HOUSTON (AP)—Danielle Adams had 26 points and 10 rebounds, and No. 8 Texas A&M rode a fast start to an 80-40 victory over Rice on Saturday night.
Tyra White scored 16 points, Sydney Carter had nine points, seven assists and four steals and the Aggies (2-0) outrebounded the smaller Owls 54-27. A&M also harassed Rice with smothering full-court defense and forced 24 turnovers.
D’Frantz Smart scored 10 points on 4-for-15 shooting to lead the Owls (2-3), who went 12 for 45 from the field (27 percent), and mustered only 19 points in the second half.
The Aggies took immediate control, opening the game with a 15-0 run. The Owls missed their first five shots and had seven turnovers in the first seven minutes.
Smart ended Rice’s early drought with a 3-pointer with 12:59 left in the half. The 6-foot-1 Adams answered with another basket inside to make it 17-3.
Adams scored 13 of A&M’s first 22 points and had six rebounds in the first nine minutes. She pulled down another Owls’ miss near the 11-minute mark and threw a perfect pass to White for an easy layup and a 24-5 lead.
Adams went to the bench for a rest with 10:57 left in the half, but A&M’s defense kept control, forcing the Owls into wild shots and sloppy turnovers.
A&M led 33-14 when Adams returned with 4:20 left before the break. Rice played better offensively in the closing minutes of the half, but Adrienne Pratcher just beat the buzzer with a 3-pointer to put A&M up 38-21.
The Owls shot 31.8 percent in the first half (7-for-22) and were outrebounded 24-14.
The Aggies opened the second half almost like they started the game, with a 14-0 spurt fueled by Rice turnovers and more missed shots. White scored twice inside to stretch the lead past 20 points for the first time, and Carter’s free throw with 16:08 left made it 52-21.
Jessica Kuster’s short-range jumper with 15:52 remaining was the Owls’ only field goal through the first seven minutes of the second half. Smart drove into the lane for a basket with 12:59 left, but Kristen Grant hit a shot from the baseline on A&M’s next possession to put the Aggies up 60-25.
A&M coach Gary Blair took out his starters near the 8-minute mark, with the Aggies leading 67-31. The margin swelled to 40 points by the 4-minute mark, as A&M’s backups continued to swarm the Owls and generate turnovers.
The Aggies will play Liberty on Monday night before flying to Cancun to play in a tournament over the Thanksgiving weekend.