Texas A&M redshirt junior guard Kyndall Hunter did all she could in the fourth quarter.
In its opening game of its trip to Paradise Island, Bahamas for the Battle 4 Atlantis, A&M women’s basketball fell to Villanova, 65-57, in a game marred by scoring droughts for the Aggies.
With 4:17 left in the game, Villanova was in the midst of a 12-2 run, putting it in a power position that it would not relinquish. At the same time, A&M went scoreless for over two minutes. The Wildcats shot 57.1% from the floor in the final quarter, noticeably higher than their game-long 39% and the Aggies’ 33.3% fourth-quarter total.
Hunter tried to put the team on her shoulders in the fourth quarter, scoring nine of the team’s 13 points in the final period. With the score in reach at 45-44, Villanova, the Houston product made a circus shot while getting fouled to bring her team within six points with 3:42 left on the clock, but A&M would only go on to score four more points to erase any chance at a comeback.
The Wildcats had four players score double-digit points, including freshman G Jasmine Bascoe’s game-high 15. Graduate G Sahara Jones led the Aggies with 14 points.
Despite the late-game struggles, the Aggies had the Wildcats reeling in the first quarter. With 3:37 left in the first period, A&M led Villanova 13-2, shooting 6-of-9 from the floor, compared to the Wildcats’ 1-of-10. Redshirt senior forward Lauren Ware’s play was emblematic of the Aggies’ game early on, ripping down a rebound, getting two early blocks and winning with her physicality.
The Maroon and White dominated the glass early in the first quarter with a 10-to-1 advantage over their counterparts early on. A&M coach Joni Taylor said in her pregame interview that Villanova struggled with rebounding, giving A&M an advantage in that department in her eyes.
After the first quarter clock dwindled down, the Aggies led, 14-4. It was the first quarter they’ve held their opponent to five points or less since Jan. 4, 2024. The Wildcats continued to be lifeless offensively, but A&M’s shooting slowed down, missing its final five field goal attempts of the quarter. Villanova sophomore guard Maddie Webber tried relentlessly to assert her will on the game, but the shot wasn’t falling for the Bridgeville, Pennsylvania product, going 1-of-6.
The Aggies’ offense began to sputter in the second quarter as they only hit five of 15 field goals. The perimeter for A&M struggled to get anything going as sophomore LSU transfer G Janae Kent and redshirt senior G Aicha Coulibaly went a combined 2-of-8 shooting in the second period.
A&M’s inability to buy a bucket came at the same time that Villanova caught fire, closing the gap to enter the half at 27-26. The Wildcats’ 8-of-14 shooting to close out the half included going 3-of-6 behind the arc. Bascoe found her footing, scoring nine points in the quarter and getting two assists off backdoor cuts from the Wildcats.
Villanova battled to a one-point deficit in the third period, briefly taking its first lead of the game in the back-and-forth quarter. The Aggies’ perimeter defense struggled to keep up with Webber as she repeatedly knifed her way into the paint for a six-point quarter.
A&M will take on Ball State in the Battle 4 Atlantis loser’s bracket at 8 p.m. Sunday.
