No. 6 Ags take down No. 16 Lady Vols, 80-70, to earn eighth top-25 victory

There’s a lot to love about the sixth-ranked Texas A&M women’s basketball team.

Sunday afternoon, the Aggies extended their winning streak to seven as they defeated Tennessee, 80-70, on Valentine’s Day. The showdown came down to the wire, as the Aggies led by just two points with under two minutes remaining. The Maroon & White made big plays when it counted and rolled over a ranked opponent for the eighth time this season.

Like the freezing weather in Bryan-College Station, the Aggies came out cold. After scoring the game’s first six points, the Maroon & white soon struggled as the Lady Vols responded 11 unanswered points.

The back-and-forth battle began early on, but Destiny Pitts brought the energy and made big shots for the Aggies. 

Kayla Wells touched on the difference sparse crowd made on the contest.

“We had to create our own energy,” said Wells. “I felt like I was sleepwalking at the beginning of the game and just going through the motions. You can’t be like that. We had great energy from our bench. Making big plays created the energy, and we just pulled it out.”

Coming off the bench, Destiny Pitts launched a 3-pointer to knot the score as the clock ran out in quarter one to forge a 15-15 tie.

Pitts remained unsatisfied with her offensive contribution and showcased a spin move layup underneath to tie the score in the third quarter, 49-49. She then hit clutch shots in the final quarter, hitting a 3-pointer to make it 70-66. This senior guard topped it off with several free-throws in the final minutes, leading the Aggies with 18 points.

After the game, Pitts explained the key role that confidence plays in her game.

“You have to believe you are the best shooter,” Pitts said. “That plays a lot into the mental aspect of the game. I wasn’t worried about the first shot I missed.”

Lia Musgrave, TexAgs

Destiny Pitts recorded one of her best games of the season, racking up 18 points and two rebounds in the victory. 

Sophomore McKinzie Green disrupted Tennessee with her fast layup to open up quarter two. She then hit another layup to give the Aggies their largest lead of the first half, 27-21.

From there, the Volunteers battled back to make it a three-point contest. Marta Suarez mimicked the flare Pitts demonstrated as she also hit a 3-pointer to tie the score at 32 at the break halftime.

After finishing the first two quarters with ties, it was clear this game would come down to the wire.

Pitts and Jordan Nixon’s routine shots from the line in the final quarter proved that free-throws matter. Twelve of Nixon’s 15 points in the game were from the line.

“In close games, it comes down to free-throws, so that was really huge for us to knock ours down and not give them any hope,” Pitts said.

Along with Pitts’ and Nixon’s strong offensive outputs, Wells and Aaliyah Wilson added 13 points, and Ciera Johnson contributed 10.

This tall Tennessee team thrived down low as the Volunteers out-rebounded the Aggies, 40-29. With four minutes remaining in quarter two, Tennessee recorded 18 of their 23 points in the paint. 

Coach Gary Blair disclosed the game plan against the Volunteers and credited his opponent’s starting roster.

“Not having enough paint points was by design because of their size underneath,” Blair said.” We wanted to hurt them with great shots at the elbow and get the transition. [Rennia] Davis and [Rae] Burrell played like All-American All-SEC performers. Give Tennesee a lot of credit.”

The Aggies will return to Reed Arena to face Missouri on Thursday, February 18. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Fans are encouraged to sport the color pink as it will be the BTHO Breast Cancer game in Bryan-College Station.