After mauling both Houston Christian and Winthrop by more than 24 points each, Texas A&M women’s basketball has gone on a four-game win streak heading into its next matchup at Reed Arena with Kansas on Sunday, Dec. 6.
After the two teams head into halftime, former coach Gary Blair will be honored for his induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and his accomplishments during his 19-year tenure with the Maroon and White.
Blair transformed the team into a national powerhouse during his time in College Station. He led his squad to 16 NCAA Tournament appearances with a championship title in 2011 and 444 total wins, the most of any Aggie basketball coach.
Since Blair’s retirement at the end of the 2021-22 season, coach Joni Taylor has taken the reins of the program and has led the team to a 6-1 record this season.
Since a loss to Purdue, the Fightin’ Farmers have outscored their opponents by an average of 34 points, partially due to support from sophomore power forward Janiah Barker, who had back-to-back double-double performances after the loss.
Barker leads the Maroon and White in points with 12.9 per game while shooting at a 55% clip.
Despite offensive success, the Aggies’ defense is by far their greatest asset, holding opponents to less than 33% success in shooting while also holding six out of their seven opponents to less than 60 points.
New faces on the team have been a huge driving force behind A&M’s recent success. Arizona transfer forward Lauren Ware has made her presence felt most on the boards, averaging just shy of 10 rebounds per game.
Ware also leads the team in blocks with 2.9 on average. Her best showing was during the season opener against A&M-Corpus Christi, where she finished with 15 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks.
On the other side of the court, Kansas is 3-3 with losses to Top 25 teams in No. 6 UConn and No. 9 Virginia Tech.
Kansas has a relatively tough schedule ahead against the Big 12, which currently has three Top 25 teams.
The Jayhawks have relied mostly on the efforts of senior center Taiyanna Jackson, who’s averaging the most points, rebounds, steals and blocks for the team. She averages 15 points per game, 9.8 rebounds, over two blocks and shoots just below 60% on the floor.
The Maroon and White’s defense will need to keep Jackson in check if they want to extend their win streak to five heading into the fourth weekend of college hoops.