Five Thoughts: #19 Texas A&M 61, #17 S. Carolina 52

1. This win over a top-20 South Carolina team couldn't have come at a better time for Gary Blair and his squad. After losing four of their last five to end the regular season, all momentum from their eight-game conference winning streak earlier in the year was long gone and this team appeared to be fizzling out at the worst time. But, Blair and company were able to right the ship on Friday with the victory over the Gamecocks.

Earlier in the week on TexAgs Radio, Blair said that this would be a "race to 50" type game, and that's exactly what it turned out to be. South Carolina came in as the sixth best scoring defense team in the country, but the Aggies did a good job of getting out quick, hitting on nine of their first 15 shots. However, USC's defense clamped down after that and the Aggies finished the game at 38.5%. The Gamecocks also came into the game as the 11th best rebounding margin team in the country, and that showed as they beat the Aggies 46-33 on the boards. But, A&M was able to find a way to win the game even with those two deficencies which is always a good sign.

2. In my mind, you have to give the Player of the Game honors to senior forward Kristi Bellock, although freshman Courtney Williams and junior center Karla Gilbert deserve mentioning as well. After only playing 11 minutes in the first half due to foul trouble, Bellock scored 11 in the second half, and 17 overall to lead all A&M scorers in the victory. After having to sit on the bench behind the likes of Adaora Elonu and Tyra White her first three seasons in Aggieland, the Louisiana product is putting together a phenomenal senior campaign. Coming into today's game, Bellock was averaging 9.9 points (definitely in double-figures after putting up 17 today) and 7.4 rebounds. Oh yeah, and throw a block and almost two assists and two steals per game in there as well.

3. With 17:54 left in the second half, A&M center Kelsey Bone went up strong to the rim and converted on a layup. However, on her way down, Bone injured her right knee and was down on the court in pain. The refs obviously didn't notice as they allowed South Carolina a five-on-four possession at the other end of the court that ended with a Gamecocks' three-pointer which tied the game at 28.

That whole series seems like the perfect storm of bad events that would swing the game into South Carolina's favor, right? You would think so, but A&M was able to go on a 14-5 run which ultimately gave them the lead they needed to pull off the victory. Funny how things work sometimes. Bone went to the locker room after the injury, but came back out with a brace on and was in the game less than seven minutes after the incident. My guess is that she will be sore tonight, but I fully expect her to be back on the court against Tennessee tomorrow.

4. The A&M bench saved the game according to Gary Blair. Bellock and Bone both found themselves in foul trouble during the first half, and Blair was forced to give his bench significant minutes in a very important game. A&M held a 19-11 lead with 7:27 left in the half when Bone picked up her second (Bellock had already been on the bench with two fouls since the 9:11 mark of the half) and the Aggie reserves were able to hold off South Carolina and keep the lead going into the locker room.

If there was a sixth-man award for this game, it would go to Karla Gilbert for her play when Bone was injured. The junior center racked up six points and a steal during the stretch when Bone was out in the second half to lead the 14-5 A&M barrage that ultimately sealed the game.

5. Now that the Aggies have the Gamecocks behind them, it's time to look ahead to tomorrow's semifinal matchup with Tennessee. The Lady Vols defeated a scrappy Florida Gators squad in the first game of the day 82-73. A&M matched up with Tennessee in Knoxville eight days ago and lost 82-72, although the game was closer than the score indicated. In the post-game press conference, Gilbert and Bellock both agreed that the Aggies need to come out with much more energy than the last time the two teams played.

Both of them also stressed the need to "do what we do" and not let the Volunteers dictate the way the Aggies would play. The game should be a fun one to watch, and a win against Tennessee would go a long way to help A&M's seeding in the NCAA Tournament. That one tips at 3:00 CT tomorrow and will be broadcast on ESPNU.