On Saturday, junior guard Chennedy Carter finished with 26 points, as the Texas A&M women’s basketball team defeated the South California Trojans, 74-62, at the Galen Center in Los Angeles, California.
After falling behind 25-20 early against USC, the No. 6 Aggies (4-0) went on a 15-2 run in the second quarter to build a 37-32 lead at halftime. A 9-2 run to open the third helped A&M extend their lead, as the Aggies kept a double-digit lead the entire quarter.
With the victory, the Aggies have now won five of their last six matchups against USC, including all three games in Los Angeles.
Offensively, guards Kayla Wells and Carter provided the bulk of scoring opportunities for the Aggies. Carter has now scored 20 points for the third straight game while extending her double-digit scoring streak to 43 games. Wells finished with 16 points, including eight points in the first quarter alone, while shooting 67 percent from the floor. Combined, Carter and Wells scored 42 of the team’s 74 points.
As a team, the Aggies dominated the boards, finishing with 44 total rebounds compared to USC’s 26. Junior N’dea Jones tallied 18 rebounds in the game, which was a season-high for the Aggies. Junior center Ciera Johnson also had a strong night on the boards, tallying seven rebounds of her own to add to her nine points.
On the defensive end, the Aggies responded from a tough first quarter to force the Trojans into tough shot opportunities. After allow the Trojans to shoot 50 percent from the field, and 4-of-7 from three-point range, in the first quarter, the Trojans were held to 42 percent shooting for the rest of the game, including going 2-of-10 from behind the arc.
The Aggies also recorded seven steals against the Trojans, including a season-high and career-best four steals by senior guard Shambria Washington. In the game, Washington finished with seven points and a team-high eight assists.
After the trip to California, the Aggies head back to College Station to face Prairie View A&M on Wednesday, Nov. 27. Tip off against the Panthers is set for 6 p.m. at Reed Arena, with the game also being streamed on SEC Network+.