News release from Texas A&M Athletics:
The Texas A&M women’s basketball team never trailed in Thursday evening’s 82-74 victory over the No. 21 Tennessee Lady Vols inside Food City Center.
The Aggies shot 33-of-59 (55.9%) from the field and 11-of-19 (57.9%) from 3-point range as they posted their first ranked road win since January 10, 2021, when they topped then-No. 13 Arkansas.
Texas A&M (11-11, 4-9 SEC) had two players record double-doubles for the second consecutive game. Ny’Ceara Pryor scored 22 points, on 9-of-16 (56.3%) shooting from the field, with 10 assists and five steals. Fatmata Janneh scored 17 points, hitting on 7-of-9 (77.8%) from the floor, including 2-of-3 (66.7%) from bonus land. Lemyah Hylton had her highest scoring output in an SEC game with 12 points.
Despite leading for the final 39:45 of the contest, the advantage was precarious in the final minutes. A 19-4 run by the Lady Vols shaved Texas A&M’s edge to 76-74 with 2:07 on the clock. The Aggies did not waver as Janneh drove in for a layup 25 second later. After Tennessee (16-8, 8-4 SEC) had a turnover and missed 3-pointer on its next two trips down the court, Hylton sank an insurance trey from the right corner after Pryor collapsed the defense and recorded her 10th assist with 29 second remaining, ballooning the margin to 81-74.
The Aggies started the game with their strongest offensive first quarter of the season. The Maroon & White led 31-23 at the first break, shooting 12-of-15 (80.0%) from the field, including 4-of-5 (80.0%) from 3-point range. It marked the squad’s best quarter shooting performance in a conference game since 2018 when the team dropped in 9-of-11 (81.8%) in the second period against Auburn.
Texas A&M made four straight shots to open the game on a 10-0 run and later made eight consecutive field goals to open a 30-21 gap with 41 seconds remaining in the opening act. Pryor scored 13 points with three steals and two assists in the first period. Janneh added seven points and five rebounds.
Though the shooting cooled off for the Aggies in the second quarter, the Maroon & White nursed a 47-42 advantage into halftime. Texas A&M inflated its cushion to 39-26 at the 7:28 mark with Hylton sandwiching a layup and a 3-pointer around a Janneh bucket from triple town. The Lady Vols responded with a 16-6 surge, cutting the deficit to 45-42 with 38 second on the clock, the first time Tennessee was within one possession since the opening minute of the game.
Texas A&M did its damage with the defense in the third quarter, outscoring Tennessee 22-9. The Aggies’ smothering presence stymied the Lady Vols as they managed to hit just 3-of-15 (20.0%) from the field, including 0-of-7 from beyond the arc. The Maroon & White went on a 14-0 surge over a span of 4:27, staking claim to a 63-44 lead at the 3:51 mark. Tennessee missed 10 straight field goals during Texas A&M’s charge. The Aggies went into the final intermission ahead 69-51.
The Aggies return to the court for senior day at Reed Arena Sunday, Feb.22 against Arkansas at 2 p.m.