No. 7 Tennessee (13-2, 3-0 SEC) played host to No. 9 Texas A&M (14-3, 2-1 SEC) women’s basketball Thursday night for a Top 10 SEC showdown in Knoxville with the Volunteers defeating the Aggies 71-58.
The match started off fairly even until the Volunteers hit a 10-0 run over the Aggies with 13 minutes remaining in the first half. Tennessee was more accurate as well from the floor, scoring 59% of field goals to A&M’s 43%.
The Volunteers hit 75% of their free throws and snagged four more rebounds and three more steals than A&M. The Aggies turned the ball over eight times and were unable to break through the Volunteers tough defensive stance. A&M’s Courtney Walker scored a season-high 25 points in the loss.
The Aggies came out strong in the second half, scoring two quick baskets and began to chip away at the lead. After trailing by 16 at the end of the first half, the Aggies were able to cut the lead to single digits. A slight glimmer of hope began to shine for A&M.
But that would be the closest the Aggies got to victory. A&M turned the ball over three times in a span of just five minutes. Beginning with 14:23 remaining in the game, the Volunteers broke into a 35-10 run, putting the game out of reach.
A&M was unable to hit a single three-pointer and never held a lead. The Volunteers dished out 24 assists to the Aggies 11, snagged six more rebounds, and scored 23 more points by players off the bench.
The Aggie women will return to action Sunday January, 11 in College Station when they play host to LSU in another SEC matchup.