For third time in school history the Texas A&M women’s basketball team will advance to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Division I Tournament after defeating DePaul 84-65 Saturday in Lincoln, Neb.
A jump shot from sophomore point guard Jordan Jones just over a minute and a half into the game gave A&M a 4-2 lead that it would hold for the remainder of the game.
Unlike the first two games, where the Aggies led by small margins at halftime, A&M jumped out to an early advantage – leading the Blue Demons 38-24 at the midway point.
The Aggies had five different players score double digit points and shoot 60 percent from the field, a school record for an NCAA tournament.
Sophomore guard Courtney Walker had the third best scoring performance in A&M tournament history with a game-high 25 points. Walker’s performance was the twelfth-straight game that she has scored 10 or more points and the 30th time this season.
The Aggies would lead by as many as 22 points in the second half before the Blue Demons clawed back to within 10 with 6:01 to go. A&M pulled away on the strength of its sophomore trio – Walker, Courtney Williams and Jordan Jones.
Jones scored 11 points and added six assists Saturday, extending her A&M single season assists record to 265 for the 2013-14 season. Jones also had five steals in her 35 minutes of action.
Williams quickly picked up two fouls in the first half and was forced to sit on the bench for extended minutes, but still managed 15 points and a team-high 7 rebounds.
Senior center Karla Gilbert had 11 points of her own on a perfect 3-of-3 night from the field. Gilbert also grabbed five rebounds and made five of her six free throws.
With the win, A&M advances to the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament where it will face the undefeated and No. 1 overall Connecticut Huskies at 9:30 p.m. on Monday.