A&M continues to fall with grueling 26-point loss to Mississippi State

With only eight players available, eight straight losses are in the books.

On Sunday, Texas A&M (10-16, 3-11 SEC) continues to sink to the bottom of the SEC standings, dropping a contest to Mississippi State (19-8, 6-8 SEC), 81-55.

An uninspiring day capped off a forgetful 0-3 week for Joni Taylor's Aggies, losing by 39 to No. 18 Alabama on Monday, 22 against Florida and 26 to the Bulldogs.

In all three contests, A&M has shown that a shortened bench causes shortcomings. The lackluster outing marked A&M's sixth 20-point loss to an SEC opponent this season, with five coming during the slide and three in six days.

Despite shooting at its highest clip during the slump at 41.7 percent, there was never enough consistent offense to ignite the Aggies.

Early on, it was A&M's errors that contributed to the slight disparity. Lauren Ware's early chance at a three-point play led to a missed free throw. Jada Malone's open look down low was doomed by a traveling call. A&M shot itself in the foot repeatedly yet hung around in the first frame.

Taryn Wright, TexAgs

Lauren Ware scored a season-high 19 points on the afternoon.

Down by one after the break, A&M used a spark from Ware to take a 26-23 lead, but the advantage soon slipped away. Shooting at a 44 percent clip through two quarters, the offense's adequate start was undermined by a 13-2 Mississippi State run to conclude the half.

From there, the Bulldogs surged and never looked back.

The disparity in shot attempts between the SEC foes grew as the home squad scored 27 points in the third quarter and finished with 70 attempts to A&M's 48.

Four Bulldogs registered double-figures, but Debreasha Powe's hot hand from deep led to a team-leading 19-point day for the guard. Madina Okot powered the Bulldogs' efforts inside the paint, logging 16 points.

Ware posted a season-high 19 points for the Aggies, but the lack of possessions never allowed the visitors to creep back in. Sahara Jones poured in 10 points, including three in the final 10 minutes, but A&M was outscored once again in the final frame, 18-16.

After Sunday's setback in Starkville, the Aggies' chances to salvage their season are dwindling away.

A&M will have one final chance to win their first true road game of the year on Thursday, Feb. 27, at Vanderbilt (19-9, 6-6) in Nashville. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. CT.