No. 17 Women Dominate No. 11 Missouri On Senior Night, 82-63

Sunday, February 25

College Station

3 p.m.

Texas A&M

22-8, 11-5SEC

Missouri

23-6, 11-5SEC

Missouri

Texas A&M

Photo by: Thomas Campbell/Texas A&M Athletics

Feb 25, 2018 | Women's Basketball

Box Score Box (PDF)Highlights

COLLEGE STATION- The No. 17 Texas A&M women's basketball team dominated No. 11 Missouri, picking up a 82-63 win on Senior Day, Sunday at Reed Arena.

The Aggies (22-8, 11-5 SEC) went on a 20-3 run in the second quarter to take a commanding 43-25 lead at the break, cruising to their second ranked win of the season, and largest win over a ranked SEC opponent in school history.

Anriel Howard became Texas A&M's leading rebounder in the game, breaking the career record with 923, and tying the single-season record with 360. She had 16 points and 10 rebounds in the game, extending her A&M record with her 30^th career double-double.

Chennedy Carter led the Aggies with 23 points, giving her 20+ points in 13 of the 16 SEC games this season. Danni Williams scored 20 points, going 7-of-9 from the field.

Khaalia Hillsman had 11 points off of 5-of-6 shooting in her final regular season home game. Jasmine Lumpkin added nine points and eight rebounds in her Senior Day game.

Missouri (23-6, 11-5 SEC) was led by Sophie Cunnigham, who had 19 points before fouling out.

The Aggies have earned the No. 5 seed in the upcoming Southeastern Conference Tournament, which begins Wednesday at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena. The Aggies open the tournament with the winner of the No. 12 Vanderbilt vs. No. 13 Arkansas game at approximately 2 p.m. on Thursday, March 1.

NOTES
Texas A&M

Texas A&M improves to 22-8 on the season and 11-5 in SEC play, tied for fourth in the conference. Missouri falls to 23-6 on the season and 11-5 in SEC play.
The Aggies are now 53-5 when leading after three quarters since the 2015-16 season
Texas A&M finishes the regular season 15-3 at home and is 69-13 at home since the 2013-14 season
Texas A&M is 2-5 against ranked teams this season
Texas A&M head coach Gary Blair is 353-149 in 15 seasons at Texas A&M and 761-312 in his Hall of Fame career. He ranks eighth among active coaches in career wins

Anriel Howard

Broke the Texas A&M career rebounding record, previously held by Prissy Sharpe (1996-00, 920 rebounds) with 923 career rebounds
Tied the 39-year old Texas A&M single-season rebounding record with 360, held by Peggy Pope with 360 in 1978-79
Extended her Texas A&M record with her 30^th career double double. It is her 17^th double double of the season
Scored 10+ points for the 19^th time this season and the 39^th time in her career
Had 10+ rebounds for the 26^th time this season and the 54^th time in her career

Khaalia Hillsman

Scored 10+ points for the 22^nd time this season and the 66^th time in her career
Moves past Danielle Adams (2009-11, 1386 points) into 10^th on Texas A&M's career points list with 1,396

Danni Williams

Scored 20+ points for the seventh time this season and 16^th time in her career
Scored 10+ points for the 24^th time in 30 games this season and the 55^th time in her career

Chennedy Carter

Scroed 20+ points for the 19^th time this season and the 13^th time in 16 SEC games.
Scored 10+ points for the 29^th time in 30 games this season

QUOTES

Texas A&M Head Coach Gary Blair
Opening Statement…
"We played very well. The second quarter, Coach Starkey had the defense just humming out there. We were in the passing lanes getting some steals and limiting them. A couple of their three's that they were missing early, they were getting long rebounds, so that's what's misleading on the rebounding stat. They're one of the few teams that's out-rebounded us all year, and a lot of that was because we weren't missing. When you shoot 55 percent, 45 and 89, there wasn't a whole lot of offensive rebounds to get. I thought we were running our sets very well and we were being very patient. A couple of times I had to settle down Chennedy [Carter] to go the correct way. I know what's going to be open, and a lot of times she knows what she sees to create her shot. It's all a learning process. Danni [Williams] came out hot and we found her. That's Chennedy's job: find the hot player early and get it to her. [Jasmine] Lumpkin amazes me. She fills a role. I wanted her to get a double-double at the end, but on Senior Day she was good in the first. They were using two girls to guard [Khaalia] Hillsman like they were last year at the tournament, so we've got other kids who can score and we took advantage of that. Our transition game was very good. Eight fastbreak points to zero, and we probably threw away four of our turnover passes off of a transition if we just made the wrong pass. We would have loved to have gotten the fourth seed to be the double-bye, but it doesn't matter. We want to be the fourth seed, and to do that we need at least two wins in the tournament."

On defense today…
"I don't know why [we played so well on defense today.] I think Missouri was a little sloppy on some of their passes, and we were in the passing lanes and staying in front. When it was 11-11 early, they were running their offense well, made a three and had four other easy shots. I was really worried, but then Starkey adjusted something and we never had to go to straight man. We were able to stay in the matchup, keep people in front of us, and then they missed shots in the second quarter they normally hit. It wasn't until the last quarter they started hitting some shots. Defense needs to be a constant. Offense comes and goes, but defense, you should be able to play. It takes communication skills. A couple of times we made mistakes because kids were not talking. Anriel [Howard] ran into a couple of kids and got lost on three or so, and that's just something we've got to do better."

Texas A&M Senior Center Khaalia Hillsman
On what was different about today…
"Our guards did a really incredible job making shots today. Jasmine and Lulu came out there and did their job. Danni [Williams], Chennedy [Carter], and Anriel [Howard] were all on fire too. So I will take a 20 point win if I don't have to touch the ball just as long as we win. That is all I care about."

On Senior Day…
"We have not won a Senior Day since I have been here so I was really looking forward to going out against a really good team. We didn't play one of the bottom conference teams; we played top-notch Mizzou at number 11 in the country. I will give them a lot of props, they are a great team. It honestly felt so good being able to play my last game at home and go out with a win with my teammates. It just means a lot to me that came out and played that hard for us. It was awesome to just go out there and have fun and play free and the 12th Man was outstanding today."

Texas A&M Senior Forward/ Guard Jasmine Lumpkin
On how they were able to limit Sophie Cunningham's touches…
"That was our main focus going into this game. We would always be calling out were Cunningham was at. So I think it was just us being focused, knowing where she was at on the floor, and trying to take her out of her rhythm which is what we did early. That really helped with our defensive game plan and what we wanted to do."

On Senior Day…
"It was great. We came out there with the 1-2 punch with a bang and a spark. It was fun. We were out there having fun and that is what it is all about in the end. We got the job done and dominated on both sides of the court. I was just happy that I was able to win on my senior night game with my team and go to war with them."

Texas A&M Senior Guard Lulu McKinney
On playing last home game today…
"The atmosphere was really nice. We had a lot of people coming out today to support us which was good because we needed this win against Mizzou. It was awesome you know being able for me to play at home in front of my family one last time."

Missouri Head Coach Robin Pingeton
Opening statement…
"What a great environment for your team. Gary is obviously a phenomenal coach. Him and his staff do an amazing job. They have got a great team and I felt like out of the gates we competed well. I thought that second quarter we let our offense dictate our defense. We cannot afford to give a team like Texas A&M runouts and that really broke it open for them. I was proud of the way that we came out of the locker room in the second half and competed. It was just that second quarter and you cannot have quarters like that against some of the best of the best in SEC."

On what was different about A&M from any other school they have played…
"I think you absolutely have to give them credit. They have got some great athletes and anticipate well. They are able to apply pressure without really fouling. What is seemed to be a little of a match-up zone was when we got stagnant in we didn't have enough movement to force the match up. So we got on our heels a little bit. I think that our players felt they were rushed shots. However, you have to give A&M credit, I think they have always been a good defensive team. I thought that early on they made it hard on Sophia and I just seemed like there was a lot of attention around her. She is such a big part of what we do. I think part of is we just had a lot of bad turnovers. Give Texas A&M a lot of credit. Gary has a great team and I think that is a team that can go far in the tournament."