No. 13 Tigers overpower Rogers-less Aggies at Reed Arena, 81-58

Staying healthy down the stretch often leads to consistent success in SEC basketball.

Down a starting point guard, Texas A&M is wounded, but the daunting league does not rest.

No. 13 LSU showed off their star-studded roster on Monday night, rolling A&M 81-58 at Reed Arena.

The Aggies were without starting guard Endyia Rogers for a second consecutive game.

Rogers' absence was immediately felt as A&M lacked offensive pizzazz, especially in the first half and four-point second quarter.

"We are still trying to figure out how to play without our point guard. It's been two games," Janiah Barker said. "In a game like this, we need Endyia Rogers. We need her to control the game, shoot the shots she does, and produce how she produces. We are trying to figure it out. We are fine."

A&M struggled in every offensive category, posting their lowest-scoring half of the season in the first.

At the break, the Aggies shot 20 percent from the field and totaled nine turnovers. Barker and Lauren Ware combined for only eight points as the offense significantly sputtered.

LSU led 36-14 after 20 minutes.

"It took us a while to figure out how to get going and in a groove offensively," head coach Joni Taylor said. "We were really bad. That's the only word for it."

On the opposing end, Hailey Van Lith and Flau'jae Johnson displayed what was a highly efficient backcourt, combining for 30 points and assisting Aneesah Morrow as she posted a double-double.

The Tigers' offensive firepower wasn't necessarily what doomed the Aggies. It was the alarming 71 shots they took.

Only 23 fell.

"We have to score," Taylor said. "We have to get to the free-throw line. When the ball is at the rim, teams will pack the paint. When we get it inside, we have to score or get to the free-throw line. We have to be strong.”

The second half saw more of the same as LSU shined offensively. However, A&M attempted to ramp up.

A surge in the third quarter came by way of a one-woman show from Sahara Jones.

She scored eight unanswered to help make up ground on the Tigers.

Trailing by 21 points entering the final frame, Aicha Coulibaly took over late, scoring 10 points to finish with 16.

"There are a lot of choices you can make when the score is what it is at halftime," Taylor said. "Our ladies made the choice to come out and fight."

LSU only outscored A&M by one, 45-44, in the second half, but the abysmal opening frames led the Aggies to back-to-back losses.

There is no understating how badly Taylor's squad needed Rogers on the floor, yet the Aggies may have to attempt to stay afloat without her.

"She is going to be out for some time,” Taylor said. “It is not season-ending, but she will not be back anytime soon. It's her knee."

In A&M's last two losses without Rogers, scoring did not come easy.

There was a lack of command from a guard on the floor.

Rogers’ three years of experience before her time in Aggieland was a huge asset for a team navigating their way through SEC play.

Without her, the Aggies' final four regular-season games remaining look troublesome, and finding a consistent offense needs to happen fast.