By james art 
Texas A&M women’s basketball traveled to Baton Rouge for a contest against #5 LSU, and while the Aggies struggled, they lost 64-51 to the Tigers.
Senior guard Aicha Koulibaly had 12 points and was 2 of 5 from the field during the game, but went down with a serious leg injury before halftime.
With her out for the rest of the game, A&M (10-9, 3-4 sec) had to pick up the pieces.
Watch Texas women’s hoops here
The Aggies’ suffocating defense gave A&M chances to take over and challenge the Tiger deficit (21-1, 6-1 seconds), which hovered within single digits for much of the game, but 21 Aggies turnovers kept them at arm’s length. LSU junior guard Kailyn Gilbert came off the bench for six points, hitting two crucial 3-pointers after the Aggies cut the lead to two points in the fourth quarter.
The Aggies couldn’t stop LSU Junior Flau’jae Johnson’s drives to the basket as she finished the night with 22 points. LSU senior guard Aneesah Morrow, the nation’s top rebounder, finished with 19 points and nine rebounds.
While A&M had a valiant effort, it was clear that the Aggies missed Coulibaly’s leadership due to mistakes like missed passes and ball security; LSU had 10 turnovers to A&M’s six total.
A&M freshman Taliyah Parker had 13 points, four steals and two emphatic fast-break blocks, including one against Morrow. The Aggies’ first fast-break points came in the second half thanks to the freshman’s speed and tenacity.
Aggies senior guard Sahara Jones, five points and six rebounds, drained a three to cut the third-quarter lead to 36-30 as the shot clock wound down. The Aggies finished 6 of 21 from three.
LSU had 52 rebounds, including 22 defensive rebounds, which turned into 14 fast break points and 23 points off A&M turnovers.
Thursday A&M Next plays Arkansas (8-14, 1-6 Sec) Thursday on the road.
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