Aggies fall in disappointing upset at home to Alabama, 76-63

The Alabama Crimson Tide (17-11, 7-8) rolled over the Texas A&M Aggies (22-6, 10-5 SEC) for a disappointing 76-63 upset at home in College Station on Thursday night. The Aggies were previously 9-0 against Alabama, with tonight’s play delivering their first SEC conference loss to the Tide. 

The Crimson Tide were able to successfully close the gaps and protect the paint from N’dea Jones and Ciera Johnson. Alabama junior forward Jasmine Walker was a force to be reckoned, leading the Tide with 24 points, and junior guard Jordan Lewis shot 9-10 on the free-throw line. The Tide were also able to limit the effect of Aggie junior guard Chennedy Carter. Carter recorded 16 overall points, and center Ciera Johnson finished with 15 points and 9 rebounds. Shambria Washington tallied 7 assists.

Jamie Maury, TexAgs

Chennedy Carter played well once again, but it wasn’t enough to get the home win. 

Alabama swept the court with an aggressive physical show, as the Aggies fell further and further into a slump. The Aggies were able to utilize a 10-point spree to end the first quarter with a tie score of 12-12. But with the help of Walker and Lewis, and Aggie mistakes that sent the Tide back again and again to the free-throw line, the Crimson Tide took over the lead in the second quarter and never let go. At halftime, the Aggies trailed by 16. Into the second half, the Aggies continued to struggle to get on the inside and made poor exercise of adjustments on the court. Despite a brief rally late in the 4th quarter to bring the game within 10, the Aggies were unable to overcome the mental roadblock to bridge the gap within single digits.

The Aggies were limited to shooting only 36% from the field. During the post-game, N’dea Jones and Ciera Johnson expressed frustration with the night’s result. Johnson said, “We just didn’t defend. If you don’t defend, then you don’t win. We can’t outscore people that’s not in our favor. We have to defend, and we didn’t do that tonight.”

Coach Gary Blair echoed the credit of Walker and Lewis. “I’d like to give Alabama all the credit in the world. They answered the bell. They played extremely well in all facets of the game. We were lucky to be tied at the end of the first quarter, but we fought back through it. They executed the pick and high ball screen as well as anybody we’ve played this year.”

The loss puts the Aggies in a tougher spot looking towards the SEC tournament. Currently sitting 3rd in conference standings, the Aggies are vying for one of the top seed placements in the SEC tournament. With Kentucky’s win over Georgia, the Wildcats (21-6, 10-5 SEC) remain poised to edge Texas A&M with only one game left for both teams in the regular season.

Texas A&M will finish off their regular season on the road against No. 1 South Carolina on Sunday, March 1st at 11:00 am.

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