No. 12 Texas A&M defeated No. 25 Texas on the road in a narrow 66-61 victory, snapping Texas’ four-game win streak in the rivalry. The matchup was the first women’s basketball meeting between Texas A&M and Texas since 2014.
The Aggies got off to a hot start, taking advantage of the Longhorns’ full court press to score in transition. Their defense locked up as well, and A&M led by as many as 14 in the opening minutes. The Aggies led 21-11 at the end of the first period, holding Texas to a season-low in points in a quarter.
After their slow start, the Longhorns picked up the pace in the second quarter, outscoring the Aggies 17-13 in the period. The Aggies led 34-28 at the half, after Texas guard Ashley Chevalier hit a three-pointer in the closing seconds.
The teams traded blows in the third quarter, but A&M was able to keep its lead, highlighted by a Destiny Pitts three-pointer with the score tied at 47. The Aggies held a 51-49 lead heading into the game’s final period.
Midway through the fourth quarter, the Aggies began to pull away. A&M guard Kayla Wells made a lay up off of an assist from Aaliyah Wilson to give the Aggies a nine-point lead with just over four minutes remaining. Texas began to chip away at the lead, but a pair of late free throws from guard Alexis Morris secured the win for the Aggies.
Wilson led the way in scoring for the Aggies, putting up 17 points on 7-of-14 shooting. Center Ciera Johnson dominated the glass, pulling down 10 rebounds. Forward N’dea Jones also recorded her 30th career double-double, with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Texas forward Charli Collier, the projected top pick in the 2021 WNBA Draft, was held in check for most of the game. She finished with a team-leading 14 points on 4-of-11 shooting, and was held without a field goal in the second half.
The victory moves the Aggies to their first 4-0 start since the 2016-17 season. After only getting one win against a ranked opponent last year, the Aggies now have two through four games in 2020, the first coming against 19th ranked DePaul in a 93-91 shootout.
The Aggies will head to Arkansas to take on Arkansas-Little Rock in their next game on Dec. 10.