COLLEGE STATION – Sam Houston shot well from long distance, but the No. 10 Texas A&M Aggies showed why they are one of the top teams in the country in handing the Bearkats a 99-69 defeat on Tuesday afternoon at Reed Arena.
Sam Houston (2-2), playing its first game since December 6, drained 13 of their 25 3-point tries for the game but the Aggies (7-0), a team who already owns a pair of road wins over ranked opponents this season, hit 59.7 percent from the floor and forced 27 turnovers on the day.
The 13 3-pointers were the second most ever in a single game in Bearkat history. The total is just two back of the school record of 15 set in 2005 and the most the Kats have made in a game since hitting a dozen against Lamar in 2015.
Faith Cook and Jacquelyn Levay each reach double figures with Cook draining four 3-pointers to account for her 12 points, while also adding six assists. Levay, meanwhile, hit a trio of triples in the second quarter and finished with 11 points to reach double figures for the first time as a Bearkat. Jolicia Williams hit a three 3-pointers of her own to get to 11 points for the game, while Amber Legett and Courtney Cleveland each finished with nine.
Madelyn Batista finished with just three points, but hauled in a dozen rebounds against the Aggie front line.
The Kats had a quick 5-2 advantage on scores from Williams and Leggett, but the Aggies responded with a 9-1 run and went on to hit 10 of 14 shots from the field to stake themselves to a 27-12 advantage after a quarter of play.
Texas A&M would extend that lead to 19 at the break despite the Kats catching fire from long range. Sam Houston nailed all six of its 3-point tries in the quarter, including three in a row off the bench from Jacquelyn Levay.
But the Aggies did not even attempt a 3-point try in the opening half. Instead they took a 55-36 lead into the halftime locker room behind 69-percent shooting from the field and 15-for-20 at the foul line.
The Aggies put things away in the third quarter, going on a 10-0 run in the first two minutes of the quarter on their way to winning the quarter 30-12 to stretch the lead out to 85-48. The Kats were able to cut into the lead in the fourth quarter, hitting a quartet of 3-pointers and seven points from Cleveland to aid in trimming the final margin.
Sam Houston will now return to Johnson Coliseum to take on UTSA on Friday. Tipoff is set for 6:30 pm and will be aired on GoBearkats.com.
Fans are reminded that this season Sam Houston Basketball tickets are presale only and should be purchased by noon of each gameday. Fans are also required to adhere to all university and Southland Conference COVID protocols upon attendance.
