COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) - N’Dea Jones scored 25 points and pulled down 11 rebounds, Ciera Johnson also had a double-double and No. 13 Texas A&M beat Lamar 77-61 in a season opener on Wednesday.
Jones notched her 27th career double-double and Johnson, with 18 points and 18 boards, recorded her 19th. Destiny Pitts added 11 points and five assists for Texas A&M, which shot 46% from the floor (26 of 56) but was just 3 of 17 from beyond the arc.
Jadyn Pimentel led Lamar with 13 points and four assists, her effort early in the game had Lamar leading narrowly until midway through the second quarter.
That’s when Jones stepped up with consecutive defensive rebounds, her resulting free throws lifting the Aggies to a 25-24 lead and sparking a 13-3 run.
The Cardinals, from the Southland Conference, are coached by former Aggie All-American A’Quonesia Franklin (2004-08), who was taking on her former coach Gary Blair for the first time. Last time the teams met, in 2018, Lamar came away with the upset.
Texas A&M, in a stiffer test, is scheduled to meet No. 19 DePaul on Saturday.
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