Late Rally Lifts Aggie Women Past Georgia on the Road

ATHENS, Ga. – The No. 16 Texas A&M women’s basketball team used a strong second half effort to propel itself to a 64-47 victory over Georgia at Stegeman Coliseum Thursday night. After a tight first half that saw A&M battling foul trouble, the Aggies began to pull away in the third quarter and sealed the win with a lengthy run in the fourth. Junior forward N’dea Jones led the way with 13 points and 20 rebounds.

The Aggies (21-5, 9-4 SEC) used a dominant second half to seal the road victory. A&M outscored the Lady Bulldogs (14-12, 5-8 SEC) 41-23 in the third and fourth quarters, with Cierra Johnson and Jones owning the paint for the Maroon and White. The duo combined for 29 points and 25 rebounds, overpowering Georgia on the inside.

Jones’ double-double on Thursday night was the 25th of her career, and moved her into sole possession of second in Texas A&M history, and Johnson led the Aggies with 16 points of her own.

A&M scored the first bucket of the game, but would not lead again in the first quarter as the Bulldogs eventually held a slight, 13-11 lead through the first period of play.

Georgia had an answer for everything the Aggies did in the second quarter, but junior guard Kayla Wells knocked down a three with 47 seconds remaining in the half to get her team within one at the break, 24-23. A&M was without Johnson and junior guard Chennedy Carter for much of the first half as they each picked up two fouls.

The Aggies came out of the locker room ready to fight, regaining their early lead with an 8-2 run to start the second half. Play remained close until A&M strung together a 10-2 rally, going up by two possessions, 43-37, by the end of the third quarter.

Georgia knocked down a three to start the fourth quarter, but the momentum never shifted as the Aggies scored nine unanswered points to go up double figures, and force the Bulldogs to call a timeout with 6:20 to play. A&M did not let Georgia get closer than 14 points the rest of the way as it held on for victory.

TEAM NOTES

  • The Aggies scored 29 points off of 20 Georgia turnovers in the victory.
  • A&M forced its opponent to shoot below 40-percent for the 15th time this season as the Bulldogs shot just 37.7-percent from the floor.
  • The Aggies matched their season high with 13 steals in the game.
  • A&M used a starting lineup of Shambria WashingtonChennedy CarterKayla WellsN’dea Jones and Ciera Johnson for the 19th time this season.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

  • Junior forward Ciera Johnson scored 12 of her 16 points in the second half, reaching double figures in scoring for the 20th time this season.
  • Junior forward N’dea Jones recorded her 15th double-double of the season with 13 points and 20 boards.
  • This was the first time this season and third time in her career that she has brought down 20-plus rebounds.
  • Junior guard Chennedy Carter extended her double-digit scoring streak to 58 games, as she scored 12 points in the win.
  • Junior guard Kayla Wells added 15 points for A&M to score in double figures for the ninth time in the last 10 games.

UP NEXT
Texas A&M returns to Reed Arena on Sunday, Feb. 23 to host Auburn on Senior Day. Tip is set for 3 p.m.

Story courtesy of Texas A&M Athletics

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