, followed by Amoore and junior forward Teonni Key. This run was soon silenced as redshirt junior G Kyndall Hunter scored from behind the arc, cutting the lead down to a 6-point game. Another quick 3-pointer from graduate F Amirah Abdur-Rahim pumped up the crowd as the lead was cut to three.
Heading into halftime, Reed Arena had seen a great SEC matchup including three lead changes and a tie thus far. The Wildcats’ two star scorers in this game, Amoore with 10 points and Key with eight, excelled, while the Aggies shared the spotlight with 10 of its 25 points coming from the bench.
For the season, the Wildcats sit at 46.9% shooting from the field, yet the Aggies held them to 31.2%. The Aggies shot 42.9% from the field, a slight jump from their season average of 42%.
It quickly became a one-man show for the Blue and White as Key took total control of the ball for the Wildcats, securing both offensive and defensive rebounds, as well as points. Down by 10, freshman G Taliyah Parker puts up five-unanswered points to get the Aggies within five. Parker, the freshman from Grand Prairie, Texas has been a great addition to this A&M team.
Coulibaly became loud midway through the third with 11 points and a defensive layup to start closing the gap. Another dominant basket by Coulibaly got Reed Arena on its feet as the lead was cut to two.
After playing outstanding defense and helping each other out offensively, the Aggies took the lead 50-49 midway through the fourth. Reed Arena was up on its feet, loudly cheering as the Aggies were playing phenomenal late in the game. Redshirt senior F Lauren Ware went up strong to the basket, fighting for the point to put the Maroon and White in front with just over four minutes to play.
With just under three minutes to play, it was anybody’s game, but sophomore G Solé Williams got the crowd on its feet as she put the Aggies ahead with a 3-pointer. A couple of mighty blocks from the Maroon and White gave them possession as redshirt freshman G Erica Moon scored her first — and arguably the game’s most important — basket of the game.
With just under 35 seconds to play, the Wildcats began fouling, yet that didn’t stop Williams from draining both free throws to make it a two-possession game with little time for error for the Wildcats. A loud Reed Arena shook up the Kentucky offense, as Amoore got blocked on a 3-pointer, ultimately sending Williams back to the line, draining two more free throws.
The Aggies handed the Wildcats their second loss of the season as well as their first SEC loss. The Aggies return to the court on Sunday, Jan. 26 to take on the No. 5 LSU Tigers.
