Hebard’s 24 lead No. 10 Oregon women past No. 19 Texas A&M 83-68

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) – Ruthy Hebard scored a season-high 24 points on 10-for-10 shooting and No. 10 Oregon beat No. 19 Texas A&M 83-68 on Thursday night.
 
Down six at the half, the Ducks (3-0) scored the first seven points of the third quarter to grab a 35-34 lead. After A&M (2-1) briefly led once more, Oregon began running away late in the period.
 
The Aggies unraveled before the home crowd in the third quarter primarily because of Oregon’s precision passing and clutch shooting, the latter in particular by the sophomore Hebard, who only missed from the free throw line (4 of 7).
 
Oregon senior guard Lexi Bando, one of the nation’s top long-distance shooters, was 3 of 6 from the 3-point line, in particularly stinging the Aggies from the left corner in the decisive second half. Bando’s career 46 percent shooting from the 3-point line leads the nation among active players.
 
The Aggies tried making it interesting late in the game, when a layup by Anriel Howard and consecutive 3-pointers by Lulu McKinney and Danni Williams tightened the gap to 67-62 with 3:28 remaining.
 
But Hebard’s hard-fought short jumper from the right side of the key on her 10th field goal of the night on 10 tries lifted the Ducks to an insurmountable lead. Freshman guard Chennedy Carter paced the Aggies with a career-high 23 points, and Howard grabbed 13 rebounds.
 
BIG PICTURE
 
Oregon: In the first true test of the season and first venture on the road, the Ducks flew past the defensive-minded Aggies with flying colors (primarily neon green and yellow). The Ducks have won all three of their games by double-digits, with A&M easily the stiffest test to date.
 
Texas A&M: While smarting from a home loss and their first setback of the season, the Aggies in a couple of months will look back on this one, when they led a solid Oregon squad 34-28 at halftime, as great experience for the grind of the SEC.
 
UP NEXT
 
Oregon: The Ducks play at No. 5 Louisville on Sunday in the final of the preseason WNIT in what amounts to a bonus game this season, prior to resuming regular-season play on Tuesday at home against Eastern Washington.
 
Texas A&M: Having missed out on the finals of the preseason WNIT, the Aggies will resume play on Wednesday at home against Little Rock.