COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) - A game against overmatched Prairie View A&M allowed Texas A&M’s backups to get some valuable experience.
Chennedy Carter scored 20 points, and the sixth-ranked Aggies cruised past Prairie View A&M 80-38 on Wednesday night.
“It can be hard to do in other sports, but in a game like this we were able to play a lot of people,” Texas A&M coach Gary Blair said.
The Aggies (5-0) led 4-2 in the opening minute before outscoring the Panthers 29-2 over the next 11 minutes to put the game out of reach at 33-4 with 7:39 left in the first half.
Kennedy Paul led the Panthers (2-5) with 15 points and grabbed a game-high nine rebounds.
“It wasn’t the best start when you’re playing somebody that’s a level above like Texas A&M,” Prairie View A&M assistant coach Sean LeBeauf said. “You want to try and throw the first punch, and we didn’t do that.”
The Aggies shot 52% (33 of 64) from the field compared with 28% (15 of 54) by the Panthers. The Panthers committed 25 turnovers compared to 13 by the Aggies, and A&M outpaced Prairie View 32-13 in points off turnovers as a result. The Aggies overwhelmed the Panthers in the paint 50-12.
“Everybody was just really focused on themselves, and as you can see, we subbed a lot,” said N’dea Jones, who scored 16 points for the Aggies in less than 14 minutes. “It was about getting ready for other teams. We were worried about (the Panthers), but we were more concerned about us.”
The Aggies lead the all-time series 22-2 and have won 21 straight in the battle of A&Ms separated by about 50 miles of countryside in Southeast Texas. The Aggies have won each of the last 15 meetings by at least 13 points.
Carter, one of the nation’s top players, went 7 of 9 from the field in 24 minutes. She played the most of any Aggie, as 11 players earned between 14 and and 24 minutes of action.
“We needed to improve ourselves and get some quality minutes against a quality opponent,” Texas A&M backup guard Jasmine Williams said. “We needed to show as (backups) that we could not just maintain a lead, but extend a lead. And with playing time comes experience.”
BIG PICTURE
Prairie View A&M: The Aggies led by 29 points with about seven minutes remaining in the first half, which can demoralize an overmatched foe in a hostile environment. But the Panthers kept grinding, and the experience of playing in a Southeastern Conference setting in late November will only help the Southwestern Athletic Conference squad when league play starts in early January.
Texas A&M: After winning at Southern Cal on Saturday, the Aggies treated Wednesday night’s game like a glorified scrimmage.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
With no upsets in front of them so far this week, the Aggies are in position to hold steady at No. 6.
HIGHLIGHT REEL
Guard Kayla Wells swiped a steal and sank a layup on the other end to lift the Aggies to a 13-4 lead a little more than three minutes into the game, and the rout was on.
SHE SAID IT
Williams: “You never know what happens with a team over the course of a season. It’s going to take all 11 of us to do what we need to do this year.”
UP NEXT
The Panthers host Florida on Dec. 5 in a big-time home game for the SWAC school.
The Aggies face Florida State in the Maggie Dixon Classic on Sunday in Fort Worth.
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