No. 17/15 Texas A&M Holds Off Little Rock Rally Wednesday

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Raziya Potter scored a career-high 23 points and Little Rock out-scored No. 17/15 Texas A&M in the second half but the host Aggies held off a Trojans rally in a 65-50 decision Wednesday morning in front of 6,414 fans at Reed Arena.
 
Little Rock (4-4) trailed by as much as 21 before Dariel Johnson's drive to the basket and conventional three-point play early in the fourth quarter cut the Aggie lead to single digits. That capped a run where the Texas A&M (8-0) was held scoreless for over eight non-consecutive minutes in the third quarter as the Trojans slowly crept back into contention.
 
Potter and Sali Kourouma teamed up to score 16 of Little Rock's 18 points in the third quarter, a period in which the Trojans doubled up the Aggies in scoring and held A&M to just one made field goal.
 
The Trojans went on an 11-0 run in the third quarter that even an A&M timeout midway through couldn't stop.
 
With the exception of the second quarter, Little Rock went shot-for-shot against the nationally-ranked Aggies. That quarter was detrimental and put the Trojans in a hole that proved to be too deep to overcome as Little Rock shot just 20% from the field and was limited to six points.
 
Texas A&M, the nation's best 3-point shooting team, proved why that notation was so by shooting 47.1% from behind the line by hitting 8 of 17 long-range shots. A&M shot 48.2% (24-for-52) from the field overall.
 
But the pesky Trojans continued to be a fly in the ointment of A&M, forcing 17 Aggie turnovers, blocking four shots – three by Johnson – and only trailing in rebounds by five, 38-33. Angelique Francis led the Trojans with nine boards.
 
Kayla Wells and Destiny Pitts each scored 15 points while Aaliyah Patty had 11 points and 10 rebounds for Texas A&M, which hosts No. 15/14 Texas on Sunday. Wells, making her 100th-consecutive start, was 5-of-9 from the field and the Aggies shot 46.2%.
 
Rivalries abound this weekend as Little Rock is next in action Saturday when the Trojans host Central Arkansas in the Governor's I-40 Showdown presented by Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. at the Jack Stephens Center.
 
For the latest information on Little Rock Basketball, make sure to check out LRTrojans.com. You can also find the team on social media at @LittleRockWBB on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
 
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Notables

• Little Rock is now 2-1 against Southeastern Conference teams this season.
• The Trojans are now 2-12 all-time against Texas A&M.
• Raziya Potter scored a career-high 23 points.
• Dariel Johnson tied a career-high with four steals.

 
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