BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The Texas A&M women’s basketball team maximized its rebounding and turnover advantages as the Aggies coasted to a 73-49 victory over the Army West Point Black Knights Sunday afternoon inside Reed Arena.
Texas A&M dominated points off turnovers (26-5) and second-chance points (24-4) as it improved to 2-0 on the season. The Aggies’ defense recorded 11 steals as Army (1-2) was on the wrong side of the turnover column, 23-13. The Maroon & White ruled the glass, owning a 53-32 edge in rebounds, including 28-8 on the offensive end.
Freshman forward Janiah Barker scored in double-figures for the first time in her career with a game-high 17 points on 8-of-18 shooting from the field. She added seven rebounds along with two steals. Junior guard Sahara Jones recorded the first double-double of her career with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Senior center Sydnee Roby chipped in 10 points and nine rebounds off the bench, while fifth-year senior forward Aaliyah Patty chalked up eight points and nine rebounds.
Texas A&M scored the first five points of the game, but tepid shooting prevented the Aggies from extending the lead past seven points in the first quarter. The Maroon & White played stifling defense with five steals to keep the Black Knights at bay and sophomore guard Tineya Hylton sank a 3-pointer with 47 seconds remaining to give A&M a 15-8 edge as the opening period ended.
The Maroon & White pounded boards in the second quarter to stretch the scoring margin to 35-16. The Aggies owned a 16-5 edge in rebounds in the period, including five by Jones. Barker ended the first half with 12 points and five rebounds.
The Aggies kept their turnovers down in the first half with three and A&M held a 14-0 edge in points off turnovers at the intermission.
Texas A&M shot 58.8% (10-of-17) from the field in the third quarter to extinguish any hopes of an Army comeback. Paced by Roby’s six points and four rebounds, the Aggies outscored the Black Knights 25-16 and headed into the homestretch with a 60-32 advantage.
Up Next
Texas A&M travel to Duke Nov. 17 at 6 p.m. for its first road test of the season.
POSTGAME NOTES
RECORDS & SERIES NOTES
Texas A&M advances to 2-0 in the 2022-23 regular season.
The Aggies are now 1-0 all-time against the Black Knights.
TEAM NOTES
Texas A&M favored in points off turnovers, 26-5, dominating its opponent by at least 20 in the category for the second-consecutive game.
The Maroon & White out-rebounded the Black Knights, 53-32, and leading 28-8 in offensive rebounds.
The Aggies outrebounded their opponent by 20+ for the first time since accomplishing the feat versus Southern Nov. 11, 2021.
A&M led 24-4 in second-chance points, dominating 18-2 in the first half alone.
The Maroon & White registered 11 steals and controlled turnovers, 23-13.
The Aggies held Army to 49 points, the second time this season they kept their opponent from scoring 50 points-or-more.
The Aggies held the Black Knights to single-digits in the first and second quarters, marking the first time A&M has held its opponent under 10 in back-to-back quarters since Nov. 11, 2021 against Southern.
Texas A&M utilized a starting lineup of Sydney Bowles, Janiah Barker, McKinzie Green, Sahara Jones and Aaliyah Patty for the second time this season (2-0).
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
Sahara Jones registered the first double-double of her career, scoring 11 points and bringing down a career-high 11 rebounds, surpassing her previous best of eight against UTSA last season on Dec. 20, 2021.
Sydnee Roby posted season-highs in points (10) and rebounds (9), leading the bench effort.
Tineya Hylton came in off the pine and dished five assists for the second-straight game.
Janiah Barker led the Aggies as the top scorer, putting up a career-high 17 points.
Joni Taylor advances her career record to 142-75 all-time and to 2-0 in her first season with the Aggies.
Postgame Quotes
Head Coach Joni Taylor
On today’s performance…
“If we would’ve made free throws and layups, the first quarter would’ve looked different. I think it was 15-8 after the first quarter and it should’ve been 24-8. We have to make free throws. Those are points we’re leaving on the table and they come in handy. I think we continue to be aggressive; we continue to push the pace and we continue to just wear them down. Army is a really good team but we have more depth so we tried to see if we could wear them down so as the game went on, we tried to keep our tempo at a fast pace.”
On how the defense looked …
“We did pretty good. Now the third and fourth quarters, I wasn’t very happy. We gave up 16 and 17, respectively, in those two quarters after only giving up eight in the first and second. Credit to Army, they kept plugging away and pushing the tempo while crashing the offensive glass. But overall, I’m really pleased with what we’re doing, we’re starting to understand how our defense can create offense for us and also create extra possessions. As we continue to learn that and get better at it, I expect it to continue to grow.”
Freshman Forward Janiah Barker
On the team’s improvement from Thursday’s game…
“I’m super proud of the way we listened today. In the huddle, Coach Taylor kept supporting and encouraging us. We were executing and doing what we were told, and when we listened it looked right. Our team is finally starting to click, and as we continue to play games we’re going to keep looking better.”
On her bounce-back performance…
“Last game I struggled a little bit, but it felt good to go out there and do what I needed to do. My teammates and coaches keep putting the ball in my hands, believing that I’ll make the next shot. I really want to thank them for that.”
Junior Forward Sahara Jones
On the team’s chemistry…
“We believe in our plays, and we have trust in our teammates to have our backs and get the job done. We see improvement in ourselves during practice, so we want to go duplicate that in the game. Right now, it’s looking good for us as we continue to put that improvement together.”
Story by Brandon Collins, Athletics Communications