Texas A&M women use second-quarter run to pull away from No. 16 Cal
If your name is Courtney and you play basketball at Texas A&M, chances are you're going to have a pretty good day anytime you step on the court.
On Friday, Courtney Williams was the one who dominated, as the 6-foot-1-inch senior forward scored a career-high 32 points to lead the No. 10 Aggies to an easy 75-58 win over No. 16 California in the opening round of the South Point Thanksgiving Shootout.
The win, which moved A&M to 5-0, was a good warm-up for today's highly anticipated showdown with No. 11 Ohio State and high-scoring guard Kelsey Mitchell at noon in South Point Arena. The Buckeyes improved to 3-2 on Friday with a tougher-than-expected 75-65 win over Liberty.
It was also a milestone day for longtime coach Gary Blair, who earned his 700th victory.
"I've made the right steps along the way, back when I came to a high school in Dallas," said Blair, who has been a Division I women's coach for 31 years and has been at A&M since 2003. "I came in looking for a baseball coaching job. I'm still waiting. And if the (Texas) Rangers ever call, I'm gone.
"But I've been so blessed to have had so many talented players and assistants to work with. And to beat a quality team like California makes it even more special."
Williams, who is A&M's second-leading scorer at 14.3 points per game, sometimes defers to another Courtney — Walker — who leads the Aggies with an 18-point average. But with Cal determined to keep Walker in check, it was Williams who burned the Golden Bears early and often.
The Aggies broke open an 18-17 game in the second quarter, outscoring Cal 20-7 to lead 38-24 at halftime. Williams already had 22 points and appeared to be able to get whatever she wanted offensively.
"I tried to be more aggressive," Williams said. "They've got a big team, but I have a quick first step, and I was able to use that to my advantage."
The same couldn't be said for Cal, which suffered its first loss of the season thanks to an offense that couldn't get out of first gear. Texas A&M started the second half on a 17-4 run over the opening six minutes of the third quarter and pretty much put the game away, leading 55-28.
Walker, who was plagued by early foul trouble, still managed to score 18 points, making it a good day for the A&M Courtneys. Cal, which will play Liberty at 2:15 p.m. today, was led by Kristine Anigwe with 23 points and 12 rebounds.
* No. 11 Ohio State 75, Liberty 65 — The Buckeyes (3-2) forced 29 turnovers and scored nearly half their points off Liberty's miscues. Kelsey Mitchell led Ohio State with 20 points, and Alexa Hart added 18. The Flames, who led 61-60 with 7:15 to play, were unable to take care of the ball and give themselves a chance. Ashley Rininger led Liberty (2-3) with 18 points.
* Texas Tech 62, Fordham 48 — Dayo Olabode had 19 points and nine rebounds off the bench, and Japreece Dean added 14, as the Lady Raiders improved to 4-0. The Rams (2-2), who were led by Danielle Burns' 10 points, were hammered on the glass, getting outrebounded 45-33. Fordham also struggled with its perimter shooting, going six of 22 on its 3-point tries.
Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter: @stevecarprj
