The No. 14 Texas A&M women’s basketball team triumphed over the Georgia Bulldogs on Thursday night inside Reed Arena. A&M battled back from a 16-point deficit to beat Georgia for the second time this season.
The comeback marked A&M’s largest since 2003 and the win improved the Aggies’ home record to 12-1 on the season.
“The last three times we’ve blown them out,” said sophomore forward Courtney Williams. “We just took them for granted, really.”
The Aggies (19-6, 9-2 SEC) came out cold in the first half, shooting 6-of-25 from the field. Georgia capitalized on the struggling A&M offense and quickly jumped out to a double-digit lead. The Bulldogs took a 12-point lead into halftime, 29-17.
A&M put together a 15-0 run in the second half that put the Aggies ahead 38-35 halfway through the period.
“I knew we had a run in us coming out of halftime,” Williams said.
Georgia was able to regain a six-point lead with six minutes remaining in the game and held the lead until less than a minute remained. Sophomore guard Courtney Walker put A&M within two with 44 seconds remaining, as the Aggies trailed 62-60.
On the ensuing possession, A&M forced a turnover and quickly called a timeout. Following the timeout, Jordan Jones converted a layup that tied the game and sent the contest into overtime. In overtime, A&M was able to convert 8-of-10 free throws to win the game 78-73.
Walker led the team with 25 points.
“I’m just glad we were able to stay together as a team and get the comeback,” Walker said.
Texas A&M head coach Gary Blair said he was frustrated with his team’s slow start but loved the fight his team showed in battling through adversity.
“I love my fight on the team, they let me get after them pretty good at the half,” Blair said. “We’re finding ways [to win], we’ll take nothing for granted.”
Next, the Aggies will play the first of two consecutive road games Sunday at noon in Tuscaloosa, Ala., against the Crimson Tide.