Texas A&M women’s basketball dropped its second game of the season to No.15 West Virginia, mostly due to carelessness with the basketball. With the Mountaineers knocking down 60% of their three-pointers, the Aggies’ 20 turnovers ultimately led to their downfall.
The game opened up on a low note for The Fightin’ Farmers as the Mountaineers jumped out to a 10-4 lead after fifth-year senior forward Kylee Blacksten knocked down a three-pointer. West Virginia’s full-court pressure led to nine points off of five early A&M turnovers and gave them a 15-7 lead.
The Maroon and White closed the quarter on a 6-2 run after freshman F Jada Malone, rising freshman guard Erica Moon and freshman G Taliyah Parker converted on two-point attempts to bring them within four.
Malone opened the Aggies second quarter scoring with a driving layup before the Mountaineers went on a 9-2 run to extend their lead to 26-17. A&M stormed back with a run of their own, sophomore G Solè Williams converted on a three-pointer and a layup while Parker converted on a jump shot and two free throws to cut the lead to two.
Further free throws from senior G JJ Quinerly gave the Mountaineers a 33-29 lead going into halftime. Notably, 33 points in a half is a season-low for West Virginia.
The Mountaineers opened the second half with back-to-back threes and took all the momentum. Intense defense and pressure forced the Aggies into three early turnovers, leading to a 14-0 run for West Virginia before A&M was forced to call a timeout. The inability to knock down shots combined with eight turnovers led to a huge deficit for the Aggies.
Williams ended West Virginia’s run with a jumper before Blacksten knocked down her fifth three-pointer of the match. The Mountaineers’ defense continued to be a problem for the Aggies as they recorded six steals as a team, forcing A&M to turn the ball over eight times in the quarter.
The Aggies were outscored 27-7 in the quarter as the Mountaineers took a 60-36 lead heading into the final period.
In the fourth, the Maroon and White turned up the heat, scoring a season-high 26 points and holding the Mountaineers to 23 points. Rising senior G Aicha Coulibaly, a two-time member of the All-SEC Second Team, recorded 15 points of her own. The Aggies shot well from the field in the fourth quarter, knocking down nine of their 14 shots from the field.
However, with such a huge lead to make up, the Aggies’ comeback fell short as the Mountaineers held onto the game, 83-62.
Coulibaly captured her 20th career 20-point game as she led A&M with 21 points while Williams scored in double digits for the first time this season, contributing 14 points and two steals.
The Aggies will attempt to bounce back at 2 p.m. Sunday when they host Northwestern State.
