The Texas A&M women’s basketball team captured its second consecutive victory on Sunday, defeating Alabama 70-43 at Reed Arena.
“We put away the game in the third and it sure felt good,” A&M head coach Gary Blair said. “We needed this. Every win has been a grind for us. I told the TV crew we will not score in the 50s this game. But we got up to the 70s and that is like hitting a 100 for us the way it has been going lately. Give our kids a lot of credit.”
A&M took control of the game early on and didn’t let up, leading by five or more in each quarter. Sophomore center Ciera Johnson led the pack with 18 points and 11 rebounds, making for her fifth double-double of the season. Fellow guards, sophomore Chennedy Carter and junior Shambria Washington, were not far behind, with 11 points for Carter and a career-high 14 points for Washington.
“Defensively, we held [Alabama’s] Cierra Johnson to 2-of-11 and Jasmine Walker to 3-of-11,” Blair said. “Some of it, they just didn’t hit her shots… but I think the key to the ball game was Shambria Washington. She ran the ball and played for 35 minutes.”
This is the second consecutive game in which the Aggies were able to hold their opponents to 43 points. A&M defeated Vanderbilt 50-43 on Thursday, making for its first road game victory since the Maui Classic in early December.
Both victories were credited to the Aggies’ dominant defensive play. Washington and sophomore forward N’dea Jones contributed to the defense’s success, combining for six steals and 22 rebounds.
Alabama head coach Kristy Curry said her team’s performance was uncharacteristic, but she hopes returning to its home court will offer the team comfort in the next matchup.
“I thought we gave up offensive rebounds, our free throws, which we worked on for two days … just a lot of mistakes that we haven’t been making,” Curry said. “A lot of self-induced errors that you can’t do, and our effort today was poor.”
This win comes just one day after the A&M men’s basketball team traveled to Tuscaloosa and defeated Alabama 81-80 with a buzzer beater by sophomore guard TJ Starks.
Johnson said securing the win is something that gives the entire team an extra boost as they prepare to face SEC opponents in the remaining regular season.
“It boosts our confidence, it just shows what we’re capable of, and that we can do this,” Johnson said. “We just have to stay focused mentally and physically and we can pull off these kind of wins.”
A&M moves to a 13-4 (2-2 SEC) record, while Alabama falls to 9-8 (1-3 SEC). The Aggies will be back on the road to face the Georgia Bulldogs on Jan. 20 at 3 p.m.