Just three games into the season, junior guard Jordan Nixon has given fans plenty to look forward to this year.
The New York City native’s 25-point barrage was key to victory for the Texas A&M women’s basketball team as it defeated the DePaul Blue Demons 95-75 on Monday, Nov. 15, at Reed Arena. Shooting 50% from the field and from 3-point range, Nixon’s performance was good for the second-most points scored in her collegiate career.
Now averaging 18.3 points per game early in the season, Nixon added three rebounds, four assists and two steals against the Big East foe.
“My teammates were finding me, and I just had the confidence to put it up,” Nixon said. “That was our mentality, just being in attack mode. That was our word for today: attack.”
But Nixon’s 25 points shouldn’t distract from the all-around effort the maroon and white put forth. The Aggies received double-digit scoring efforts from three other players, as graduate guard Kayla Wells tallied 21 points, and graduate guards Qadashah Hoppie and Destiny Pitts totaled 12 points each. Additionally, Wells and Pitts put forth six rebounds each.
“I think we knew what was in front of us coming into the game,” Nixon said. “Every game, we try to get better. It’s about having that foresight when March comes around. We have to take it one game at a time.”
The first quarter saw the Aggies jump off to a hot start, as Hoppie and Wells added nine and seven points, respectively. As the quarter concluded, A&M was on top 26-17 after shooting 55% from the field.
“I thought [Hoppie] played well,” A&M head coach Gary Blair said. “Small ball was the way we needed to play. We needed speed and defense. That’s why she started today.”
Nixon began to score with ease as the second quarter rolled around, dropping 17 points with four 3-pointers on 75% shooting. The Aggies grew their lead to 46-30 before a scoring drive from DePaul sophomore guard Darrione Rogers and senior guard Sonya Morris shrunk the A&M lead to 48-37 at halftime.
“I thought when we made our run in the second quarter, Jordan was being Jordan, and she’s just a gamer,” Blair said. “She knows how to play.”
The Aggies cruised through the second half as Pitts scored ten points in the third quarter with two 3-pointers. Nixon added six more points to her total during the quarter, converting all four of her free throw attempts. With A&M on top 78-53 at the start of the fourth quarter, Wells dropped nine points to bring the game to a close.
Postgame, Blair expressed his happiness with his team’s performance, especially against a successful DePaul team against which the Aggies edged out a 93-91 win in 2021.
“In spots, we were very, very good tonight,” Blair said. “I’m really pleased with how we came out of this game, and I thought we were prepared. We learned a lot tonight against a very good team. Against a team like DePaul, I thought we did a lot of things well.”
A&M returns to the hardwood on Thursday, Nov. 18, when it welcomes the Lumberjacks of Stephen F. Austin to Aggieland. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at Reed Arena.
