COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) – Danielle Adams leads No. 5 Texas A&M in scoring, but it’s Sydney Colson that keeps the Aggies’ offense rolling.
Adams had 23 points and eight rebounds and Colson had a career-high 15 assists as Texas A&M coasted to an 84-49 win over Nebraska on Saturday night.
The victory gets the Aggies back on track entering next week’s Big 12 tournament after losing at Kansas State on Wednesday.
The Aggies (25-4, 13-3) were up by a bucket early in the second half before scoring 14 straight points to extend their lead to 49-33 with about 16 minutes left. Adams and Sydney Carter both hit 3-pointers in that span. Then Colson brought the crowd to its feet with a behind the back pass to Adaora Elonu, who finished with a layup to cap the run.
“Colson really controlled the game, especially in the second half, and we just couldn’t keep up with her,” Nebraska coach Connie Yori said. “In the second half their athleticism just outran us and Colson was the leader of that.”The Cornhuskers were frazzled by Texas A&M’s full-court press and committed four turnovers and went almost 4 minutes without a basket.
Colson’s 15 assists are the most ever against Nebraska and rank fourth all-time in Texas A&M history.
“She’s a magician when she’s at full throttle and not getting into foul trouble,” Texas A&M coach Gary Blair said.
Colson, a senior, beamed when asked about finishing with a career best in assists after the game.
“That’s awesome,” she said. “I owe it all to them. They were knocking down the shots. I had the easy job just to find them.”
Carter had 14 points and tied a career best with four 3-pointers, and Elonu chipped in 14 points.
Freshman Jordan Hooper scored 16 points for Nebraska (13-17, 3-13), which has lost nine of its last 10.
Nebraska had 18 turnovers, which Texas A&M converted into 30 points, and the Aggies outrebounded the Cornhuskers 44-29.
The Huskers couldn’t recover after A&M’s big run at the beginning of the second half and the Aggies continued to build on their lead. They were up by 18 points before a 12-0 spurt extended their advantage to 69-39 with 9 minutes remaining. Reserve Adrienne Pratcher scored seven points in that run.
Adams, a senior playing in her final home game, left with about 4 minutes remaining to a standing ovation and stopped to hug Blair on her way to the bench.
Lindsey Moore added 13 points and 10 assists for Nebraska, but also had 11 turnovers.
“In the second half they seemed to sag off a little bit making those passes tougher to make,” she said. “They did a good job in the passing lanes and making things difficult for me.”
Adams, the Big 12’s leading scorer, started off strong, scoring eight of Texas A&M’s first 12 points thanks to a pair of 3-pointers. She cooled down after that and scored just two more points the rest of the half. She finished with three 3-pointers.
“She’s got to be one of the most versatile players in the country,” Yori said. “She leads the Big 12 in scoring for a reason.”
The Aggies led by three points before an 8-2 spurt, capped by a 3-pointer by Catheryn Redmon, put the Cornhuskers on top 22-19 midway through the first half.
Texas A&M regained the lead with a 10-2 run that made it 29-24 about 6 minutes before halftime and the Aggies led 35-31 at the break.