Aggies fall to No. 15 Tennessee in conference opener at Reed, 91-78
An encouraging opening effort to kick off conference play.
In its first SEC contest, Texas A&M (7-6) posted an impressive second-half effort but ultimately fell to No. 15 Tennessee at Reed Arena on Thursday night, 91-78.
"Hats off the that program," Tennessee head coach Kim Caldwell said. "They did a really good job of not getting down when we were up 22 at halftime. They came back and just straight flat out outworked us."
Boasting the nation's No. 1 scoring offense, the Lady Vols came into College Station looking to roll. Yet, Joni Taylor's upset-minded Aggies provided a four-quarter fight.
Down 22 at the break, Aicha Coulibably and Sahara Jones provided the second-half spark needed to shake up the Lady Vols. Staying aggressive throughout, Coulibaly found herself in early foul trouble and played just nine minutes in the first half.
"When she wanted to put her head down and get to the rim, she got to the rim," Caldwell said of Coulibaly. "We were lucky she was in foul trouble in the first half, to be honest, or it might have been a completely different game."
Tennessee built its first-half lead off back-to-back-back suffocating 3-pointers to open the fast-paced affair.
However, A&M's paint presence packed a punch, with 14 of the Aggies' first 15 points coming down low. After Erica Moon cut the deficit to four, Tennessee turned up the heat as a brutal 14-0 run allowed the Lady Vols to quickly pull away.
However, that sour second quarter proved to be the outlier as A&M outscored the nation's most potent offense in the final two frames.
"We came in at halftime and said we have got to try and make them play as late into the shot clock as possible to force them to run some offense," Taylor said. "I thought when we did that. It gave us a chance to get out and run. I thought our changing defense kept them uncomfortable and made them figure out what we were in."
The Aggies leaned on a third-quarter burst from Coulibaly and Jones to supplement the offense. A 9-0 Aggie run kickstarted a fiery frame as whittled the deficit to single digits.
But late lapses on the defensive side became costly.
Tennessee's Jewel Spear provided the pop, sinking a trio of shots from deep in the third to highlight a 20-point night for the senior.
A&M delivered a fight in the closing minutes, but the 22-point halftime deficit was too steep.
"We had opportunities that we let slip through our fingers," Taylor said. "Give Tennessee credit. Every time we made a run, they responded. Whether it was an offensive rebound, getting fouled or making a big three, they responded every single time. That’s what really good teams do, and that’s where we have to get to."
For a team that ranked No. 1 in scoring offense (98.8 points per game), 3-pointers made (12.4), turnovers forced (27.58) and offensive rebounds (21.7) ahead of Thursday's competition, the Lady Vols' offensive efforts were dulled by the Maroon & White.
Despite the loss, Thursday was a highly encouraging outing for Taylor's Aggies who look to build off their second-half momentum.
The next chance to do so comes Sunday when the Aggies host No. 25 Ole Miss (10-3) at Reed Arena. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. CT.