When Gary Blair looks at his leading scorer he's reminded of a former NBA player.
Danielle Adams, sixth-ranked Texas A&M's standout who got 22 of her 26 points in the second half in a 79-65 win over the Aggies on Saturday, always gets it done, he said.
''She's really special,'' said Blair, highlighting her jumper along the baseline over three Lady Raiders. ''That's why I've always said this is my Charles Barkley. She plays the same type of game that Barkley played during his career.''
Texas Tech pulled to 53-50 midway through the second half, before the Aggies went on a 20-6 run that included 12 points from Adams to put the game out of reach.
The youthful Lady Raiders are gaining valuable insight even as they struggle with their fifth straight loss, Texas Tech coach Kristy Curry said.
''These kids will continue to grow from these experiences and that's what we have to use them as,'' she said.
Adams hit 12 of 16 shots, many coming on fast breaks once the Aggies started pulling down rebounds. They outrebounded the Lady Raiders 39-28, after Texas Tech had two more than the Aggies at halftime.
Adaora Elonu added 13 points for Texas A&M (19-2, 7-1 Big 12), which was coming off a three-point loss to No. 1 Baylor.
''We needed the win because our most important game of the year is the one after a loss,'' Blair said. ''And we responded very well.''
Casey Morris scored a career-high 23 points to lead Texas Tech (16-6, 3-5). The Aggies nearly shut out Kierra Mallard, the Lady Raiders' leading scorer. Mallard had only two points, both coming at 8:43 in the second half.
Blair said his team didn't do anything special to keep Mallard in check.
''Mallard did it to Mallard,'' he said. ''She's supposed to be the veteran, the scorer on that team. It's up to her to step up in the same way it's up to (Adams) to step up. That's what the star players are supposed to be doing in this league.''
Curry said stopping the Aggies inside is a tall order.
''They have Danielle Adams and we don't,'' she said.
The Aggies led 35-30 at halftime. The Lady Raiders got up 18-13 midway through the first half before they went cold and committed turnovers on five straight possessions. Texas A&M used a 7-2 run, capped by a 3-pointer from Sydney Carter, to go up 29-22 with about 4 minutes remaining before the break.
The Lady Raiders weren't able to capitalize on turnovers as well as A&M did. Texas Tech got four points on 8 turnovers by the Aggies, while A&M got nine off the Lady Raiders' seven. Texas Tech cut into Texas A&M's scoring chances, outrebounding the Aggies on their offensive board, 10-5.
Tech scored four second-chance points off its eight offensive rebounds, while the Aggies got nine points off their five offensive rebounds.
