Lack of ball security leads to postseason insecurity as Auburn downs Ags

Ball security is a crucial aspect of basketball.

Not protecting the rock can lead to insecurity when it comes to postseason aspirations.

That is exactly what happened on Sunday as an inexcusable 29 turnovers led to A&M’s demise at Auburn, 57-41.

Without leading scorer Endyia Rogers for the fourth-straight game, the Aggies struggled significantly as their turnover percentage rose above 40.

Up 10-6 following the first quarter, A&M’s lead did not last as the ball-handling miscues surmounted.

A disastrous 18 giveaways in the first 20 minutes sabotaged any offensive momentum the Aggies had built.

Auburn transfer Aicha Coulibably’s return to her old gym assisted in the physicality early, but A&M’s offense simply sputtered, only making seven of just 22 shots taken.

Chris Swann, TexAgs

Since Rogers’ absence, Texas A&M has lost three of its last four games.

On the opposing end, Auburn mishandled the ball 11 times in the first half but capitalized off of more opportunities to hold a 23-16 halftime advantage.

Despite the woeful ball-handling, A&M only trailed by five with a quarter and a half remaining. Yet, five straight misses from the field did A&M no favors, and the turnover bug kept biting.

With a quarter to go, A&M had 26 points and 26 turnovers.

Auburn outscored A&M 21-15 in the final frame to cap off the devasting blow to A&M’s resume, with not a single Aggie reaching double-digits.

Tineya Hylton finished with nine, while Coulibaly and Sahara Jones combined to put up 15.

Before Sunday’s contest, A&M was projected as one of the teams to receive a bye in the NCAA Tournament, sitting at a No. 11 seed according to Charlie Creme’s Bracketology. Auburn was listed as one of the Last Four In.

The conference foes may have flipped spots after Sunday. A&M’s final two games will likely determine whether the Aggies are in or out, excluding a potential run in the SEC Tournament.

A road contest at Tennessee and a regular-season finale vs. Alabama await — two teams who sit higher than A&M in the SEC standings. The Vols and Tide are also teams that want wins to bolster their regular-season resume.

But securing those victories will not be easy, and A&M will need to handle the ball to do it.

The Aggies can either grasp onto big SEC victories or watch their postseason dreams slip through their fingers.