Aggie women smother Tigers with defense
It was a passionate night at Reed Arena on Wednesday night as unceasing defense lifted the 14th-ranked Texas A&M women's basketball team to a 78-52 Big 12 victory over the Missouri Tigers.
A&M forced 25 turnovers that led to 39 points as the Aggies (12-4, 3-2) overwhelmed the Tigers (10-6, 0-5), especially in the second half when Missouri could muster only 19 points on 6-of-22 shooting along with 13 turnovers.
"They're known for their tenacious defense," Missouri head coach Robin Pingeton said. "They are relentless. I think that kind of pressure wears on you."
It was the kind of pressure A&M head coach Gary Blair used to build the Aggies from one of the worst programs in the nation into last season's national champion. And the Missouri victory marked his 200th at A&M.
"It's the players I've had and the assistant coaches I've had," Blair said. "Hey, you can't go wrong with those kids."
Indeed, one fan proposed after the game to senior guard Sydney Carter, who had another stellar game despite not being able to go full speed in practice for more than a week because of a foot injury. Carter had 16 points on 5-of-12 shooting from the field, hit 5 of 5 free throws and had five assists with only two turnovers in 36 minutes.
Carter also made life miserable for Missouri freshman guard Kyley Simmons, who didn't score and turned the ball over 10 times.
"We held them to 19 points in the second half, so that's saying a lot about the effort we're putting forth on the defensive end," Carter said. "That's our M.O. here, that we're playing hard defense and being aggressive."
Carter broke the heart of the fan who presented her with a colorful poster board covered in red hearts and the inscription: "Sydney-Rene let's get married."
Right now, Carter is married to basketball.
"I did not accept," Carter said. "I declined, [but] I told him I'd mention him on Twitter. He was really serious. He was like, 'I really want to marry you.' I said, 'I gotta get a job first, guy.'"
Carter did a great job of getting A&M rolling after Missouri jumped to a 14-7 lead, forcing Blair to take a timeout.
"We came out a little too relaxed, and Sydney told us pregame that we can't look at their 0-4 start and think we have nothing to lose," A&M senior forward Adaora Elonu said. "They took advantage of that and started pretty well."
After the early timeout, A&M scored 12 unanswered points and held Missouri to one shot attempt in 3 1/2 minutes. The Aggies converted three turnovers into points during the run with Carter doing the damage twice, getting a pair of free throws before capping the spurt with a 3-pointer.
A&M reserve post Kelsey Assarian had a big first half with five points, two rebounds and a steal in eight minutes.
"I told her dad a little bit ago, I don't monitor her fouls," Blair said. "I monitor how many times she hits the floor and how many times she knocks the ball loose and she also draws fouls. People don't like to play against her. She's physical."
Assarian also was strong on the defensive end as A&M put the clamps on Missouri senior forwards BreAnna Brock and Christine Flores who combined to score nine of Missouri's first 14 points. The duo ended with only 25 points, 10 below their average. Flores hit only 4 of 13 shots. Brock had nine rebounds and hit 5 of 9 shots, but she found herself in early foul trouble and played only 10 minutes in the first half as A&M built a 40-33 lead.
Elonu continued her strong play despite foul trouble limiting her to 21 minutes. She had 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting along with six rebounds.
"I had no idea she had 16 points," Blair said. "That was the quietest 16 points, but we have to have her on the court."
Aggie senior Tyra White added 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting. She also had six rebounds and five assists as the Aggies did a good job of penetrating Missouri's zone after a slow start.
A&M beat Missouri for the eighth straight time in what will be the final meeting at Reed Arena between the two in the Big 12. Both schools are headed to the Southeastern Conference next season.