In Texas A&M women’s basketball’s 69-59 loss against the Missouri Tigers on Sunday, it may not have been Wednesday, but there was plenty of pink.
Every year, the Aggies host a BTHO Breast Cancer game. The Fightin’ Farmers ditched their usual maroon and white garments for an all-white look featuring pink accents while the Tigers rocked all-pink uniforms with white accents instead of their typical black and gold.
At halftime, a ceremony honored those affected by breast cancer — the most common cancer for women outside of skin cancers — and highlighted survivors and those currently going through treatment. As the group of women marched off the court, the Aggie faithful modified their “BTHO” yell to “BTHO breast cancer” for the occasion.
The two squads went into the break tied at 31 and were a combined 12-for-12 from the charity stripe. The Tigers were also outrebounding the Aggies 21-15, with 11 offensive boards.
Missouri’s advantage on the offensive glass allowed for it to rack up second-chance points, outscoring A&M 10-4 at the half.
“Rebounding isn’t skill, it’s effort,” redshirt senior forward Lauren Ware said. “They beat us to a lot of loose balls, getting hands on balls, not pushing back on rebounds. That’s just effort and want, so that’s something that we need to work on.”
The Aggies entered the game ranked second in the conference in 3-point FG% defense, holding their opponents to 27.1%, on average. Against the Tigers, the Maroon and White allowed them to shoot 34.5% from beyond the arc, ultimately leading to the Aggies’ demise.
Missouri sophomore guard Grace Slaughter’s onslaught from three-point land proved to be too much for A&M. The Grain Valley, Missouri native accounted for 29 of the Tigers’ 69 points. Entering the matchup, Slaughter had shot nearly 50% from the field this season.
“She can shoot the three, she can drive it, midrange,” said Ware, who scored four points and grabbed seven rebounds. “She’s a three-letter scorer, so you have to just kind of pick what you’re going to give her, and I think she shot the ball tremendously tonight. She’s a really good player.”
Other players that gave the Aggies issues included Missouri graduate G De’Myla Brown and sophomore G Abbey Schreacke. Brown recorded 12 points, five rebounds and an assist while Schreacke had 10 points and two rebounds.
A&M’s loss marked its latest in a five-game skid.
“No one likes losing,” coach Joni Taylor said. “We’re competitors, we don’t want to lose by any means, especially at home. There’s only one option, and that’s to continue to stay at it and chip away.”
The Aggies go into a bye week before traveling to Tuscaloosa to face the Alabama Crimson Tide on Feb. 17 at 7 p.m.
“During this bye week, we’re going to continue to lock in, teach, show and get better,” Taylor said.
