Texas A&M women’s basketball captured its eighth win of the season 60-58 against No. 25 Ole Miss after a comeback that saw the Aggies’ incredible defense hold the Rebels to just 17 points in the second half.
“We switched things up and went zone a little bit, that changed some things,” A&M coach Joni Taylor said. “To start the game, they were getting inside and scoring at will, and we were not offering much resistance. They were more physical and pushed us around a lot in the first and second quarter. We made the proper adjustments at halftime and came out in the third and fourth quarters and were a lot more physical.”
The game began on a low note for the Aggies as the Rebels jumped out to a 14-6 advantage after freshman guard Sira Thienou converted on consecutive baskets and a free throw. A tough Rebel defense and intense pressure secured them eight points off five first-quarter Aggie turnovers.
Junior forward Jada Malone and sophomore G Janae Kent stopped the bleeding with consecutive baskets to cut the Rebels lead to 10 by the first quarter’s end.
A&M opened the second quarter with a hook shot from Malone to spark some momentum. The Aggies’ freshman G Taliyah Parker got it going with a strong drive to the basket which resulted in two free throws that cut the Rebels lead to eight.
Ole Miss graduate G Kirsten Deans and Thienou continued to give A&M problems, converting from behind the arc and making a layup to regain momentum, increasing the Rebels’ advantage to 12 points.
Rebels’ graduate F Starr Jacobs and senior G Kennedy Todd-Williams took advantage of three free-throw opportunities that gave them their largest lead of the game with 15. Looking for some type of spark for the Aggies, Williams went to work. The senior scored a layup, then intercepted a pass and converted on two free throws to cut into the Rebels lead. Both teams traded baskets before entering the locker room with Ole Miss holding onto a 16-point lead.
Starting the second half, a 16-point Ole Miss lead was quickly cut to 12 after a free throw by rising-senior G Aicha Coulibaly and a subsequent 3-pointer by Williams. As A&M’s defensive intensity rose, Ole Miss began to struggle from the field, taking over four minutes to convert its first field goal of the second half. A jump shot by Parker cut Ole Miss’ lead to single digits before the Rebels were forced to call a timeout.
After A&M’s graduate F Amirah Abdur-Rahim knocked down a jumper to cut Ole Miss’ lead down to 49-40, graduate G Tameiya Sadler scored a three to bring their lead back to double digits.
Knowing they had to step up their game to have a chance at winning, the Aggies’ intensity grew, starting the fourth quarter on a 7-0 run that cut the Rebels’ lead to three before they called a timeout. Malone continued to be perfect from the field as she knocked down her sixth-straight shot to bring the Maroon and White within three, 52-49.
“When I get in, I do what I need to do, and my teammates find me all the time,” Malone said about her perfect 6-6 night.
As the fans roared, A&M’s momentum rose. With just over five minutes to play, Kent took a pass from Coulibaly and knocked down a 3-pointer to tie the game at 52.
After the teams traded baskets, the Aggies found themselves down just one with a little over three minutes remaining before Williams came in clutch, knocking down another 3-pointer to give the Aggies a two-point lead.
As time ticked down, Ole Miss struggled offensively at the worst time possible, missing consecutive jumpers and turning the ball over several times. With less than a minute left, Coulibaly scored a jump shot to give A&M a two-possession lead before Ole Miss was forced to call its final timeout.
The Rebels refused to go away, converting on three clutch free-throws to cut the Aggies’ lead to one. Williams capped off her MVP performance with a steal and a free throw to seal the win for the Aggies 60-58.
“Knowing I was able to show up for my teammates in the crucial moments, it just felt amazing,” Williams said. “This is great. This is motivation for us for the next game and the game after that. It feels good, but now we have to focus on the next game.”
“I am extremely happy for our players,” Taylor said. “That they continue to take steps in the right direction and trust the process. When you have a team that continues to fight and continues to take coaching and believes, then you will have a ton of possibilities.”
A&M will be back in action as they travel to Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina to take on No. 2 South Carolina Thursday at 4 p.m.
