WBB: Five thoughts ... UConn 81, Texas A&M 50

COLLEGE STATION - The youthful Texas A&M women's basketball team fell to 0-3 with an 81-50 loss to No. 2 UConn Sunday afternoon in front of an energetic crowd of 7,657 at Reed Arena. Here are five quick thoughts on the game and the team in general:

* The Aggies withstood the Huskies' early haymakers to stay close for a while, but close, but the difference was post play and the dominance of UConn’s  Stefanie Dolson against A&M's combination of Kelsey Bone, Kristi Bellock and Karla Gilbert. UConn coach Geno Auriemma's team may be the best in the nation. The Huskies put on a clinic in team offense. Led by Dolson's 24 points, UConn outscored A&M in the paint, 42-12. Dolson also had six rebounds, five assists and three steals. Meanwhile, Bone, Bellock and Gilbert combined to produce just 10 points and nine boards.

* Late in the first half and Bone was on the floor with four freshmen against perhaps the premier program in the nation.  They’re extremely talented, but young and inexperienced. The Aggies’ 0-3 record doesn’t look good, but they’ve played teams that are currently ranked second, eighth and ninth in the nation. A&M could benefit later in the season from facing such strong competition.

* Courtney Walker is going to be a special player. The freshman from Edmond, Okla., who grew up idolizing hometown legend and A&M great Danielle Gant, appeared the best player on the court in one stretch near the midway point of the first half.  Like Gant at her best, Walker used tremendous defense and all-out hustle to lead to success on the offensive end. She scored eight of A&M's first 12 points and finished with a team-high 20 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals in 38 minutes of action. Much of what she does isn’t on a stat sheet. She’s an "every down" player who rarely came out of the game.

* At this point, Texas A&M is just not very good at the point guard position. Freshman Jordan Jones is the most talented of three point guards, but is developing. Senior Adrienne Pratcher is a nice player, but the type floor leader for a for a top-15 caliber team. And at this point in her career, Alexia Standish is just too inconsistent. The point guards weren’t terrible by any stretch, but this position is not yet up to A&M’s typical standards.  At times last season Sydney Carter was playing the two-guard spot, but could take over when Pratcher and Standish were struggling on the point. Now, the Ags don't have someone like Carter to rely on to slide over and control the game. It will be very interesting to see where the Aggies go from here at point guard.

* Thankfully for Blair and Co., the schedule eases up. The Aggies next play host to Liberty on Tuesday and then Southern and Marquette over the weekend as part of the A&M Classic at Reed Arena. The following week, the Ags host Louisiana Tech and TCU. They could take a 5-3 record into a December 15 test at USC. A&M does not play a team currently ranked in the Top 25 until the start of SEC play. Again, it looks ugly now, but Blair is learning a lot about the personnel. The players should learn a lot from this tough stretch and be better off in the long run because of it.