NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Texas A&M women’s basketball team dropped an 88-79 decision in Sunday’s game against Vanderbilt at Memorial Gymnasium.
Aaliyah Patty paced the Aggies’ (6-13, 1-8 SEC) offense with a career-high 21 points. She made 9-of-10 from the field and added four rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a steal. Kay Kay Green recorded double-digits in the scoring column for the fourth-consecutive game with 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field, including 2-of-2 from 3-point range. Janiah Barker had nine points, nine rebounds, three assists, three blocks and a steal.
Texas A&M’s season-high 79 points was not enough to counter a school-record 41 points by Vanderbilt’s (10-12, 1-7 SEC) Ciaja Harbison who hit 14-of-19 from the field, including 2-of-4 from long range, and 11-of-13 from the foul line.
The Aggies started the game by hitting 5-of-7 from the field to build a 12-7 lead at the 4:24 mark of the first quarter. The Maroon & White allowed Vanderbilt to stay in striking distance with an 8-of-10 performance for the Commodores at the charity stripe in the period. Texas A&M took an 18-15 lead into the intermission paced by six points apiece by Sydney Bowles and Green.
After a second-quarter opening Vanderbilt bucket, the Aggies went on an 7-0 run, sparked by an old-fashioned 3-point play by Patty, to take a 25-17 lead. The Commodores’ Harbison responded with seven points in a span of :56 seconds to cut the gap to one point at the 6:10 mark and Vandy took its first lead of the game when Marnelle Garraud hit a 3-pointer with just under four minutes to play, 29-28. The Commodores eventually inflated the cushion to 36-28 and took a 40-32 advantage into the intermission.
Vanderbilt stretched the margin to 49-36 at the 7:27 mark of the third quarter and with mounting foul trouble, the Maroon & White were unable to gain traction. The Commodores led 72-56 at the final break.
The Aggies cut the lead to eight points on three different occasions in the fourth quarter but were unable to draw any closer down the stretch.
Up Next
Texas A&M continues road action Thursday when the Aggies travel to Gainesville, Florida, for a 5 p.m. contest against the Florida Gators.