Sweet 16 Bound: Aggies Survive Arkansas, 61-59
COLLEGE STATION, Texas
(AP) — With top scorer Tyra White taking just two shots and
second-leading scorer Kelsey Bone missing most of the ones she tried,
Texas A&M needed someone else to step up. Adaora Elonu was up
for the challenge, tying a career high with 23 points as the Aggies
fought off scrappy Arkansas for a 61-59 win in the second round of the
NCAA tournament Monday night.
And with the game on the line with
23 seconds remaining, A&M's best free throw shooter, Sydney Carter,
hit the go-ahead foul shots.
The sixth-seeded Razorbacks (24-9)
had another chance after Carter's free throws, but Quistelle Williams
missed a short jumper. White was fouled on the rebound and made one of
two free throws for the final margin.
The victory put the
third-seeded Aggies (24-10) in the round of 16 for the fourth time in
five years. The defending national champions will play No. 2 seed
Maryland in the semifinals of the Raleigh Regional.
Texas
A&M coach Gary Blair got the best of former assistant and current
Arkansas coach Tom Collen in Blair's first meeting with the Razorbacks
since he left the school for A&M in 2003.
A jumper by
Lyndsay Harris as the shot clock expired gave the Razorbacks their
first lead of the second half, 59-58. Both teams missed layups on their
next possession before Carter's free throws.
Elonu was the only
Aggies player to score in double figures. Bone had eight points on
3-of-12 shooting, but led the team with 10 rebounds.
White, who
led A&M with 18 points in a 69-47 win over Albany on Saturday, had
just three points and eight turnovers in this one.
A pair of free throws by Ashley Daniels with 2:20 remaining cut A&M's lead to 58-57 before the shot by Harris.
The
Razorbacks were led by Williams, who had 14 points. Williams didn't
start, but also paced Arkansas in its first NCAA tournament game
Saturday.
The Aggies led for most of the second half, but
Arkansas used a 16-6 run to get within 55-53 with 3 1/2 minutes
remaining. C'eira Ricketts powered the spurt with eight points and
Harris started and ended it with 3-pointers.
Harris finished with 13 points, and Ricketts and Sarah Watkins had 10 apiece.
Blair coached Arkansas from 1993 until he was hired by A&M in 2003. Collen worked for him from 1993-97.
This
was the first meeting between these teams since 1991 and a preview of
next season, when Texas A&M leaves the Big 12 to join the
Razorbacks in the Southeastern Conference.
Entering the game, the Aggies had just two wins in 22 meetings with the Razorbacks, with both of them coming in 1988.
The
Razorbacks used a 6-0 run that included four points from Williams to
shave a 13-point A&M lead to 44-37 midway through the second half.
The Aggies responded by scoring six straight points, aided by a pair of
Arkansas turnovers, to stretch the lead to 49-37.
Texas A&M
opened the second half with a 9-2 run, led by six points from Elonu, to
extend its lead to 36-22 with 17 minutes left. Arkansas scored five
straight points after that to cut the lead to 36-27.
The Aggies
led by nine early in the first half before Arkansas used an 11-2 run to
take a 17-15 lead about seven minutes before halftime. Texas A&M
got back on track after that and led 27-20 at the break.
POSTGAME NOTES TEAM NOTES •
For the 17th time this season, Texas A&M used the starting lineup
of Alexia Standish, Sydney Carter, Tyra White, Adaora Elonu and Kelsey
Bone…The Aggies are 12-5 with this starting lineup. • Texas A&M improves to 3-20 in the all-time series with Arkansas. •
The Aggies improves to 17-7 all-time in NCAA postseason play in their
ninth all-time appearance. In addition, they have won eight straight
NCAA Tournament games. • A&M is 5-2 all-time in the NCAA Second Round and is 2-1 all-time against a No. 6 seed. • The Aggies are 10-6 on national TV this season. • The Aggies are 20-2 when leading at the half. • Texas A&M head coach Gary Blair is now 15-5 at A&M and 29-16 in his career in NCAA Tournament games. • Texas A&M shot a season-best 85 percent from the foul stripe (when attempting 20 more) as they made 17 of 20 attempts. • In the first half, A&M shot 46 percent from the floor and held Albany to just 32 percent. • With two blocked shots, Elonu moved into the eighth place on the all-time list with 86 blocks. •
With an NCAA Tournament career-best six assists, Adrienne Pratcher
passed over 100 assists this season for the first time in her career. • Elonu scored in double figures for the 22nd time this season and her 23 points were also an NCAA Tournament best. • Skylar Collins added an NCAA Tournament career-best 8 points and three rebounds in just 8 minutes of action. • Elonu set an A&M record for most games played in a career with her 140th contest today. • Blair heads to his ninth Sweet Sixteen appearance and 29th NCAA Tournament game in his head coaching career.
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