Despite putting together a season-best defensive performance, Texas A&M’s women’s basketball team matched it with a season-worst offensive outing, losing to the Little Rock Trojans 42-38.
The Aggies traveled to Little Rock, Ark., on Tuesday, Dec. 6, to face off in an out-of-conference matchup; despite seeming like an easy favorite against its Ohio Valley Conference opponent, A&M dropped the matchup, falling to 4-4. Little Rock improved to 2-5 on the year.
The first minute-and-a-half went scoreless before the Aggies began to fall behind quickly. The Trojans hit the first two shots of the game and carried their momentum into a small 11-7 lead. The first signs of struggle were apparent, as A&M turned the ball over eight times in the first quarter, shooting 3-for-9 from the field and 1-for-4 from 3-point range.
Nothing seemed to change in the second quarter though, as the Aggies shot just 3-for-11 and scored only seven points again, five of which came from junior guard Sahara Jones. By the end of the half, the Aggies found themselves in an 11-point hole, losing 25-14.
The lowest first-half score for the Aggies previously had been a 24-point first half against Duke in a 71-52 road loss. Nothing seemed to be going right for the Aggies as they trailed Little Rock in nearly every statistical category.
A change needed to be made in the second half in order for the Aggies to have a shot at coming back, and while they still struggled to score, more effort toward rebounding seemed to provide A&M the boost it needed.
Despite only grabbing 13 rebounds to Little Rock’s 19 in the first half, A&M outrebounded its opponent 29-19 in the second half. The emphasis on crashing the glass though was not enough, as the Aggies had just an 8-point third quarter on 3-for-17 shooting.
The offensive explosion the Aggies lacked in the first three quarters finally came with a 16-point fourth-quarter outing. After trailing entering the final quarter, a quick 5-point run from Jones brought the game within six points with two and a half minutes left. A&M failed to score over the next two minutes though, falling short on the road.
The Aggies hit just 15 of their 53 shots, shooting 4-for-19 from deep, and three players were in foul trouble with Jones, the team’s leading scorer with 10 points, fouling out. A&M accumulated 22 fouls and 24 turnovers in a losing effort.
Little Rock’s 42 points were the least that A&M had held an opponent to all season, but the Aggies’ 38 points marked a season-low, besting a 42-point road showing against Kansas a week earlier.
With A&M on a three-game skid, the Aggies get nearly two weeks to redirect their course before getting back on the court. The team plays a pair of free-admission games at Reed Arena on Dec. 18 at 2 p.m. and Dec. 21 at 1 p.m. against SMU and Purdue, respectively. These will be the Aggies’ final tune-up opportunities before they enter SEC play on Dec. 29 against No. 1 South Carolina, currently 8-0.