Kayla Wells Scores Career-High 30 Points as Aggies Cruise, 77-64
Kayla Wells made sure the Texas A&M Aggies’ slump took a break Thursday, scoring 30 points to lead the women to a 77-64 victory over Arkansas at Reed Arena.
Wells managed a career-high in points while Blair won his 850th career game as he is in the running for Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame for the first time.
The Aggies (12-9, 2-7 in SEC) were in dire need of a win after losing eight of their last 10 games. The contest also came on an emotional night for Aggies coach Gary Blair, as he faced Arkansas (14-8, 4-5) in the regular season for the last time.
Blair coached the Razorbacks for a decade before moving to Texas A&M. He took the Razorbacks to the 1999 Final Four as a No. 9 seed, the only No. 9 seed to reach the Final Four. Plus, the Razorbacks’ current coach, Mike Neighbors, was Blair’s director of basketball operations during part of Blair’s tenure in Fayetteville.
Wells played one of her best games in weeks. Along with the 30 points, she shot 10-of-23 from the floor, including four made 3-pointers and a 6-of-8 night from the free-throw line. With Wells leading the way, the Aggies had a nine-point lead at halftime and built as much as an 18-point lead early in the fourth quarter.
Other Aggies played well in what was a sorely-needed victory. Destiny Pitts had a double-double, scoring 11 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. But it was Aaliyah Pitts who led the Aggies with 19 rebounds. Both Pitts and Patty each had two steals.
Arkansas’ Samara Spencer led the way for the Razorbacks with 20 points and Amber Ramirez added 17 points. Rylee Langerman led Arkansas with 10 rebounds and added 12 points.
The Aggies were in dire need of the victory as they’re trying to catch some momentum to keep their hopes of reaching the NCAA Tournament in Blair’s final season. He plans to retire at season’s end. The Aggies’ next two games are against unranked teams before they start a stretch to end SEC play in which the Aggies play four ranked teams in their final five games.
Around the SEC on Thursday, Ole Miss beat Missouri, 61-45; Florida beat No. 7 Tennessee, 84-59; No. 1 South Carolina beat Alabama, 81-53; and No. 14 Georgia beat Vanderbilt, 71-56.
The Aggies are at Kentucky at 11 a.m. Sunday.
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You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.