No. 17 Texas A&M hosts No. 6 Tennessee in an SEC matchup at Reed Arena Thursday. It is Texas A&M’s third annual Daddy-Daughter Night, and the first 500 fans ages 12 & under receive a free Texas A&M youth jersey.
The game is broadcast on SEC Network, with Pam Ward, Gail Goestenkors and Steffi Sorensen on the call. Authenticated subscribers can also access the stream through WatchESPN and the ESPN app on their mobile phones, tablets, computers, smart TVs and other connected devices. Tom Turbiville and Tap Bentz have the radio call, locally on The Zone 1150 AM/102.7 FM and on the web at 12thMan.com.
The Aggies have defeated the Lady Vols in each of the last two regular season matchups, but Tennessee grabbed a victory in the 2016 SEC Tournament in the meantime. The Aggies erased fourth quarter deficits of 9+ points in each of the regular season victories.
The last two meetings in the series have come down to the final possession of regulation, and seven of the last nine meetings have come down to the final five minutes. Anriel Howard hit a game-tying shot with 5.2 seconds left during the 2016 matchup at Reed Arena to send the game into overtime, where the Aggies would win 76-71. Khaalia Hillsman hit the game-winner with 4.0 seconds to play to give the Aggies a 61-59 win, as Gary Blair picked up his first career win in Thompson-Boling Arena.
The Aggies are coming off of two straight SEC wins, as senior center Khaalia Hillsman picked up SEC Player of the Week honors for her play. In her last game, she scored a career-high 31 points, going 10-of-11 from the field as the Aggies picked up an 82-73 win at Auburn. Since December 6, Hillsman is averaging 18.6 points per game and shooting 68.5% from the field.
The Lady Vols are off to a 15-0 start, and outscoring opponents by 23.7 points this season. Jaime Nared leads Tennessee with 17.3 points per game and 8.9 rebounds per game, with Mercedes Russell not far behind, averaging 17.1 points and 8.5 rebounds.
Both teams are entering this game with their highest rankings since the 2015-16 season. The Lady Vols have their highest ranking since being No. 4 to start the 2015-16 season, and the Aggies are at their highest mark since being ranked 15th on Feb. 29, 2016.
After this game, the Aggies return to action on Sunday, January 14 to host Georgia at 2 p.m. on Sydney Colson Bobblehead Day.
