A&M cruises in pivotal win over Mississippi State in Greenville, 72-56

Needing a win to cement their NCAA Tournament status, No. 9 seed Texas A&M (19-11, 7-10) used an explosive third quarter to dismantle No. 8 seed Mississippi State (21-11, 8-9) in the second round of the SEC Tournament, 72-56.

Both the Aggies and Bulldogs entered this matchup as “First Four Out” teams in ESPN’s latest bracketology.

Of the two hungry teams taking the court in Greenville, South Carolina, only the Aggies left the floor feeling safer about their Selection Sunday status.

In Thursday’s bubble battle, A&M’s defense made its mark early, forcing five straight Bulldog misses and allowing the Aggie offense to race out to a 6-0 lead.

Endyia Rogers checked in midway through the first quarter for her first action in six games after suffering a knee injury at Kentucky on Feb. 11.

Her presence immediately sparked an 8-0 run, which she contributed her first points, helping the Aggies close the quarter ahead 14-9.

“It speaks volumes. We played the last six games without her,” A&M head coach Joni Taylor told the SEC Network about Rogers’ return. “She’s got good pace. When she’s on the floor, we play with better chemistry, and we are happy to have her back.”

Rogers finished with 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting.

Throughout the second quarter, Mississippi State made runs to trim the deficit, but Aicha Coulibaly & Co. had answers for each one. Coulibaly led the Aggies in scoring with 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting.

A&M found success attacking the middle of the floor to poke holes in State’s zone, knock down open jumpers and outrebound the Bulldogs 25-17 in the first half, which translated to a 25-21 lead at halftime.

Entering Thursday, the Aggies were 15-0 when leading at halftime this season. Their postseason fate rested on holding onto one more lead.

Taylor’s squad didn’t just hold onto the lead. They put it in a safe and threw the key into the Atlantic Ocean.

After back-and-forth action opened the third quarter, Kay Kay Green finished a tough and-one to spark a massive 12-0 Aggie run, ballooning the lead to 17 early in the quarter.

Coulibaly, Janiah Barker, and Rogers paced the offense to a 24-point quarter, which gave them a 51-35 advantage with ten minutes to play.

Mississippi State showed life on multiple occasions, but Rogers silenced them every time in her huge return in just 16 minutes of action.

Domination wouldn’t do their effort justice.

A&M held the Bulldogs to a season-low 21-point first half, outrebounded them by eight and outscored them by 12 in the third quarter.  Coulibaly, Barker and Rogers combined for 44 points, and every single Aggie who played scored at least two points.

“It’s win or go home,” Taylor said. “This was a must-win for us, and it’s a great confidence booster for us.”

On her 45th birthday, Taylor celebrated in style by leading her team to a 16-point victory that knocked the Bulldogs out of the SEC Tournament for the second straight year.

A&M’s reward is a date with the top-seed and overall No. 1 South Carolina in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals

Taylor’s Aggies take on Dawn Staley’s 29-0 Gamecocks at 11 a.m. CT on Friday.