Texas A&M Women’s basketball sweat itself into a stink hole at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina in its first and last SEC Tournament game against the mighty Lady Vols. The game closed out with a 77-37 Aggie loss delivering turnover after turnover, and handsy plays that were chased by fouls amounting to 13 of Tennessee’s points.
The Aggies had the 12th Man pleasantly fooled in the first quarter with a two-point lead on Tennessee earned through a prominent defense. With sophomore guard Solè Williams back on the court after going into concussion protocol and redshirt senior forward Lauren Ware dishing out layups and collecting free throws, A&M was loose and smiling as it danced with the ball.
Sophomore G Janea Kent carried the Aggies up to five points with a smooth layup which Tennessee sophomore F Alyssa Latham responded to with an easy three-pointer, tying the teams at five. An assist by redshirt junior G Kyndall Hunter to Williams in a successful three-point endeavor, however, propelled A&M to eight over the Lady Vols.
Tennessee strategically began to tire out the Aggies with dead-ball substitutions rotating in five fresh bodies at nearly every stoppage. With only eight players dawning Maroon and White, this was a sure noose that would soon choke A&M into tired passes and sloppy plays.
It was high time for some Aggie magic, a.k.a graduate G Sahara Jones.
Jones left it all on the court, in her final game, wrapping up five years with A&M. She quickly claimed her first of 16 points with a simple pump-fake and a drop to the basket for a satisfying layup that got the stadium roaring.
As the second quarter rolled around, the tables turned. The Aggies’ praised tenacity and lively defense seemed sedated by mounting fatigue against the rejuvenated Lady Vols.
Tennessee junior F Zee Spearman spun the ball into a rainbow-arc three-pointer, the ball swishing through the leprechaun’s cauldron with a resulting lead over A&M that was there to stay. Senior G Samara Spencer then zig-zagged into a layup, earning another two points for the Lady Vols.
Personal space was not put to practice this game, as A&M’s Jones met the deck multiple times over three consecutive plays, midway through the second quarter. Having taken a blow to the stomach and a hip to the court, Jones was battered and bruised but unyielding, as Tennessee traded in a rested round of players to continue pressing the A&M.
Redshirt sophomore G Talaysia Cooper, finishing with eight rebounds, three assists and 19 points for Tennessee, preyed on the lackadaisical attitude plaguing A&M, as its mentality weakened and their spirits drained with fifteen turnovers drilled into their conscience as the halftime buzzer sounded in the halftime.
The Fightin’ Farmers lost their fight.
With the Aggies trailing the Lady Vols 32-19 and the Orange and White substituting in a new batch of energy at every dead ball, A&M fell victim to fluid three-point uppercuts to the jaw and fancy-footwork.
Jones got her hands on the rock and made a pass to redshirt junior F Jada Malone, allowing her to slide into a successful layup for A&M, with the hopes of closing the numerical gap lighting the scoreboard. Tennessee responded in time with junior G Ruby Whitehorn’s pull-up shot, teetering over and into the basket.
Junior G Edie Darby walked on air with a jump-shot assisted by fifth-year G Jewel Spear, who moments later shot from the depths of the court with an unbelievable three-pointer from Steph Curry range, bringing the lead to 60-28 for the Lady Vols.
The fourth and final quarter brought with it more tragedy for the Aggies. Miscommunication and failure to control the rock’s transaction cornered A&M, now with 28 recorded turnovers and a healthy plate of fouls supplying Tennessee with easy opportunity.
Jones was on a mission, nevertheless, to make her presence known. With seconds left to play, she embraced yet another collision with the court, however snapping to attention with time enough to drill the ball into a layup assisted by Williams for a final pair of Aggie points to close out the second half.
A&M was just out-worked, exhausted by Tennessee’s rotations and falling prey to a defeated mindset which landed them at a devastating 77-37 loss to Tennessee.
