Texas A&M bounces back 1st from loss with win over Miss St

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Kayla Wells scored 19 points to lead No. 7 Texas A&M to a 69-41 victory over 14th-ranked Mississippi State on Sunday.

Texas A&M (13-1, 5-1 SEC) scored the game’s first five points and never trailed in bouncing back from its loss to LSU, ending a seven-game losing streak to the Bulldogs (8-4, 3-3) in the process.

Wells, a 6-foot senior guard, hit 8 of 9 field goals to lead three Aggies in double figures. Aaliyah Wilson added 15 points and nine rebounds while Ciera Johnson had 14 points and 12 rebounds.

Myah Taylor scored 14 points to lead Mississippi State, which lost its second straight. Rickea Jackson had 11 points.

Texas A&M put the game away with a 17-4 run in the third quarter for a 43-25 lead, its largest of the game. Wilson had nine points, hitting 4 of 5 shots, during the spurt.

A&M grinded its way to a 14-3 lead after a quarter, despite missing 13 of 18 field goals. Johnson had two buckets off offensive rebounds and added a free throw to give A&M a 5-0 lead.

N’dea Jones contributed a 3-point play as A&M hit all four free-throw attempts in the quarter. Mississippi State had its lowest scoring quarter in program history, managing only a 3-pointer by Aliyah Matharu. The Bulldogs shot 1 for 13 in the quarter, with five turnovers, for their worst 10 minutes since the NCAA went to quarters in the women’s game for the 2015-16 season.

Mississippi State pulled to within 26-19 by halftime by outscoring A&M 7-1 in the last two minutes, with Taylor and Xaria Wiggins hitting back-to-back 3-pointers.

BIG PICTURE

Mississippi State: The Bulldogs already have lost as many league games as they did last season with 10 games left.

Texas A&M: The Aggies, who improved to 5-0 against Top 25 teams, aren’t scheduled to play another ranked team until facing No. Arkansas on Feb. 14.

UP NEXT

Mississippi State: will host No. 5 South Caroli on Jan. 28.

Texas A&M: at Missouri on Sunday.

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More AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25.