Women's hoops ends non-conference slate with festive feelings
Game #9: Texas A&M 93, Prairie View A&M 60
Records: Texas A&M (7-2, 0-0), Prairie View A&M (2-9, 0-0)
Box Score
Holiday hoops were a success.
The challenge will be carrying these festive feelings into what’s next.
Texas A&M women's basketball (7-2) concluded its non-conference schedule on Sunday afternoon with a 93-60 victory over Prairie View (2-9) in front of 1,920, including Santa Claus, at Reed Arena during Sunday’s Fan Appreciation Day.
“I thought we were the aggressors from the beginning,” A&M head coach Joni Taylor said. “We came out with a different defensive strategy, and we executed it really well. Offensively, we shared the ball, shot it really well and played a great inside-out game. I thought, on both sides of the basketball, we did some really great things.”
The Aggies overwhelmed PVAMU, as expected.
Ny’Ceara Pryor and Salese Blow led the offense with 21 points each. Pryor completed a double-double with 12 assists. Fatmata Janneh scored 17 and grabbed 19 boards. Jordan Webster had 15, and Janae Kent added 12.
“I’ve been working on my confidence a lot,” Blow said. “I’ve been in the gym before and after practice, trying to get my confidence back and get reps in. I kept it in God’s hands today, just let the game come out the way He wanted it.”
Kent scored seven of the team's first 11 as A&M ran out to an 11-3 lead before the first media timeout.
By the time the opening quarter ended, the Aggie advantage was 14, and the led consistently swelled to as many as 44 with 3:19 left in the third. A&M had 50 points in the first half, 74 after three quarters and a season-high 93 at the end of the 40 minutes.
“I feel like we got into preparation, not taking this team lightly,” Janneh said. “We treat all of our opponents with respect, and I thought we did that today.”
After short benches crippled two of Taylor's first three seasons, she played each of her available 12 Aggies on Sunday as Lauren Ware, Chaney Spencer and Lemyah Hylton were in street clothes. Of the dozen suited out, eight scored.
“Chaney Spencer and Lemyah Hylton are in concussion protocol,” Taylor explained. “We’re hoping we come out of the break and they’re fine, and then Lauren (Ware), this was a game we thought we could rest her and get her ready to go.”
Even without those three, the outcome was never in question.
However, some questions remain about A&M's ability to compete in the Southeastern Conference, which begins league play on New Year's Day.
“I feel like it’s always a positive going into the holidays with a win,” Janneh said. “We’re coming back even more stronger because the SEC is no joke. We’re coming back wanting to learn more, do more and work harder so we can get wins in the SEC.”
Currently, half of the SEC's 16 teams are ranked in the AP poll. With a Quadrant 4 loss on their record, the Aggies are not.
Can A&M build significantly on last year's 3-13 conference record and push for a spot in the 2026 NCAA Tournament? Does Taylor's roster have sufficient depth to handle the SEC gauntlet? Have their four "power" conference games prepped the Aggies for what comes next?
Those answers will start to trickle in over the next three months.
What happened during Sunday's four quarters was more of a "get-right" game before No. 8 Oklahoma's trip to Reed on Jan. 1.
The Aggies will enter SEC play with confidence. They have their health. They have a roster of 12 new faces, none of whom were affected by last year's struggles.
“December is a hard month,” Taylor said. “You’ve played enough games where roles are assigned or redefined. People’s minutes have fallen into a certain place. You’ve got finals. You’ve got the distraction of going home.
“I thought our team did a really good job during this finals break of staying focused and locked in because this is our last tune-up before conference play. That isn’t to overlook Prairie View A&M, but there’s some things we wanted to lock up before we head into conference play.”
Of course, a lopsided win vs. PVAMU isn't going to tilt the committee scales in your favor come Selection Sunday, but there is reason for cautious optimism.
But as the holiday season often reminds us, "seeing is believing."