Aggies overwhelmed and overpowered by No. 2 South Carolina, 90-49
Prolonged scoring droughts doomed Joni Taylor's Aggies (8-7, 1-2 SEC) as No. 2 South Carolina (15-1, 3-0 SEC) rolled to a 90-49 victory on Thursday afternoon in Columbia.
Texas A&M’s toughest test yet, the reigning national champions dominated in all respects, allowing the Aggies to fire at just a 28.4 percent rate from the field.
"They were the more physical team," Taylor said. "They pushed us off spots. They rode us off screens. We just conceded."
In a true road environment for the first time in 60 days, A&M posted its lowest-scoring output this year.
With the Aggies coming off a feel-good win over No. 25 Ole Miss last Sunday, the nation's second-ranked team gave them all they could handle — and then some — exploiting A&M's inability to finish at the rim and poor transition defense.
A recurring problem this season, the Aggies dug themselves into a hole they could not climb out of.
Aicha Coulibaly served as A&M's sole scoring threat to start with an early six points but would not score again in the first half. South Carolina flashed its muscle with an unforgiving 21-4 run to coast through the first quarter. The Gamecocks' lead quickly grew in the second frame.
"They didn't allow her to get to her spots," Taylor said of Coulibaly. "Everything was a tough shot for her. They good a job of being keyed in on her."
South Carolina suffocated the Aggies' shot selection and forced sloppy play. With five takeaways and just seven points in the quarter, A&M's offense never found a rhythm and failed to score a single basket in the final 6:25 before the break.
And unlike A&M's recent outings, a comeback effort never came.
An incredibly poor matchup for A&M, South Carolina's size and speed simply overwhelmed the Aggies. Forwards Chloe Kitts and Joyce Edwards combined for 30 and had no problems in the paint. South Carolina's guard play, led by Sania Feagin and MiLaysia Fulwiley, totaled 29 and helped accumulate 24 fast break points.
"Joyce is someone I coached with USA Basketball," Taylor said. "Fortunately and unfortunately, I knew exactly what she was capable of. She is someone who can score at all three levels."
The first half bled into the second as another dry spell, this one 5:09 in length, added to the flawed offensive performance. On the defensive end, there was no stopping South Carolina as one of three unanswered runs allowed the margin of victory to swell to as many as 49.
A&M brought the deficit back to 41 with 22 fourth-quarter points, five of which came from Solè Williams. The sophomore registered a team-high 10 points, going 4-of-15 from the field and 2-for-6 from behind the arc.
As A&M's third straight top-25 opponent, the Aggies are in the heat of a brutal stretch.
However, that is life in the SEC.
A&M faces its fourth-ranked opponent in 11 days when traveling to Norman to take on No. 10 Oklahoma.
Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. CT.