Texas A&M Defeats Tarleton State After Defensive Surge in Second Half

Texas A&M women’s basketball is off to a 2-0 start for the fourth season under head coach Joni Taylor. The Aggies were able to top A&M Corpus Christi in their season opener, and they were also able to secure a 79-64 win over Tarleton State.

Tarleton State was able to jump out on top early as it finished the first quarter with a 20-13 lead over Texas A&M. The Aggies were able to grind out the second quarter and outscore Tarleton 21-13, to have a one point lead going into halftime.

“Obviously didn’t start the way we needed to,” Taylor said postgame. “For us, it was shuffling some things around, figuring out who we could get going, figuring out how they were guarding us.”

First Half Struggles To Second Half Surge

Texas A&M Lauren War — Jan 9, 2025; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks forward Sania Feagin (20) drives around Texas A&M Aggies forward Lauren Ware (32) in the first half at Colonial Life Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-Imagn Images | Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

The Aggies struggled from behind the arc compared to the Texans, as the Aggies went 2 for 9, compared to the Texans 7 for 14. The Aggies continued to struggle from behind the arc in the second half as they went 2 for 10 from three, yet the defense was able to guard the Texans’ three point shot a lot better, only allowing 2, compared to the first half where they allowed 7.

All around, the defense seemed to put more pressure on the Texans in the second half, as Texas A&M only allowed 10 total field goals, compared to 19 in the first half.

“We knew that State was going to come out and play really hard,” Taylor said postgame. “We just were too soft I thought in the beginning defensively and so when we finally bowed our back and got some stops that got us going offensively.”

The difference in the game was the second half defense that the Aggies put up. The Aggies allowed the Texans to shoot 56 percent from three in the first quarter as they went 5 from 9 from behind the arc.

The Aggies were led by Salese Blow who had 18 points for the Aggies, shooting 7 of 11 from the field while adding on a three-pointer. She went 3 for 3 from the free throw line as well as having two offensive rebounds to give the Aggies another possession.

"As long as she can take those steps and understand that there is no perfect game, it's just like the best version of who you are that day, and I thought she did that today," Taylor said about Blow.

The Aggies suit up for their next matchup versus Kansas State, which is the Aggies' first road game, Sunday, November 16 at 1:00 p.m.