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No. 8 Women’s Hoops Visits No. 13 Arkansas in SEC Bout

For the first time in the 2020-21 campaign, Texas A&M finds itself atop the SEC Standings with an unblemished 11-0 record and 2-0 mark in conference play
Credit: KAGS-TV/Lia Musgrave

COLLEGE STATION, Texas — No. 8 Texas A&M women’s basketball embarks on the first half of a two-game road trip on Sunday, as the Aggies look take on the No. 13 Arkansas Razorbacks in a 3 p.m. tip from Bud Walton Arena.

 

Fans in the Brazos Valley are invited to tune into the live radio broadcast of the game on Sports Radio 1150 The Zone/93.7 FM with Tom Turbiville and Steve Miller on the call. The game is slated to be aired to a nationwide television audience on SEC Network, with authenticated subscribers able to access the live simulcast from around the world on the ESPN app.

 

For the first time in the 2020-21 campaign, Texas A&M finds itself atop the SEC Standings with an unblemished 11-0 record and 2-0 mark in conference play following a dominant 77-60 win over the No. 10 Kentucky Wildcats. The Aggies now stand as the only remaining unbeaten team in the Southeastern Conference, and one of only five programs in the Associated Press top-10 without a loss. A&M also leads all NCAA Division I programs in wins this season, while maintaining the third-longest active win streak in women’s college basketball. The Maroon & White’s 11-0 start is tied for the second longest win streak in program history, which is set at 12 games. This was last achieved by the 2010-11 Texas A&M National Championship team.

 

A&M’s statement win over the Wildcats featured a myriad of historic performances, highlighted by N’dea Jones’ 33rd career double-double (12 points, 12 rebounds), tying former Texas A&M center Khaalia Hillsman for the program record in the category. Jones, a selection to the John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 Watch List, has recorded seven double-doubles this season and currently averages 13.2 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. The Lawrenceville, Georgia, native also tied Hillsman for the No. 5 spot on the A&M all-time rebounding list, hauling in her 880th board against Kentucky. 

 

Sophomore guard Jordan Nixon commanded the offense and surpassed her career high in scoring, finishing with a team-high 19 points along with three assists. Aaliyah Wilson logged her best scoring game of the season with 18 points, and Ciera Johnson contributed 14 points and eight rebounds in an all-around team effort. The Aggies once again dominated down low, winning the margins in rebounding (35-26) and points in the paint (28-22), while holding the Wildcats to a season-low-tying 60 points.

 

Sunday’s matchup features one of the most interesting offensive matchups in college basketball, as the disparate play styles of A&M’s Gary Blair and Arkansas head coach Mike Neighbors will be on full display. While the Aggies work to balance the offensive attack between post play and perimeter shooting, the Razorbacks (10-3, 1-2 SEC) operate a fast paced seven-seconds-or-less offense. Leading the 3-point barrage is a quartet of Razorbacks averaging double figures in points: Chelsea Dungee (20.4), Destiny Slocum (15.5), Makayla Daniels (13.3) and Amber Ramirez (12.5). The team collectively shoots 36.4% from beyond the arc, but leads all Division I teams in 3-pointers made and attempted, making an average of 9.8 deep balls per contest.

 

In the all-time series against Arkansas, Texas A&M trails the Razorbacks 23-12 dating back to the 1980-81 season. Since Gary Blair was hired in 2003-04, however, the Aggies have dominated the matchup 10-3 with a 4-1 mark at Bud Walton Arena. Blair is 5-2 against Mike Neighbors with a 4-2 record since Neighbors joined the Razorback program in 2017.

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