After a choke job of seismic proportions against Georgia, Texas A&M women’s basketball finally earned its first win versus a Southeastern Conference opponent, defeating Florida 74-66 at Exatech Arena on Thursday, Jan. 8.
The Aggies managed to outlast a valiant comeback effort from the Gators in the swamp thanks to the two-headed monster of senior guard Ny’Ceara Pryor and junior forward Fatmata Janneh. The pair of Fightin’ Farmers combined for a stockpile of 40 points, as Janneh led all scorers on the night with a season-high 22 points.
It was an efficient night on the court for the London native, who went 8-for-13 from the field, also hauling in nine total rebounds. Pryor, on the other hand, struggled from the field for the second game in a row after shooting 5-for-14 versus Georgia, as she went just 4-for-12 against Florida. However, what did change for Pryor was her whistle because after getting just one free throw versus the Bulldogs, she earned 13 attempts against the Gators, sinking 10 of her shots from the charity stripe.
And just like Janneh, Pryor impacted the game way more than simply scoring the ball, recording her fourth double-double of the season with 12 assists. Not to mention she brought in five rebounds, an impressive effort from the 5-foot-3 Fightin’ Farmer. Pryor also tacked on six steals to boost her SEC-leading steals-per-game average to 4.1.
Another driving force behind the Maroon and White’s victory was their ability to shut down one of the best bucket-getters in the country sophomore G Liv McGill. The Gator star was averaging 24.5 points per game heading into the matchup with the Aggies, before scoring just 16 points while going 5-for-18 from the field.
A&M carried a 10-point lead by the end of the first quarter thanks to its ruthless defense that allowed zero made field goals after 6:37 in period. The Aggies also dominated on the offensive side of the ball, shooting 11-for-15 in the first quarter, including back-to-back 3-pointers from redshirt junior G Pien Steenbergen, giving the Aggies an early cushion. A&M held onto that lead comfortably, walking into the locker room at halftime with a 39-29 advantage.
In the third quarter, Florida inched as close as four after a McGill 3-pointer, just for A&M to extend its lead yet again with six unanswered points going into the fourth quarter, putting them ahead of the Gators 56-47.
The Aggies then managed to coast through the finish, coming out on top after sinking 10 of 14 free throws to keep the Gators from chomping down the A&M lead. The 74-66 victory for the Maroon and White finally righted the ship on what had been a disastrous season in crunch time.
In its first two games of SEC play A&M went 0-for-10 from the field in the third quarter against Oklahoma and 0-for-14 from the field in the fourth quarter versus Georgia. A season after going 3-13 in conference, earning this victory is vital for the Aggies and head coach Joni Taylor, who is just 12-39 versus SEC opponents.
After an SEC roadtrip, A&M will return home to face off against No. 7 Vanderbilt at Reed Arena on Sunday, Jan. 11.
