COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) - Aaliyah Wilson is 100% recovered from a serious knee injury that sidelined the senior guard during her sophomore year.
Wilson scored 17 points, and No. 10 Texas A&M rolled past Sam Houston State for a 99-69 victory on Tuesday.
The Aggies (7-0) shot 59.7% from the field and had five players score in double figures. N’dea Jones had 15 points and eight rebounds, and Ciera Johnson finished with 12 points. Kayla Wells scored 11 points, and Jordan Nixon had 10.
Wilson was 8 for 10 from the field. The senior guard also had four rebounds, four assists and two steals.
“She’s playing extremely well,” Texas A&M coach Gary Blair said. “She’s going to start getting more and more attention put on her. But Wilson just does her thing. In transition, she shares the ball on the break. She’s just playing well.”
Wilson, a transfer from Arkansas, was playing well two years ago when she tore an ACL early in the season. She worked her way back into shape last year as the sixth man and now she’s coming into her own.
“I just want to be able to help my team and help us compete for a championship,” Wilson said. “I’ve just able to get in that mindset, just knowing I needed to do whatever it took, especially this summer to get to that point. I guess, I just went out there and did it and it shows. And it feels good to be fully healthy.”
Wilson scored in double figures for the sixth straight game. She is shooting 52% (39 of 75) from the field.
“Aaliyah is a hard worker, everyone knows that,” Wells said. “I know she deserves this shot, to be doing as well as she’s doing, because she’s worked so hard.”
Faith Cook scored 12 points for Sam Houston State (2-2), which hit 13 of 25 3-pointers.
The Bearkats, who hadn’t played in 11 days, had 27 turnovers.
Texas A&M led 55-36 after its highest scoring first half of the season. Then it opened it opened the third quarter with a 12-0 run.
LUCKY 13
A&M extended its winning streak to 13 against Sam Houston State. The Aggies also improved to 4-0 against Southland Conference teams, having beaten Lamar twice and Abilene Christian once.
BIG PICTURE
Sam Houston State: The Bearkats, who lost three games to COVID-19 issues, play two more nonconference games before opening Southland Conference play at Nicholls State on Jan. 2. Sam Houston State is picked to finish second behind Stephen F. Austin.
Texas A&M: The Aggies are off to their best start since going 11-0 in the 2014-15 season. They have three more games on a five-game homestand that concludes with their Southeastern Conference opener against Tennessee on New Year’s Eve.
UP NEXT
Sam Houston State: At home against Texas-San Antonio on Friday night.
Texas A&M: At home against Rice on Sunday.
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