The Texas A&M women’s basketball team took advantage of playing at home by beating Auburn 66-61, at Reed Arena by way of rebounding and making free throws down the stretch.
The Aggies (17-6, 7-3 SEC) came flying out of the gate to a 5-0 lead and forced Auburn (15-9, 5-5 SEC) to take a timeout within the first 90 seconds of the game.
Following the quick lead by A&M, the team continued to out rebound and outscore the Tigers in the first quarter until Auburn re-captured momentum by capitalizing on turnovers and took a 30-28 lead into halftime.
“We were prepared for this game,” Head coach Gary Blair said. “It didn’t look like it in the first half, it looked like it when we first started. But the whole key to letting them in, was our 11 turnovers in the first half.”
The key to Auburn’s first half run was the hot hand of forward Katie Frerking and taking advantage of turnovers. Frerking scored 18 points in the first half and finished with 32 for the game.
“Katie’s a good player, she’s that stretch four that’s hard to guard,” Auburn head coach Terri Williams-Flournoy said. “She can put it on the floor, she can attack the basket, shoot the three, she just played extremely well tonight.”
A&M’s free throws and rebounding were what ultimately decided the game over Auburn after a poor shooting display from A&M at 35 percent.
The maroon and white made free throws when they counted — going 18-of-23 while Auburn had a hard time getting to the line, going just 3-of-4.
Center Khaalia Hillsman en route to scoring 17 points, helped the Aggies dominate the boards, grabbing 15 rebounds including eight offensive, leading to second chance points. The Tigers were outrebounded 49-28 by A&M.
As the game progressed and every time A&M needed points, Williams stepped up and made big shots. She sunk a three to end the first half and made all four of her free-throws in the fourth quarter finishing 6-of-8 at the free throw line. At the end of the game, she finished with 25 points and eight rebounds.
“I haven’t shot very well these last several games,” Williams said. “Even this game  I didn’t start off shooting very well, but my teammates believe in me so much. And Curtyce [Knox] is in my ear, ‘Keep shooting, don’t let that affect you.’ That really helps my confidence.”
This was a big win for the Aggies, giving them seven conference wins. As it stands now, the Aggies sit in third place in the conference behind Mississippi State and South Carolina.
The Aggies will return to the court Feb. 9 to host Alabama at Reed Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on the SEC Network Plus.