Women's Basketball Falls in SEC Tournament - KBTX

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GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) Mikayla Coombs scored a season-high 14 points, including the go-ahead basket in the fourth quarter, and No. 16 Georgia reached its first SEC Tournament final in 17 years with a 74-68 victory over No. 2 Texas A&M on Saturday.

Maya Caldwell had 17 points, and Jenna Staiti had 13 points, 12 rebounds and six blocks to deny the SEC regular-season champion Aggies (23-2) a sweep of league titles.

Coombs, the UConn transfer who sat out last season, scored six points in the final quarter to ignite the Bulldogs (20-5). Her jumper to start the fourth quarter gave Georgia the lead for good and she added another driving layup moments later.

By the time Coombs flashed by the defense for another inside shot, Georgia was up 59-53 and would not be caught.

Georgia, which beat No. 17 Kentucky in Friday’s quarterfinals, will have to face another ranked opponent in Sunday’s final in either No. 7 South Carolina or No. 14 Tennessee.

Texas A&M shook off a jubilant Sunday celebration of the SEC regular-season title to start strongly at the league tournament with a 77-58 win over LSU.

But the Aggies were inconsistent against Georgia, falling behind 25-13 in the opening quarter before rallying to lead 35-32 at the half.

Texas A&M looked like it had taken control in the third quarter with an 8-0 that put them ahead 46-41. That’s when Coombs, a lightning-quick, 5-foot-9, junior got to work.

Her layup put Georgia up 47-46 in a sequence when the lead changed hands five times, the last on another blow-bye by Coombs.

Texas A&M closed to 59-55 in the final five minutes, but consecutive 3-pointers by Que Morrison and Caldwell put things out of reach.

N’dea Jones led the Aggies with 16 points.

Aaliyah Wilson, the Aggies leading scorer this season, struggled to find her shot at the tournament. She was a combined 5 of 18 from the field for 13 points in the two games here.

THE BIG PICTURE

Georgia: The Bulldogs are seeking their first SEC Tournament title since 2001 when now SEC Network analyst Andy Landers was their coach. The won both meetings with Tennessee this season and kept things close much of the way in a 62-50 loss to the Gamecocks.

Texas A&M: The Aggies struggled to find a consistent scorer while Wilson struggled. Alexis Morris, the Rutgers transfer, provided that Friday off the bench with 13 points in eight minutes. This time, Morris was just 2 of 8 despite with her 11 points mostly coming from the foul line.

UP NEXT

Georgia will play No. 7 South Carolina or No. 14 Tennessee for the SEC Tournament championship.

Texas A&M is expected to be a No. 1 seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament.

POSTGAME NOTES

RECORDS & SERIES NOTES

· Texas A&M concludes the SEC Tournament 1-1 and is now 23-2 on the season.

· Georgia improves to 20-5 on the year.

· The Aggies maintain a 9-4 advantage over the Lady Bulldogs in the all-time series.

TEAM NOTES

· A&M executed a 12-0 run at the start of the second quarter to tie the game at 25-25.

· The Maroon & White outscored Georgia 22-7 in the second frame to lead 35-32 at halftime.

· Offensively, the Aggies shot 41% with nine assists on 25 made baskets.

· The Aggies capitalized on Georgia turnovers, outscoring the Lady Bulldogs 20-7 in points off turnovers.

· A&M won the turnover battle by a 16 to 12 margin.

· On the perimeter, the Aggies swiped away eight steals compared to Georgia’s four.

· Texas A&M started its 25th-consecutive game with a lineup of Aaliyah Wilson, Jordan Nixon, Kayla Wells, N’dea Jones and Ciera Johnson.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

· N’dea Jones led the way for Texas A&M in points, scoring 16 with an additional six rebounds. This was Jones’ 17th double-digit scoring performance this season and the 46th of her career.

· The Lawrenceville, Georgia, native swatted away a season-high three blocks. Her previous season high was two, set on Feb. 28 against then-No. 5 South Carolina.

· Jones drew three charges in Saturday’s semifinal matchup.

· Jordan Nixon finished with 14 points on 6-for-10 shooting in 26 minutes of play. She reached double-digit points for the 11th time this season and 12th time in her career.

· Nixon has scored in double figures in each of the last six games.

· Alexis Morris finished with a game high-tying four assists, which also served as a new season high for her in the category. Her previous season high was three, last set on Dec. 20 against Rice.

· Morris contributed 11 points aided by a season-high seven made free throws. The junior has scored in double figures six times this season and 20 times in her career.

· The Beaumont, Texas, native led the team with a plus-six plus/minus.

· Aaliyah Wilson finished with 11 points, marking her 19th double-digit scoring effort in 2020-21 and the 38th of her career.

· Gary Blair’s record moves to 836-332 overall and 428-169 at Texas A&M.

UP NEXT

No. 2 Texas A&M women’s basketball awaits the 2021 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament Selection Show, which will determine its seeding and first round opponent in this season’s bracket. The Selection Show is scheduled for Monday, March 15 at 6 p.m. (CT) on ESPN.

FOLLOW THE AGGIES

Visit 12thman.com for more information on Texas A&M women’s basketball. Fans can keep up to date with the A&M women’s basketball team on Facebook, Instagram, and on Twitter by following @AggieWBB.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

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