BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – A short-handed Texas A&M women’s basketball team was edged out by a late Purdue surge in Wednesday afternoon’s 59-53 loss to the Boilermakers inside Reed Arena.
Despite only seven available players for the second-consecutive game, the Aggies (5-5) took Purdue (10-2, 1-1 Big Ten) to the brink with the score knotted 49-49 with 3:13 remaining in the contest.
Kay Kay Green played the entire 40 minutes, registering career highs for points (14), assists (6) and steals (3). Sydney Bowles added 12 points and five rebounds. Sahara Jones chipped in nine points, six rebounds, two blocks and one steal. Texas A&M owned a 45-33 edge in rebounds, including 11 by Aaliyah Patty and nine by Jada Malone.
After Jayla Smith made a layup to push the Boilermakers to a 47-40 advantage with 8:05 left in the contest, the Maroon & White went on a 9-2 run sparked by two Green jumpers, pulling even 49-49.
Coming out of a timeout at the 3:13 mark, Purdue scored the next seven points and led 56-49 with :23 seconds remaining. Green hit two free throws and Malone put in a layup in the final seconds, but the Aggies were unable pull out the victory.
The third quarter was a see-saw affair with eight lead changes, but Purdue outscored the Aggies 6-0 over the last 2:14 to take a 45-40 margin into the final period. Patty scored five points in the first 50 seconds of the third frame, giving A&M a 27-26 edge. Purdue opened up a four-point advantage at the midway point of the period, but four-straight points by Green knotted the game, 37-37, at the 3:19 mark. A Bowles 3-point field goal gave A&M their final lead of the period, 40-39, at the 2:45 mark before the Boilermakers’ late rush.
Bowles paced the Aggies with five points in a scrappy first period. The Aggies led 3-0 and 7-5, but Purdue rattled off three straight buckets to take an 11-7 lead at the 1:42…