In a top-20 showdown, the women’s basketball team came up short in Starkville, falling to the No. 17 Mississippi State Bulldogs 63-61 in overtime.
A&M was led by Courtney Walker, who scored 25 points with eight rebounds. The loss snaps a two-game winning streak for A&M.
The game saw another streak end as well. After winning his first 12 games against former assistants, A&M head coach Gary Blair fell Sunday against Bulldogs coach Vic Schaefer, who was a Blair assistant from 1997 — when both coached at Arkansas — until taking the MSU job in 2011.
Khaalia Hillsman blocked two shots and pulled down 13 rebounds, while Courtney Williams added 14 points and eight rebounds.
A couple of short runs late in the first half helped A&M build a 32-28 halftime lead.
The Aggies played solid defense, holding the Bulldogs (23-3, 8-3 SEC) to 32 percent shooting from the floor, and 23 percent shooting from the three-point line. A&M also had eight steals in the game.
The game was tight all through the second half. There were four lead changes in a minute and a half span, when A&M called timeout down 50-49. Out of the timeout, Jada Terry hit a layup from a Williams assist to give the Aggies a 51-50 lead.
A&M gained a 53-51 lead, but the Bulldogs came back to tie it at 53 with under one minute to play.
Williams had a chance to win at the buzzer, but the shot came off the rim, and the game went into overtime.
In overtime, Mississippi State came back from a four point deficit and Victoria Vivians hit a huge 3-pointer to give the Bulldogs a 62-61 lead with 52 seconds left in the game.
With 21 seconds left, Walker missed a jumper, and after making one of two free throws, the Aggies final shot came up short.
A&M falls to 18-6 on the year, and 6-4 in SEC play.
The Aggies return to Reed Arena at 8 p.m. Thursday night against Arkansas.