STARKVILLE, Miss. – The Texas A&M women’s basketball team dropped its matchup versus Mississippi State, 78-58, Sunday evening at Humphrey Coliseum.
Kayla Wells led the Aggies with 17 points as she broke Karla Gilbert’s program record of games played, notching the 144th game of her career for the Maroon & White.
The early going was won by the Bulldogs, but once Destiny Pitts checked in, she knocked down two quick 3-pointers to give the Aggies a 10-9 lead with 3:36 remaining in the first. Mississippi State would go on an 8-2 run to close the quarter, giving it a 17-12 advantage after one.
The Aggies were step for step with the Bulldogs as the second quarter progressed, but Mississippi State got hot, putting together a 20-6 run to end the half. State went 9-of-11 from the field in the second period and drained four 3-pointers. The Bulldogs boasted a 41-23 lead heading into the break.
The Maroon & White turned up the heat after the returning from the locker room. The Aggies pushed the Bulldogs with a full-court press that sped up the Mississippi State offense and created four turnovers. Wells came up huge on the other end, scoring eight points in the third period, and led an offense that shot 53.8% from the field. A&M won the quarter, 22-17, and were behind 58-45 as the fourth quarter began.
Ultimately, the first half deficit was too much to overcome for the Aggies. The Bulldogs went 9-of-14 from the 3-point line during the course of the game and won, 78-58.
Up Next
The Texas A&M women’s basketball team will return home to play Arkansas at 8 p.m. CT inside Reed Arena on Thursday, Feb. 3.
POSTGAME NOTES
RECORDS & SERIES NOTES
- Texas A&M falls to 11-9 overall this season and 1-7 in conference play.
- The Maroon & White is now 8-6 all-time versus Mississippi State and have lost five straight in Starkville.
TEAM NOTES
- The Aggies won the rebounding battle, 28-27. The Maroon & White has now won the battle on the glass in 13 ball games this year (11-2).
- Texas A&M utilized a starting lineup of Jordan Nixon, Qadashah Hoppie, Sahara Jones, Aaliyah Patty and Sydnee Roby for the first time this season (0-1).
- Head coach Gary Blair and his staff have used 11 different starting lineups this season.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- Kayla Wells broke Karla Gilbert’s program record of 143 games played when she checked in at the 5:36 mark in the first quarter. The Aggie has now played in 144 ballgames for the Maroon & White.
- Wells has scored in double digits every game this year, after scoring 17 points against the Bulldogs. She has now scored 10-or-more points in 84 games throughout her career.
- The Dallas native passed Lisa Langston (1,615) for sixth all-time on the A&M scoring list. Wells has now scored 1,631 points during her career.
- Sydnee Roby swatted away three shots against the Bulldogs. The Milwaukee, Wisconsin, native has recorded three-or-more blocks in three games this season.
- Sahara Jones made the second start of her career.
- Women’s Basketball Hall-of-Famer Gary Blair falls to 849-342 in his career with a 441-179 record at Texas A&M.