Texas A&M
7-0
Duke
5-1
No. 7 Aggies Earn 63-59 Win Over No. 8 Duke
Nov 30, 2014 | Women's Basketball
COLLEGE STATION- The No. 7 Texas A&M women's basketball team rallied from a 15-point deficit to defeat No. 8 Duke 63-59 in front of 6,123 at Reed Arena on Sunday.
Facing a 45-30 deficit with 11:36 to play, the Aggies (7-0) responded with a 15-2 run over the next 3:08 of game time to close the deficit to two points. A&M tied the game at 49 with 6:42 to play off of a Courtney Walker jumper to tie the game for the first time since 14:52 of the first half.
Jada Terry hit a layup to put A&M up 57-55 with 3:59 to play, and following three defensive stops by the Aggies, Jordan Jones sank a jump shot with 2:19 to play to put Texas A&M up four points, putting the Aggies ahead for good.
A&M is now 7-0 for the first time since 2009-10 and for only the third time in school history. The Aggies are also 2-0 against ranked teams this season after beating No. 18 DePaul 76-68 on Nov. 14.
Duke (5-1) led at halftime 33-21 after shooting 41.9% from the field. Texas A&M led for just 6:08 of the game, but ended up victorious.
Courtney Williams was one of three Aggies in double figures, leading the way with a season-high 21 points. Courtney Walker with 19 points, reached double figures for the 20th straight game, dating back to last season. Jordan Jones had a standout performance, scoring 12 points with eight assists and seven rebounds.
The Aggies finish this five-game homestand with Elementary School Day against Northwestern State on Dec. 3 at 11 a.m. Coverage of the game is slated for SEC Network Plus, only on WatchESPN.
QUICKIE NOTES
- This is A&M's first 15+ point comeback since rallying from 16 down to beat Georgia on Feb. 13, 2014
- A&M notched its first 7-0 start since 2009-10 and is 7-0 for only the third time in school history
- Texas A&M is 2-0 against ranked teams this season
- This is A&M's 20th win over a Top 10 team
- A&M has won two straight games against No. 8, dating back to last season's 67-65 overtime win over South Carolina
- Courtney Williams had her first 20+ scoring game of the season and eighth of her career
- Williams reached double figures for the second straight game and 36th time in her career
- Courtney Walker scored in double figures for the 20th straight game, dating back to last season, and the 55th time in her career
- Jordan Jones scored in double figures for the fourth time this season and 12th time in her career
- This is the first time this season that the Aggies' trio of All-American juniors, Jordan Jones, Courtney Walker and Courtney Williams have all reached double figures in the same game
- The Aggies trailed by as many as 15 in the second half before a 15-2 run over 3:08 of game time brought the Aggies to within two at 47-45 with 8:15 remaining and then tied the game at 49 with 6:42 to play.
- Gary Blair is now 679-272 in his career, and 271-109 at Texas A&M
QUICKIE QUOTES
Duke Guard Rebecca Greenwall
On having the lead in the first half…
“I think in the first half we did a really good job on controlling the tempo. Once they started coming back and the crowd started getting into it we got a little wired up and I thought we just needed to maintain our composure. Overall, I just think we didn't come out the second half ready to go.”
Duke Head Coach Joanne P. McCallie
On shooting percentage first half...
”I think they did a nice job playing aggressive defensively. I think the game was extremely physical. So I think a lot more we let go in the second half.”
On the last four minutes of the game…
”I think the team did a good job on executing. Being patient on offense, trying to find thing, Kind if have to be a little crafty against their defense. If I recall, I think we got some good stops down the stretch, which matched some of the things we did offensively, that is what we needed in the second half that we didn't get”
Texas A&M Guard/Forward Courtney Williams
On changes in the second half…
“I think defense changed. I think we got more stops in the second half. Coach Starkey told us that they were playing harder than us on the offensive end and that our defense wasn't flying around like we usually do. We didn't have that many deflections. I think in the second half we got a lot of deflections in the passing lanes, we were pressuring the ball because they're big and we are quicker than them. So that probably bothered their offense when we got into their shorts and started playing with pressure on the ball.”
Texas A&M Guard Jordan Jones
On the Aggies' comeback...
“Just staying positive, encouraging each other one the bench, throughout timeouts, in the huddles. We knew that their strength was their size and our strength was our speed and athleticism. So the coaches just hopped on us to stay on their grill and pressure the basketball. They're going to make tough shots. Greenwall was shooting lights out. You have to give her the credit she shot the ball very well. Towards the end I felt like Jen Jones our strengthen and conditioning coach; you could tell that all the hard work she put in with us kicked in. Because we didn't become get tired parse. Coach Blair was able to rotate Curtyce Knox, Tori Scott, and Chelsea Jennings, people just coming off the bench making plays. And just continuing to pressure the basketball and get turnovers.”
Texas A&M Guard Courtney Walker
On the fan support…
“Absolutely we could feel it, when we were down we could feel them just waiting to explode as soon as the play would happen. They were just ready to go and I think that's what boosted our energy even more. Cause a lot of times you can have an energy play happen and the next one might not go your way. So they fact that they were still live kept us going to get a couple more. I think that really pulled us in the second half.”
Texas A&M Head Coach Gary Blair
Opening statement
"What's great about basketball is how a crowd can sense that they're part of the game. When the crowd was getting up they showed knowledge of basketball. To me, that's what it's about. We just played one of the basketball powers in the nation, in both the men and the women sides. This is what top ten basketball is all about. I'm proud of our fans. In the first half, when we got down 24-21. I had them back in a timeout and said 'unless you press them, unless you play fast and ugly, it'll be a slow death out there.' And that's what it was becoming. But when we got down 15, we started hitting the shots, we were picking into the zone
On Duke's Rebecca Greenwell...
”Her catch and shoot ability is what every little kid should learn how to do. That's the most untaught skill in basketball, is being able to catch and shoot like a Reggie Miller or some other great ones out there. Give her a lot of credit; she's going to be an All-American one day.”
