After a five-game homestand, the No. 19 Texas A&M women’s basketball team will be on the road for just the third time this season playing at USC (8-0) on Friday night.
The Aggies (8-2) come into the game after a 72-61 win over Central Arkansas in which senior center Khaalia Hillsman and junior forward Anriel Howard combined for 46 points. Freshman guard Chennedy Carter had a rough shooting night but still managed to chip in 10 points. Carter remains the nation’s leading scorer among freshmen with 18.5 points per game.
Junior guard Danni Williams was unable to find her rhythm in game, scoring just six points and shooting just 3-for-11 from the field. Williams also was unable to net a three-point shot in the game and is 0-for-13 from behind the arc in the last three games.
“She’s just in a slump right now, it happens,” A&M head coach Gary Blair said. “Danni will come out of it because she’s not a scorer, she’s a shooter and when she’s missing she’s barely missing.”
Despite the commanding win, Blair was not satisfied with his team’s performance on the defensive side of the ball.
“We’re not a very good defensive team right now and that is something we work on every day and we’ve got to do a better job,” Blair said.
USC enters the game well rested as they played their last game on Dec. 1, a 80-70 win over Loyola Marymount. A&M has played three games since then. USC’s biggest advantage is their wealth of scoring options as four of their players are averaging at least 14.3 points per game. Sophomore guard Minyon Moore was the hot hand against Loyola Marymount, scoring 34 points, netting 21 of her 23 free throw attempts.
“We think we have our hands full with USC, they’re a carbon copy of us, both of us are very good offensively but we both need work defensively,” Blair said. “Whoever can play a little bit of defense will win this one because I don’t think either one of us can stop the other consistently.”
After the USC game, the Aggies will stay on the West Coast and enjoy some attractions including stops at Disneyland and a Cirque du Soleil show before the “Duel in the Desert” tournament which starts Wednesday in Las Vegas.
“I’m so excited for the trip, I love my teammates, we’re a comedy show waiting to happen,” senior center Khaalia Hillsman said. “I just love being around them so it’s just going to be all fun of course until we step on the court and then it’s all business.”
The Aggies game against USC will be televised on the Pac-12 Network. The game will also be available on the radio on The Zone 1150 AM/102.7 in Bryan-College Station and on the internet at 12thMan.com