Jordan Nixon scored 9 factors over the ultimate six minutes, and No. 2 seed Texas A&M escaped an upset bid by No. 15 Troy with an 84-80 victory within the first spherical of the ladies’s NCAA Match
AUSTIN, Texas — Jordan Nixon scored 9 factors over the ultimate six minutes, and No. 2 seed Texas A&M escaped an upset bid by No. 15 Troy with an 84-80 victory within the first spherical of the ladies’s NCAA Match on Monday.
Future Pitts made 4 free throws over the ultimate 6 seconds, giving the Aggies the final cushion they wanted to keep away from what would have ranked among the many greatest surprises in match historical past.
No 15 seed has ever crushed a No. 2. The Trojans, who rallied to take the lead within the fourth quarter, got here oh-so-close to the match’s most startling win since No. 16 seed Harvard topped No. 1 Stanford in 1998.
Texas A&M coach Gary Blair was at that sport 23 years in the past along with his former Arkansas workforce and needed to sweat out this one as his Aggies barely escaped. Aaliyah Wilson’s layup with 1:12 to play gave Texas A&M a 79-77 lead that may maintain up.
Pitts’ poise on the line proved important when the Aggies fouled Troy’s Janiah Sandifer on a 3-pointer with 4 seconds left and he or she made two free throws. Pitts then made two extra foul photographs with 2.6 seconds left for the ultimate margin.
The Trojans actually had their probabilities to make historical past. However Nixon saved the Aggies repeatedly, scoring all of her fourth-quarter factors after Troy had taken a 71-69 lead. She additionally snagged a rebound on a late 3-pointer and coated a unfastened ball that led to Pitts’ first pair of free throws.
Nixon completed with 21 factors. Ciera Johnson had 16 factors and 14 rebounds for the Aggies (24-2).
Alexus Dye scored 26 for Troy (22-6), however fouled out with 31 seconds to play. Felmas Koranga had 20 factors.
After a 49-point first half, Texas A&M scored simply 16 factors within the third quarter as the sport tightened up behind Troy’s quick, aggressive and urgent protection. Tiyah Johnson hit a protracted 3-pointer from the left wing and had the Trojans inside eight. The Aggies gasping for breath whereas the Trojans have been cruising.
Troy began the ultimate interval with a 6-0 run. A 3-pointer from Sandifer tied it at 69 and the Trojans took their first lead on basket from Johnson with slightly below six minutes to play. The Trojans made seven of their first eight photographs of the quarter.
Nixon took over in crunch time, buying and selling baskets and free throws with Troy, mixing robust drives to the basket and baseline jumpers that steadied, and rescued, the Texas A&M offense.
LONG RANGE WOES
Troy’s greatest probabilities for an upset pale with woeful capturing on 3-pointers. The Trojans have been 4 of 23 from lengthy vary. In any other case, they outrebounded Texas A&M 48-42, grabbing 18 offensive boards and turning them into 21 second-chance factors.
UP NEXT
Texas A&M advances to the second spherical in opposition to No. 7 Iowa State, which beat No. 10 Michigan State 79-75.
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Extra AP ladies’s basketball: https://apnews.com/Womenscollegebasketball and https://twitter.com/AP—Top25
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