The Texas A&M women’s basketball team went toe to toe with California on Saturday, Nov. 25, as the Aggies won a close one against the 6-0 Golden Bears, 65-51. With the win, A&M was crowned champions of the Raising the B.A.R. Invitational in Berkeley, California.
The first quarter went in Cal’s favor, but it was the best result A&M could’ve asked for in a quarter where it had six personal fouls. Both the Aggies and Golden Bears shot under 50% from the field in the quarter, with A&M making just five of its first 16 shots.
The teams also nailed three three-pointers each and continued to exchange shot attempts during the first. Despite the poor shooting, the Maroon and White held a 16-15 lead midway through the period; however, the Golden Bears would end it on a 7-0 run, giving them a 22-16 lead.
A&M flipped the script in the second quarter, where it shot more efficiently. The Aggies nailed eight of their 16 shots in the second, whereas the Golden Bears made only three of 15 attempts.
The team’s adjustments defensively were on full display in this quarter as well, as the Aggies forced three steals and 10 points off turnovers in the second. The first half ended with a 34-34 tie, but A&M had the momentum it needed.
The second half began with Cal going on a quick 5-0 run, with junior guard Kemery Martin nailing a three-pointer in the second minute of the third quarter. The Aggies were able to respond quickly, with graduate guard Endyia Rogers responding right after with a three-pointer of her own.
The third quarter was yet another frame of poor shooting for both squads, as the teams combined for eight made shots on 29 attempts. Much like the first half, A&M continued to struggle with personal fouls, tallying four of them in the third. The quarter came to a close with Cal hanging on to a 46-44 lead.
A&M came to life in the fourth quarter, and the team completely dominated on both ends of the floor. While the Maroon and White made six of only 12 shot attempts in the fourth, they played physically, as the Golden Bears committed a staggering eight fouls. This gave the Aggies 12 free throw attempts, of which they made eight. Not only this, but A&M put on a defensive clinic in, holding Cal to just one make out of 16 field goal attempts.
The Aggies outscored the Golden Bears 21-5 in the fourth, sealing a hard-fought win against a Cal team that hadn’t scored less than 70 points at home so far this year. Rogers and sophomore forward Janiah Barker ended up leading A&M in scoring, with both putting up 11 points.
Even though the Golden Bears didn’t trail for the first three quarters, the fourth quarter was so lopsided that the Aggies wound up pulling off the victory. In the end, it was the stifling defense the team played in the last period that gave it the victory.
Next up, A&M will look to keep its strong start to the season going when it squares off at Wake Forest on Thursday, Nov 30, at 8 p.m.