A trip to the Virgin Islands will give No. 24 Texas A&M women’s basketball a change of scenery, both in weather and competition.
The Aggies will battle the Pittsburgh Panthers on Thursday, Nov. 25 at the University of the Virgin Islands as part of the 2021 Paradise Jam tournament. The maroon and white will also face South Dakota and Northwestern the following two days of the tournament.
Both teams enter the tournament with unblemished records of 4-0. The Aggies and Panthers are both coming off close wins, as 
A&M outlasted Stephen F. Austin, 82-75, on Thursday, Nov. 18, and Pittsburgh came from behind to beat Duquesne 69-64 on Saturday, Nov. 20.
The Aggies and Panthers have met just once before, when A&M took down Pittsburgh by a score of 56-50 in 2008 in the State Farm Women’s Tip-Off Classic. At the time, the Aggies were ranked No. 10 in the country while the Panthers stood at No. 23.
As a team, A&M has averaged 89 points per game while allowing just 59 this season. It’s led by a quartet of Aggies averaging double figures in scoring. Graduate guard Kayla Wells leads the team with 18.5 points per game, and junior guard Jordan Nixon isn’t far behind with 17.3. Graduate guards Destiny Pitts and Qadashah Hoppie round out the group, averaging 12.5 and 11.3 points per game, respectively.
On the flip side, Pittsburgh averages 78.8 points per game while holding opponents to 57.8. The team features just one player averaging double digits in scoring per game, as senior guard Jayla Everett leads the team with 18.3. However, the Panthers prove to be a strong rebounding team, as four players average six or more rebounds per game. Junior center Rita Igbokwe leads the team in this statistic, averaging 7.8.
Tipoff between the Aggies and the Panthers is set for 7 p.m. from the Sports and Fitness Center in St. Thomas, U.S.V.I. The game will be broadcast on ESPN3 and 93.7 FM.