The ACC/SEC Challenge made its way in College Station as Texas A&M women’s basketball defeated Georgia Tech 72-63 to advance to 6-1 on the season. Despite the Yellowjackets’ superior shooting from the field, free throws were vital for the Aggies as 22 of their points came from the line.
Graduate student forward Lauren Ware stood out for the Aggies as she posted 14 points, just one point shy of tying her season-high. Ware was outstanding on the boards as she picked up a team-high 13 rebounds, seven of those coming off the offensive glass.
The first quarter was back and forth between A&M and Georgia Tech, yet the Yellowjackets finished the quarter up 16-14. The Yellowjackets were able to outshoot the Aggies 53.8% to 31.6% from the field in the opening frame.
The Maroon and White were able to get the scoring started early in the second period with back-to-back buckets from junior guard Janae Kent, who ended the evening with 10 points and six rebounds.
Georgia Tech continued to show off its offense in the second quarter as it shot 40% from behind the arc, thanks in part to 3-pointers from sophomore G Talayah Walker and junior G D’Asia Thomas-Harris. Both Walker and Thomas-Harris were assets in the second quarter, as they combined for 8 of the Yellowjackets’ 15 points.
Ware continued to contribute in the second half as she put up four points and grabbed three rebounds.. Despite the Aggies outscoring the Yellowjackets 16-15 in the second quarter, Georgia Tech went into halftime with a 31-30 lead over A&M.
After the break, the Yellowjackets showed no signs of slowing down as they nailed a 3-pointer on their first possession of the game. The Aggies showed some early fight at the start of the third quarter with four straight points from junior F Fatmata Janneh.
The Aggies’ leading scorer this season, senior G Ny’Ceara Pryor, was able to light up the third quarter as she recorded seven points, two rebounds and two assists.
The Maroon and White defense picked up strongly in the third quarter, after forcing a turnover that led to a drained 3-pointer by junior G Salese Blow. Over five minutes of play, the Aggies were able to go on a 13-2 run, as they began to pull away before heading into the fourth quarter up 54-46.
The Aggies opened the final frame with a trio of made free throwsAfter the visitors scored six points to put the game within reach for the Yellowjackets, A&M coach Joni Taylor was forced to call a timeout to get her team back under control to finish out the game.
Immediately after the timeout, the Yellowjackets drove the ball down the court to put themselves within one possession, yet senior G Lemyah Hylton answered quickly with a 3-pointer of her own, which put her at 10 points for the evening.
The Aggies had an outstanding performance behind the free-throw line, as 22 of their points came from made free throws. The Maroon and White picked up 11 points off free throws in the fourth quarter alone.
After a heavily contested first half,, the Aggies were able to pull away to secure their sixth victory of the season. The Maroon and White will take a break from Reed Arena before they return on Sunday, Dec. 14, to play against No. 25 West Virginia at 2 p.m.
