The No. 8 Texas A&M women's basketball team was victorious in its first road test of 2009-10, with a 79-59 beating of Auburn Sunday at Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum.
"The road is a hard place to play, and I think we passed the test," said sophomore forward Adaora Elonu. "We played against a very good Auburn squad. We just got out there and did what we normally do in practice. Our balanced scoring today was key for us. Our opponents can't target just one person on our team this season."
The story of the game was the Aggies' tenacious defense. Auburn shot only 38 percent from the field and was forced into 23 turnovers.
"Texas A&M is an excellent team, and I thought they exploited us," said Auburn Head Coach Nell Fortner. "They turned our turnovers into points for them. We have a lot of work to do, and it is disappointing to lose, but we are not discouraged. We just have to get better."
Offensively, the Aggies were also in fine tune. Three players finished in double-figures, and the team combined for 17 assists.
"We were rotating eight to nine players," said A&M Head Coach Gary Blair. "When you can shoot 53 percent on the road, 7 out of 13 from the three, 10 out of 12 from the line and only get outrebounded by two, you've had a pretty good game. Give credit to my staff. They did a great job of preparation."
Blair also credited his team's success to their ability to beat the Auburn zone defense.
"We had a great game plan," Blair said. "We made some adjustments. We knew they would play zone with (KeKe) Carrier in there. When they went small, we made some great passes. When we looked at their size, we still thought we could score on them. You do that through penetration with your guards."
A&M (3-0) was once again led by center Danielle Adams who has finished in double-figures in every game this season. The junior recorded a game-high 22 points and five rebounds.
"We tried our best to get up-and-down the floor," Adams said. "I did what I had to do out there. I thought we did perfect as a team (in the rebounding department). I can't be happier than what we did today."
Sophomore Sydney Carter put up six points for the Aggies and spread the ball around adding a team-high five assists.
Auburn junior Alli Smalley scored a team-high 18 points and added three assists. Senior KeKe Carrier dominated the boards bringing down a game-high eight rebounds
A defensive struggle ensued in the early going Sunday. Auburn kept up with the Aggies until a timeout was called with the score knotted up at 19-19. A&M would buckle down in the final seven minutes of the first half to take a 34-26 lead into the break.
In the second half, the Tigers fought but failed to cut into the A&M advantage. The Aggies' offensive attack put up 43 second-half points to seal the win.
Texas A&M will have a nine day break before returning to action Wednesday, Dec. 2. Stephen F. Austin will come into town to face the Aggies at Reed Arena. Blair coached the Lumberjacks from 1985-1993 and was inducted into the Stephen F. Austin Athletics Hall of Fame in 2008.
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