On the second day of the Duel in the Desert tournament, the No. 19 A&M women’s basketball team lost to No. 10 Oregon for the second time this season, 84-62.
A&M senior center Khaalia Hillsman made the first basket of the game, however, Oregon responded with 10 straight points and never looked back in the first quarter. The Ducks shot lights out in the quarter, netting 82 percent (14-of-17) shots from the field. Hillsman led the Aggies with 10 points after the quarter but the Aggies trailed Oregon 34-17.
The second quarter was a completely different story as the Aggies were able to lure the Ducks into taking more contested shots. Hillsman also was a bestial presence on defense grabbing four rebounds. The tougher defense paid dividends as the Aggies held Oregon to 18 percent shooting (2-of-11), limiting them to just seven points in the quarter. A&M outscored Oregon 14-7 in the second quarter and trailed 41-31 at the half.
Despite a strong showing in the second quarter, porous defense prevented the Aggies from getting back in the game in the second half, as Oregon shot 50 percent (11-of-22) from the field and 54 percent (6-of-11) from behind the arc in the half. The Aggies had virtually no answer for Oregon guards Sabrina Ionescu and Matie Carzola all afternoon, and they finished the game scoring a combined 51 points.
The Aggie offense was unable to pick up the defense’s slack due to poor shooting (25-of-60) and 18 turnovers. The lone bright spots in the game were usual suspects junior guard Danni Williams and Khaalia Hillsman who finished the game with 22 and 18 points, respectively. The The Aggies lacked depth, as just four players scored in the game.
The Aggies will now have a week break before hosting SMU on December 28th. The game will be televised on SEC Network+ and tipoff is slated for 7 p.m.