0
0
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Texas A&M women’s basketball is 2-0, and it has two talented scorers to thank. It also has some clear things to clean up.
The Aggies beat Arkansas-Pine Bluff 77-54 on Monday and Louisiana 62-51 on Thursday at Reed Arena. Both wins were comfortable, but neither was clean.
Gilbert’s historic debut
LSU transfer Kailyn Gilbert made a splash in her first game. She scored 30 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and had six assists, a career night that was the fifth double-double of her career. She shot 11 of 20 from the field and made five 3-pointers, and her 30 points were the most by an Aggie in a debut since the 1999-2000 season.
Coach Joni Taylor said afterward that Gilbert can score any way she wants, and the challenge is for her to run the team at the same time.
The Aggies also dominated the glass, outrebounding UAPB 50-27 with 21 offensive rebounds that turned into 19 second-chance points. Sophomore forward Anita Franchini had nine rebounds to tie her career high. Texas A&M closed with a 19-4 run after UAPB cut the lead to eight with 6:52 left.
Parker steps up against Louisiana
Thursday’s game looked different. Emerald Parker scored a career-high 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting, with seven rebounds and two blocks. Gilbert added 19 points and 11 rebounds for her second straight double-double, the first back-to-back double-doubles of her career.
The Aggies led 13-10 after one quarter and 31-22 at halftime after an 11-0 run, and they never let Louisiana get closer than 11. The defense deserves credit. Louisiana shot 26.3% from the field (20 of 76) and 19.2% from 3-point range, and Texas A&M outrebounded the Ragin’ Cajuns 52-47 and outscored them 18-8 off the bench.
What has to improve
The Aggies are not perfect. They committed 21 turnovers against Louisiana, and many came when the visitors applied full-court pressure. They made only three 3-pointers in the game. Taylor said the team needs more discipline on both sides of the ball, and she wants to get the ball to whoever has the hot hand. “It wasn’t all bad,” she said of the performance, “but it wasn’t what we needed to see for 40 minutes.”
The Aggies have also had a sloppy stretch in each game. They had a lackluster third quarter against UAPB, and Louisiana hung around through turnovers.
By the numbers
- Gilbert is averaging 24.5 points, 11.0 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game.
- Texas A&M has had 50-plus rebounds in both games.
- Taylor is now 11-1 in season openers and 193-140 in her career.
What’s next
Texas A&M wraps up opening week on Saturday at 11 a.m. against LSU New Orleans at Reed Arena, its third home game in six days. For more SEC coverage, read our SEC women’s basketball recap and our rankings and schedule preview.
Related: Texas A&M recap of the UAPB win | Texas A&M recap of the Louisiana win
About the Author
[…] Texas A&M: The Aggies are 2-0 after wins over UAPB and Louisiana. Kailyn Gilbert scored 30 points in her debut. We have a full breakdown in our Texas A&M recap. […]