The No. 15 Tennessee Lady Vols entered Reed Arena for their game against Texas A&M women’s basketball on Thursday as the nation’s best offense, averaging 98.8 points a game.
They proved why that was the case as A&M fell 91-78 to the undefeated visitors in both teams’ Southeastern Conference opener, despite outscoring Tennessee in the second half.
“Every time we made a run, they responded,” A&M coach Joni Taylor said. “Whether it was an offensive rebound, they got a foul, they made a big three, they responded every single time. And that’s what really good teams do, and that’s what we have to get to.”
Things began as one might expect, with the Lady Vols connecting on their first three shots, all 3-pointers. But the Aggies were able to hang onto the wild ride, taking a seven-point deficit into the end of the first quarter.
By halftime, that was no longer the case. An 18-2 Tennessee scoring run in the middle of the second quarter moved things into desperation mode for A&M.
To their credit, the Aggies answered back, outscoring the visitors 27-19 in the third quarter and 25-24 in the final period and cutting the lead down to as close as nine points.
That comeback, though it did fall short, can largely be credited to redshirt senior guard/forward Aicha Coulibaly and graduate G Sahara Jones, who combined for 37 total points and six assists.
“This needs to be AC every single night,” Coulibaly said. “That’s what my team expects of me every single night, just coming in with the energy and just bringing with the energy and just bringing it on defense, on both sides of the ball.”
The Lady Vols’ full-court press defense led the nation in steals per game headed into the game, and it posed plenty of trouble for the Aggies. A&M finished the night with 25 turnovers, leading to 34 Tennessee points.
“In our non-conference, we played against West Virginia,” Taylor said. “I’m not happy with 25 turnovers, but I thought we were a lot more comfortable tonight versus their press than we were when we saw a similar press in November.”Tennessee did have plenty of its own mistakes, with 20 turnovers. Fouls were a big problem throughout the game for the visiting team, as it let A&M attempt 30 free throws. Eight Tennessee players finished the night with three or more fouls.
Tennessee coach Kim Caldwell credited A&M’s intensity for the comeback effort and said that her squad wasn’t able to adjust.
“I don’t think we ever did counter [A&M’s rally],” Caldwell said. “I mean, they won both quarters. They won the second half handily, and I don’t think we had an adjustment. I think they just ran out of time.”
As A&M enters a gauntlet of ranked teams as SEC play continues, Coulibaly says the second-half performance was something the Aggies can build off of.
“That’s how we’ve got to come out and play every night,” Coulibaly said. “That’s who we are. We’re a defensive team. This is exactly what we need to do every single night. … the SEC is gonna be a battle just like this.”
