The Texas A&M women’s basketball team found their rhythm in a blowout win against UTSA.
The Aggies’ 77-51 win over UTSA brings their record to 10-2 for the season and marks their 25th consecutive win against non-power five opponents, dating back to the team’s last loss against Lamar on Nov. 29, 2018.
A&M started the first half hot with the help of senior forward Aaliyah Patty, who tallied 12 of the 18 points recorded in the first seven minutes of the game. With an early 22-8 lead, fifth-year guard Destiny Pitts helped add on two more points with a mid-range jumper in the start of the second quarter. A&M continued to put its foot on the pedal and faced its largest lead of the game with a lay-up from fifth-year guard Qadashah Hoppie to give them a 42-20 lead.
A&M scored 22 points in both the first and second quarter which gave them a 22-point lead going into the second half. The maroon and white offense finished the first half shooting 50% from the 3-point line, eight offensive rebounds and 24 points in the paint.
A&M did not start the second half as clean and sound as it started the game. The Aggies allowed eight unanswered points to the Roadrunners, which followed with a quick timeout from A&M coach Gary Blair. UTSA outscored A&M 22-14 in the third quarter and forced four turnovers that led to four points off the turnovers. After a rough third quarter, A&M found its groove again following a quick 3-pointer from Pitts.
Patty finished the game with 20 points, 18 rebounds and five blocks in the win. Pitts followed right behind her with 14 points and Hoppie after her with 13 points. As a team, they finished with 51 rebounds, 14 blocks and three steals.
Despite the substantial victory, Blair said there is still a lot of room for improvement ahead of the first Southeastern Conference matchup.
“We have to learn how to play harder,” Blair said. “We gave up too many offensive boards, and a lot of that was because we were just jumping up and down instead of making basketball moves to block people out. We have to do a better job. We can’t just be taller or more skilled.”
Patty set a career high in rebounds and tied her career high in points in the Aggies’ last non-conference matchup of the season.
“I guess it was just a good day for me,” Patty said. “I was just trying to do whatever I could offensively and defensively. My shots were falling for me today.”
A&M will face off against Vanderbilt on Dec. 30 at 8 p.m. in Reed Arena for its first conference game of the season.