A&M Wins Again, Defeats K-State 83-60 - kcentv.com - KCEN HD - Waco, Temple, and Killeen

LAS VEGAS – Four players recorded double figures in points as No. 22 Texas A&M won its seventh consecutive game with a convincing 83-60 victory over Kansas State today in the opening round of the World Vision Classic at Cox Pavilion.

Junior center Kelsey Bones led all players with 22 points, shooting 11-of-13 from the floor as the Aggies outshot Kansas State 56.5 percent to 44.6 percent. Freshman guard Courtney Walker added 16 points, and senior guard Adrienne Pratcher had a season-high 13 points. Junior post Karla Gilbert also pitched in 13 points, two shy of her season and career highs.

Bone scored easily in the paint, scoring the first six points of the game and A&M's first eight points overall. K-State, meanwhile, got hot from outside as the Wildcats' first 12 points came from beyond the 3-point arc. The long-range shooting helped K-State take its first lead at 16-15 with 12:03 left in the first half. The Wildcats went on to build what would be their largest lead at 18-15 (10:55), but a tip in by Walker with 8:30 on the clock returned the lead to the Aggies for good, 21-20 with 8:30 remaining in the half.

The Aggies built their largest lead of the opening half with time running out as a Tori Scott steal led to a fast-break layup by Walker with 0:04 remaining to give the Aggies a 41-33 advantage heading into the locker room.

A&M shot 56.5 percent in the second half and continued to pull away while holding the Wildcats to a 42.9 shooting percentage in the final 20 minutes. A&M took its largest lead of the game at 81-54 with 2:56 remaining on a jumper by Bone.

Walker, who scored 12 of her 16 points in the second half, led all players with a career-high nine rebounds. She also doubled her career high in assists, tying Pratcher for game-high honors with six, and had a career-high five steals.

Haley Texada led the Wildcats with 19 points, and Brittany Chambers had 15 points and a team-high seven rebounds for Kansas State.

Texas A&M will play the winner between Old Dominion and UNLV Thursday at 7:30 p.m. (CT). Audio of the game can be heard on AggieAthletics.com or KZNE 1150 with Mike Wright and Steve Miller calling the action.