Aggie Women Stage Biggest Comeback of Season vs. Kentucky
The Texas A&M Aggies staged their biggest comeback of the season, rallying to beat Kentucky in overtime, 73-64 on Sunday in Lexington.
The Aggies (13-9, 3-7 in SEC) put together a winning streak for the first time since the start of December and outscored Kentucky (9-10, 2-7) 18-9 in overtime without Kayla Wells, who only scored seven points and fouled out in the fourth quarter. Texas A&M also overcame double-doubles by Kentucky’s Rhyne Howard (19 points, 10 rebounds) and Dre’una Edwards (10 points, 10 rebounds).
How? Especially when the Aggies were down 32-20 at halftime? A heavy dose of Destiny Pitts, who led the Aggies with 20 points, including five 3-pointers that came in the second half and in overtime. She also led A&M with 10 rebounds and six assists. Qadashah Hoppie added 17 points, while Jordan Nixon had 16 points and five assists.
Texas A&M’s defense also stepped up. While Howard — the SEC’s leading scorer — had 19 points, the Aggies held her to five first-half points and made her work for every point she got. Plus, in overtime, the Aggies held her to just one field-goal attempt.
But, first, the Aggies had to survive Howard’s torrid scoring down the stretch. She had Kentucky’s final 10 points in regulation to help Kentucky to a slim lead that evaporated after Sydnee Roby’s layup with 29 seconds left tied the game for A&M.
Kentucky took a time out to advance the ball. The Wildcats failed to get Howard or anyone else a good shot, thanks to the Aggies’ defense, and the Wildcats took a timeout with five seconds left. Again, Kentucky tried to get the ball to Howard, who received the inbounds pass about 35 feet from the basket and double-teamed. She managed to split the double team but her 25-foot 3-pointer was long as time expired.
In overtime, the Aggies dominated, grabbing a four-point lead in the first minute and they were never really threatened. Kentucky had to start fouling with a minute and a half left and the Aggies extended their lead at the free-throw line, where they went 16-of-20 for the game.
In spite of the fact that Kentucky was just a .500 team, this was a big win for the Aggies as they attempt to get their head coach, Gary Blair, back to the NCAA Tournament in his retirement season. Now four games over .500, the Aggies prepare to host Vanderbilt on Thursday at 7 p.m., a game rescheduled from Dec. 30.
From there, the Aggies wade into a final stretch that features four ranked teams among their final five opponents — No. 15 LSU, No. 25 Ole Miss, No. 1 South Carolina and No. 14 Georgia.
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You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.