No. 3 Texas A&M wins SEC title, defeats No. 5 South Carolina, 65-57

Another electric performance propelled the No. 3 Aggies over the fifth-ranked Gamecocks, 65-57. A packed Reed Arena witnessed history today as the Aggies clinched their first SEC regular-season crown and the number one seed heading into the SEC tournament.

Aaliyah Wilson touched on what this win says about her team.

“This win says a lot,” said Wilson. “It speaks volumes to what we can do. I don’t think we played a perfect game. I think we still have yet to show who we are and what we can do. Just knowing we were able to get that under the belt feels good. Hopefully, we’ll be able to build on this.”

This game marked many firsts for the Aggies, with a first-ever regular-season title and Reed Arena’s first-ever Associated Press top-five matchup.

The Aggies climbed to their tenth consecutive win (22-1, 13-1 SEC) and maintained their undefeated status over ranked opponents (10-0).

Both of the top-five teams came out hot and ready for battle, but this game boiled down to the final minutes and who would demonstrate the most resilience. The Aggies maintained a tight lead for the majority of the first half, finishing the first quarter up 17-14.

The Aggies rode momentum waves early with two big runs in the second quarter. Holding the Gamecocks to three points in the first four minutes, the Maroon and White fired off a 9-point run to go up 26-17.

The Gamecocks quickly showed signs of fight in their physicality and offensive production by Destanni Henderson, who had 12 points in the first half. The Gamecocks gained a fleeting lead at 27-26, but the Aggies came on top less than a minute following and entered the intermission with a narrow lead of 35-34. 

The second quarter saw N’dea Jones rip down her seventh rebound of the game, which earned her the title of all-time leader in rebounds for the Aggies. Jones now boasts an astounding 1,012+ rebounds in her career. Jones grabbed 16 rebounds in the game and notched her 40th career double-double and 13th double-double of the season.

Rebound machine N’dea Jones reflected on her achievements this season, specifically in rebounding.

“I knew going into the game tonight that I just needed seven rebounds. When it happened, I didn’t even know it because I was just worried about getting back on defense. It feels pretty good, but I’m happy my team won and I feel like they needed the extra possessions I was able to give them.”

The explosive performance displayed by the Aggies in quarter three pushed the Aggies to a 54-42 lead over the Gamecocks. The Aggies held South Carolina to 41-34 for a scoreless five minutes of gameplay. Texas A&M continued their run but picked up four fouls in an effort to clog South Carolina’s attack on the paint. Jordan Nixon contributed a pair of crucial three-pointers to solidify a 12-point lead over the Gamecocks in quarter three.

Head Coach Gary Blair assessed his team’s ability to close off the option of scoring in the paint for South Carolina.

“South Carolina is dominant in the paint, but look at the paint points in this game, 36 for us and 26 for them. That has never happened to them all year. Their paint points in the last 16 ball games, including against Connecticut, is off the chart. You win championships with your paint touches and paint points.” 

Lia Musgrave, TexAgs

This is Texas A&M’s first regular-season conference title since 2007. 

Zia Cooke kept the Gamecocks alive with her free-throw shooting in the first minutes of the fourth quarter. Cooke shot four free-throws and hit a trey for the Gamecocks to bring the score to 56-49. South Carolina locked in on defense with a full-court press, but the Aggies could not be shaken. The Maroon and White showcased one last run of the game, 5-0, for a smothering finish to the regular season, 65-57.

Sunday’s win was extra meaningful, as the Aggies celebrated their seniors for senior day prior to tipoff. Each senior posted points and four of the six seniors scored in double-figures including, Aaliyah Wilson (17), N’dea Jones (16), Jordan Nixon (11), Kayla Wells (10), Ciera Johnson (6) and Anna Dreimane (2). 

Anna Dreimane explained the leadership these six seniors display.

“We have done a great job with people following and wanting to listen,” said Dreimane. “Sometimes you have leaders, but no one wants to listen and follow. This team gets along well and has trust in each other so it is easy to lead.”

The Aggies will now gear up for the SEC tournament quarter-finals. Texas A&M is scheduled to play on Friday, March 5th at 11:00 a.m. where the opponent has yet to be announced. All of the SEC tournament games will be played in Greenville, South Carolina in Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Friday’s game will air on SEC Network.