Four days after setting a record by holding Houston Christian to the fewest points an opponent has scored against Texas A&M women’s basketball in coach Joni Taylor’s tenure, A&M bettered its performance in a 84-32 drubbing of Winthrop in the opening round of the Raising the B.A.R. invitational in Berkeley, California on Friday, Nov. 24.
A&M’s stellar defensive showing manifested itself into 19 Winthrop turnovers — including three steals each by sophomore forward Janiah Barker and graduate guard Endyia Rogers, which in turn led to a whopping 30 points off turnovers for the Aggies.
Things were just as good for A&M on the glass: Barker and junior forward Lauren Ware each had a double-double in the contest — Barker’s third straight and Ware’s third this season — as A&M out-rebounded the Eagles 51-37 and had 16 second-chance points compared to Winthrop’s 4.
But it was Winthrop’s shooting woes that sealed its fate. A&M started the game on a 27-2 run after the Eagles shot 1-of-18 from the field in the first quarter and took over 8 minutes to find the net for the first time. The Eagles finished the night shooting 23% from the field and 0-of-15 from behind the arc.
Winthrop didn’t fold completely, holding A&M to a 14-8 scoring advantage in the second quarter, and keeping the Aggies off the scoreboard in the last 3 minutes of the first half. But the initial hole was too deep for the Eagles to claw themselves out of, especially considering A&M’s own shooting performance.
The Aggies outscored Winthrop 47-22 in the second half, and Rogers’ four made 3s led an A&M perimeter attack that finished the night with eight 3-pointers — the most the Aggies have hit this year. She led all scorers with 16 points and was one of four Aggies in double figures.
Ware, on the other hand, led the interior charge. The transfer from Arizona’s 13 points ranked second on the team as A&M earned exactly half of its points in the paint.
The one area of improvement Taylor will likely make sure the Aggies focus on in the tournament is free throw shooting: A&M finished 8-of-22 from the charity stripe, although it didn’t play much of a role in the outcome of the 52-point victory.
A&M will face host California in the Invitational championship game Saturday, Nov. 25, at 4:30 p.m.