There now seems to be some light at the end of the tunnel for a Texas A&M women’s basketball team whose season has been riddled by injuries, inconsistent offensive play and a coaching transition that hasn’t immediately produced success with a conference record of 1-10 and an overall record of 6-15.
The Aggies’ offense has been producing over the course of their last few games, and nothing shows this more than when they put up 66 points against No. 3 LSU, a team that has held opponents to an average of 54 points this season, on Feb. 5.
In the first two quarters against the Tigers, the Aggies left much to be desired with shooting splits of 3-of-13 and 7-of-16 and two free throws on three attempts. But the second half was a different story, with A&M shooting 12-of-30 from the field and making 14 of their 17 free throws.
In the second half, the flow of offense changed as the Aggies were able to draw more fouls from the Tigers, while junior guard Sahara Jones and sophomore guard Tineya Hylton both came off the bench and quickly lit a spark for A&M. The Aggies’ bench ended up outscoring the Tigers’ reserves 38-7.
The maroon and white’s standout defense, which has been their focal point all year, also contributed with 11 steals to the Tigers’ six and three blocks to their two. All three blocks came from freshman Janiah Barker, and four of the eleven steals came from sophomore forward Jada Malone.
Although the Aggies lost by six, the game was a massive improvement on their 40-point loss to the Tigers earlier in the season. Going against the undefeated third-ranked team in the nation and making it a close game while overcoming a large deficit in the first half gives the A&M faithful some hope.
The Aggies’ 62-54 loss to Florida on Feb. 2 was similar to the score from A&M’s earlier matchup with the Gators. The game was close up until the third quarter when the Aggies let Florida take a 44-34 lead.
A&M proceeded to follow a trend that it has followed over the course of its last five games, which is making the fourth quarter either its most or second-most dominant quarter of the game. The Aggies scored 20 points in the fourth to try to make up for their deficit, and although it wasn’t enough, A&M found a rhythm that followed them into its matchup against LSU.
This season is a transition for the Aggies, and has shown through their overall and conference records. The offense has been very inconsistent all season, but over the course of the last few games, A&M has shown improvements in almost every aspect of its offense.
In their last four games, the Aggies are averaging 45% from the field and 37% from 3-point range, measurably better than their stats for the entire year. The increase in A&M’s shooting splits can be explained by the offense opening up through assists and an increase in spacing for open shooters to make their shots while also focusing on attacking the rim and drawing fouls.
One could point to a slow start as the reason the Aggies are losing these close games. They become too reliant on the 3-ball and shoot themselves into a deficit that becomes too difficult to overcome in the second half, even with their recent trend of becoming hot in the final 20 minutes. Their second half scoring has seemingly come from attacking the rim and drawing fouls more often, which also allows them to get better looks from behind the arc.
If A&M can take its offensive performances that it has put on in the second half of their last few games and apply it to the first half of games, then it might find itself in a more comfortable position in close games such as these.
This Aggies’ defense is there, their fight and grit are there, and there is a clear sign that coach Joni Taylor is doing a great job of challenging this team to adapt and work towards its strengths. There is a long road ahead for A&M, but this recent stretch has shown us that there is potential for long term success.
