Before a showdown with the No. 8 Duke Blue Devils Sunday, the No. 7 Texas A&M women’s basketball team will host McNeese State Wednesday.
A&M last played McNeese in 2011, winning the contest 87-47 in the first round of the NCAA tournament, the same year the Aggies would go on to win the National Championship. A&M has recorded eight straight victories against the Cowgirls dating back to 1981.
Aggie junior Courtney Walker was named the SEC Player of the Week as well as the MVP of the Maggie Dixon Classic over the weekend, averaging more than 20 points per game during the tournament.
Jordan Jones is the team leader in assists at a pace of 5.6 per game. The Aggies lead the SEC in assists per game with 16.2.
A&M is solid defensively, especially when protecting the arc. The Aggies are fifth in the nation in three-point field goal defense, allowing a success rate of just 26.3 percent from downtown. Senior Achiri Ade has recorded five blocks so far this season, tied for the team lead with sophomore center Jada Terry.
A&M took its last contest against Prairie View A&M 59-41, which included a scoring run of 20 unanswered points. Walker chipped in a team-high 10 of her own, good for her 18th consecutive game scoring in double digits.
Contributing six points and seven rebounds in her season debut was Courtney Williams. The A&M guard was suspended for the first four games of the season but will be available off the bench for A&M on Wednesday night.
With a victory Wednesday, A&M will improve to 6-0 for the sixth time in the last nine seasons.
For the Cowgirls, Allison Baggett leads the way with 15.5 points per game. They enter the game with a 3-1 overall record including a recent 57-55 victory over Southern Mississippi last Sunday.
Following the 7 p.m. contest against McNeese, head coach Gary Blair and his team shift their focus to a top-10 contest Sunday as they face the No. 8 Duke Blue Devils.