Despite an encouraging early appearance, Texas A&M's efforts were hampered by a second-quarter injury to Aicha Coulibaly as the Aggies fell to No. 5 LSU on Sunday, 64-51.
With only nine players available at the start of the contest, the Aggies looked for star guard Coulibaly to provide her usual yet necessary output. Aggressive from the jump, Coulibaly was awarded with five trips to the free-throw line, with seven of her 12 points coming from the charity stripe.
Playing toe-to-toe against one of the nation's best offenses, A&M's prime scoring threat kickstarted the initial charge as the Aggies led the majority of the first quarter. After allowing the Tigers to creep back in with a 15-2 second-quarter run, another injury proved costly.
With 1:51 left in the half, Coulibaly landed awkwardly on her right knee, unable to put any pressure on it while being helped to the locker room. She did not return.
It was a devastating blow for the Aggies, yet they continued to fight.
In the second half, freshman Taliyah Parker stepped up to supply some much-needed offense with 10 points in the final frames. Sahara Jones and Solè Williams hit triples to cut into the deficit as LSU's talented tandem of Flau'jae Johnson and Aneesah Morrow heated up.
Johnson poured in 22 points, while Morrow recorded 19.
A&M's veteran duo of Coulibaly and Lauren Ware saw a total of eight minutes in the second half as foul troubles kept Ware sidelined. This forced Jones to play a full 40 minutes for the first time in her career.
Down to just seven available players after Ware fouled out, A&M lacked the bodies to keep up with the Tigers.
Hauling in a ridiculous 30 offensive rebounds, LSU capitalized off of their misses to put up 72 total shots, 21 more than the Aggies. Additionally, a costly 21 turnovers doomed A&M's encouraging first 18 minutes.
Less than 48 hours removed from their heavyweight showdown vs. No. 2 South Carolina, LSU came into the contest on short rest. The defensive style of play favored the Aggies, but the lack of depth prevented execution.
Despite the loss, Texas A&M made strides on Sunday night. In their last three games, the Maroon & White have continued to find ways to punch back when jabs are thrown. Now, they may have to figure out how to do so without Coulibaly.
Up next, the Aggies will continue their stretch on the road, traveling to Arkansas on Thursday for a 6:30 p.m. CT tip.
