Texas A&M schools Lamar in Wednesday matinee beatdown, 83-51

Press conference video courtesy of Texas A&M Athletics

Take notes. Joni Taylor’s class is in session.

In front of thousands of school kids, Texas A&M women’s basketball (8-1) won its sixth straight game and taught the Lamar Cardinals (4-3) a lesson, 83-51.

“I want this to be an annual event,” Taylor said. “What a great opportunity for us to put on display the great university we have, the product we put on the floor, sportsmanship, and the wonderful role models we have.”

A&M hosted “Elementary School Day” during Wednesday’s matinee as schools from around the Bryan-College Station community packed Reed Arena to experience an Aggie basketball game.

“The kids were a big help for us,” Lauren Ware said. “They gave us energy. They were screaming regardless of what happened in the game. I’m just really happy they were able to come.”

The heroes of Sunday’s game vs. Kansas, Endyia Rogers and Janiah Barker picked up exactly where they left off, trading buckets early in the first quarter.

Hannah Harrison, TexAgs

Wednesday’s attendance at Reed Arena reached 7,529, which is the highest of the season.

Rogers finished with 10 points and was one of five Aggies to reach double digits in a dominant offensive outing by the Maroon & White.

Barker was the party-starter in the first quarter, totaling six points, four rebounds and two assists as the Aggies built an eight-point lead.

However, it was Ware who stole the spotlight on an exhilarating afternoon.

Ware tallied her team-leading fifth double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds after totaling just nine points and rebounds against Kansas.

“Me being aggressive, staying motivated and wanting the ball helped a lot today,” Ware said.

Ware was the driving force in helping the Aggies take a 40-26 lead into halftime.

A&M went on a 6-0 run to end the second quarter and a 6-0 run to start the third, thanks to Ware.

Still, the Arizona transfer wasn’t the only transfer that made an impact.

Auburn transfer Aicha Coulibaly tied Barker for the team lead in scoring with 13 points, with the latter reaching double figures for the eighth straight time this season.

Lamar fought hard, but that fight was ultimately not enough to match the scoring production of the Aggies.

The Cardinals gave up their highest point total on the season, as A&M turned Lamar’s mistakes into 34 points off turnovers.

Hannah Harrison, TexAgs

Through eight games, Ware is now averaging 10.3 points and 8.8 rebounds per game.

“We did a better job of converting. We’ve turned people over, but we’ve never had this many points off of turnovers before,” Taylor said. “It’s about making the right decision with the basketball and taking advantage of those opportunities.”

The Aggies pulled away in the second half as Maliyah Johnson reached a season-high 11 points.

Kay Kay Green also added a spark off the bench. While it didn’t show on the stat sheet, Green pushed the ball in transition and changed the pace of pay to allow the Aggies to cement their lead.

For those in attendance, the end of the game was the perfect opportunity to practice their math.

The Aggies scored 83.

The Cardinals scored 51.

Using P.E.M.D.A.S., excited students in the crowd discovered that the Aggies won by 32, which is their third-largest margin of victory the year.

The Aggies earned their sixth consecutive win and eighth overall, which eclipses their regular-season total from last season.

“For us, the constant theme right now is to take the next step,” Taylor said. “We’ve got to take the next step with all the games that are in front of us.”

A&M will look to take the next step on Saturday when they host Robert Morris at 12 p.m.