Head coach Gary Blair needs two recruits next year to keep what happened on Saturday to his Texas A&M women’s basketball team from happening again: a six-footer to rebound and a witch doctor to remove the curse that causes his team to play so well but always come up short.
The Aggies (8-15, 1-11 Big 12) were ahead of No. 7 Texas Tech, 58-57 with 14.4 seconds to go at Reed Arena. Aggie senior point guard Toccara Williams, was shooting one-and-one off a second half foul.
Williams missed the first shot, and Tech sophomore guard Erin Grant came down with the rebound. Grant found Tech forward LaToya Davis on the other end of the court for a layup with 2.9 seconds remaining to give Tech (21-4, 7-4) the 59-58 victory.
“I was just in the right place at the right time,” Davis said.
The Aggies went on a 12-point run with 2:25 left in the second half, eventually taking a three-point lead with 19 seconds left.
A questionable foul on Williams led to Tech center Cisti Greenwalt’s two free throws that cut the lead to one.
“I would love to see that film,” Blair said. “We were not trying to foul Greenwalt. I’m not sure if there was a foul. We were just trying to play good defense.”
It was Williams’ fourth foul, but Blair said he didn’t tell her to back off at all. Williams collected seven steals in the game running her Big 12 record to 432.
“You don’t tell the nation’s leader in steals to back off,”Blair said. “We don’t back off, we attack.”
The Aggies had only 24 rebounds, compared to Tech’s 42.
“They were pounding us on the inside,” said Aggie senior forward Lynn Classen. “They did an awesome job with their post players inside.”
Despite Tech’s rebounding, the Aggies still took 18 more shots than Tech.
“We forced 24 turnovers to our seven, we had 15 steals to their one and we do not get any easy baskets – we’re not rewarded at the end,” Blair said. “We are not converting and that’s just something we’ve got to work on.”
Tech head coach Marsha Sharp said her team took advantage of the Aggie pressure defense.
“Sometimes when people play pressure defense the shots are going to be easier shots to make,” Sharp said. “We got some people some looks around the rim because of it.”
Blair said he was pleased with the pressure his team put on Tech.
“I thought our kids did everything they possibly could to win that ball game,” Blair said. “We had a great defensive game plan even though they shot whatever they shot and got out-rebounded by 18, we still played our style of ball.
“Iam tired of people patting me on the back. I am tired of the little applause for nice effort. I am not in this game for the effort I am in this game for wins and eventually they will come our way.”