COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS (AP) – Chassidy Fussell scored 22 points and Ashley Gayle added 17 to help Texas beat No. 12/10 Texas A&M 76-71 on Wednesday night, ending a 11-game losing streak to the Aggies.
The Longhorns (11-4, 1-2 Big 12) were up 72-71 with 2:03 left when Cokie Reed missed a short jumper. She got the rebound and converted a layup to make it a three-point game.
After Adrienne Pratcher missed a jumper on the other end, Texas secured the victory – its first in the Big 12 this season.
Sydney Carter scored 25 points to lead the Aggies (10-4, 1-2). Tyra White contributed 19 points and seven rebounds, and Adaora Elonu added 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Texas senior Ashley Gayle, scored a career-high 17 points.
Texas A&M (10-4, 1-2), the defending national champions, lost at home to an unranked opponent for the first time since a setback to Nebraska in February 2005.
UT outscored A&M 40-24 in the paint, and 20-9 on the fast break.
The Aggies are set to join the Southeastern Conference next season, and Texas has said it’s not interested in playing A&M in any sport for the foreseeable future as nonconference opponents. The teams are scheduled to meet for a last time in Austin on March 4.
POSTGAME NOTES
TEAM NOTES
- For the second time this season, Texas A&M used the starting lineup of Alexia Standish, Sydney Carter, Tyra White, Adaora Elonu and Kelsey Bone… It marked the second career start for Standish, the 12th of Bone’s Aggie career, the 85th for White and 88th for Elonu.
- Texas A&M moves to 23-59 in the all-time series with Texas, but have still won 11 of the last 12 meetings between the two schools.
- Texas A&M moves to 4-3 on TV this season.
- The Aggies had a season-best 11 blocked shots against UT, which was the most since Jan. 22, 2011 at Iowa State.
- A&M dished out 18 assists, its second-most this season.
- The loss was the first at home against a non-ranked opponent since A&M fell 59-73 to Nebraska on Feb. 16, 2005.
- The crowd of 7,587 was sixth all-time in single game attendance for the A&M women.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- White has now started in 72 straight games, a streak that started on Jan. 4, 2010 against Lamar.
- White has scored double figures in 21 of her last 22 games.
- Elonu tallied her sixth career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
- Elonu tallied a career-high five blocked shots.
- As part of her career-high 25 points, Carter was a season-best 3-of-6 from beyond the arc.
- Standish had career bests with five assists, three rebounds and two steals.
- Karla Gilbert added a season-high three blocked shots.
POSTGAME QUOTES
A&M HEAD COACH GARY BLAIR
Opening statement
The farthest thing from my mind before the game was the streak. The streak is good for newspapers, but we have to learn how to continue to play well under pressure, particularly when we’re at home. When you get seniors to put it together like (Ashley) Gayle, (Ashleigh) Fontenette and (Yvonne) Anderson did today, they don’t want to go out losing to A&M all four years. Those kids had a lot of pride. We’ll learn from this and we’ll try to get better. We’re getting everyone’s bests, and there’s no use feeling sorry for us. We knew it coming in and it’s going to happen all year long. Are we going to make excuses or find the solutions? Texas flat outplayed us today.
On not being able to capitalize when Texas’ post players were in foul trouble
I thought the last 8 minutes of the first half were the key to the ball game. We had our bigs in there and they had their bigs on the bench with foul problems and we were not able to take charge of the ball game. I thought we were extremely lucky to only be down by four at the half. We missed some bunnies down there and we have to work on them.
On Texas’ guard play
They’ve got four guards to play three positions, give them credit. They’re in better shape, and four players can rotate in to play three positions, and I thought they did a great job doing it. (Yvonne) Anderson was the key in the ball game, even though she turned it over seven times, she did things right. That’s a coaches’ daughter.
On defensive performance tonight
You’d better ask Coach Schaefer on that one, it’s always something, but sometimes you have to give credit to offensive execution.
On not being able to take the lead tonight
I think that’s a lot of it, not having seniors step up. We might not have had the coach step up and call the right plays on offense too. It’s being able to make a play under pressure. Isn’t that what leaders are supposed to do under pressure? And that’s what we’re supposed to be. We’re a proud national champion, but that’s last year. We have to practice better.
On getting out hustled against Texas
This is our home, don’t ever get outplayed at home, and don’t be the last one on the floor for a loose ball. Don’t let them take the ball away from you in a tie ball situation. Our kids were trying the best they could, but they’re 18-22-year-olds. But did we play that bad or did Texas play that good? When we lost to Baylor three times last year, we had pride going into that last game and we found a way. We’re going to grow and become better because of this game.
What do you have to do to prepare for Iowa State?
Get smarter as a basketball team. This will be a game similar to K-State. I’ve got to get our kids to sit there and realize that every shot that’s taken outside can be a pass to you and work hard to get that rebound and put back.
SENIOR FORWARD ADAORA ELONU
On Texas’ play tonight
They were very physical and able to finish their shots. They ran high-low pretty well. Gayle, we weren’t expecting all of that, but she finished very well and played like a senior.
On Gayle’s performance
Normally in the past, she wasn’t as aggressive as she was, or the shots weren’t falling. It took us aback, but we need to be prepared for it either way. She played a good game, her shots were going in and that’s something we need to work on to limit.
On team’s mindset when Sydney Carter fouled out
That someone has to step up, not only the person who comes in for her, but us as a team to come together and fight through the last four minutes. It was up to us five to step up and play hard.
SENIOR GUARD SYDNEY CARTER
Do you take something from tonight after your offensive performance?
Yeah definitely, it’s just nice to provide for my team in crucial moments. They needed me out there, but it’s a losing effort. It’s not good enough. I have to find a way to get my teammates involved as well and make sure I’m staying as aggressive as I did on the offensive side tonight.
What was different about Texas tonight to end the streak
I think they were hungry tonight and I think they’ve used those last 11 that they’ve lost as motivation and they came in here with nothing to lose and they played to win, no not to lose.’ Give them credit, they played very well tonight. This is a learning process tonight. We’ll get in the practice court tomorrow, work on the holes we have in some areas and we’ll try to get better every day. That’s all we can do.
On fouling out
I think it was a lot of the emotion. I was trying to get a stop for my team, but I just have to be smarter. That comes back to me as a player and knowing that the team needs me with four minutes left in the game. I just have to be better.
On what the team needs to do to prepare for Iowa State
I think it’s important for us to not get down. We’ve never been in this position, but it’s all about how we respond. I just have to let my team know that it’s tough to play at Iowa State, but it’s not impossible to win there. We have to respond positively to this and keep growing and keep learning and making sure we don’t let games slip out of our hands like we did today.
TEXAS HEAD COACH GAIL GOESTENKORS
Opening statement
Some people say wow, you go the monkey off of your back, no it was a gorilla, it had grown over the years. A&M is a great team and Sydney Carter put on a show. But we stood together; we made the plays we needed to make on the offensive and defensive ends. Some teams, when they lose a couple of games, they get down, but this team has time and time again shown resiliency.
On Carter fouling out of the game
When Carter fouled out, it was huge. We were having trouble defending Sydney. I thought Chelsea (Bass) probably had done the best job against her, she had done a nice job, but overall we kept switching defenders to find someone who could stop her because she was in the zone. When she picked up that fifth foul, she was their go-to player.
TEXAS SENIOR CENTER ASHLEY GAYLE
On what motivated her tonight
I just didn’t want to lose. I know as a team we put in a lot of work the past couple days and the past few months, and it’s one of the big goals to not only win Big 12, but beat A&M, with that in mind, everyone was in attack mode.
On what influenced her play tonight
I mean, there were a lot of different aspects that go into this thing. The fact that they’re defending champions and this being the last matchup at A&M- with that in mind, it made everyone more focused.