Five Thoughts: Texas A&M 85, James Madison 69

1. Jordan Jones continued to impress fans, teammates and coaches. The 27 assists she tallied through the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament has helped land Gary Blair's team in the Sweet Sixteen. But it's not just the passing ability of Jones that makes her so good. She also makes timely shots from the perimeter, plays aggressive defense, controls the tempo of the game with her speed in the open court and rarely turns the ball over in crucial situations.

The sophomore guard is on her way to becoming one of the next great lead guards to play for the Maroon and White.

2. Karla Gilbert was unstoppable in the paint. She ended the game with 20 points, 15 rebounds and two blocked shots in 32 minutes of action. The Dukes had to play zone the majority of the second half because they couldn't defend Gilbert one-on-one without fouling. The amount of personnel and concentration James Madison had to focus on Karla allowed her teammates to shine as well. Courtney Walker and Courtney Williams were the primary beneficiaries of Karla's presence in the paint — they were able to score a combined 41 points.

3. It was a fun game to watch. Still, I'm sure the coaching staffs from both teams were disappointed in their defenses. Although the Aggies scored 47 points in the first 20 minutes of play, they also gave up 43 first half points to Kenny Brooks' JMU team. Bob Starkey was not pleased as he walked into the tunnel at the break.

But he must have sent his ladies a very clear message during intermission. The Ags only allowed 26 points for the remaining duration of the game, including Jordan Jones taking a charge with less than two minutes to play and her team ahead by 15 points.

4. A&M has to start faster. If Gary Blair wants to reach his third Elite Eight since coming to Aggieland, he has to find a way to get his team to sprint from the word go. This was the second game in a row where the Ags started slow and allowed their competition to hang on until the half. They have obviously been successful the past two games, but the deeper you go in the tournament the tougher it will be to "outlast" the opponent. A&M needs to come out strong in the Sweet 16 and not let DePaul hang around.

5. I wanted to reserve this spot for the atmosphere at Reed Arena. Not only did the A&M fan base come out and support the ladies, the James Madison band was pretty awesome as well. I probably couldn't handle an entire season of the JMU band but I could definitely get adjusted to a crowd like last night on the A&M side. Reed was rocking and everyone was into it. March Madness is the best time of the year — but I would love to see the crowds at Reed Arena like last night for every game of the year!