Fourth-quarter comeback keeps A&M's postseason dreams alive

Game #24: Texas A&M 68, Mississippi State 64
Records: Texas A&M (13-11, 6-9), Mississippi State (18-11, 5-10)
Box Score

The Aggies capped off February with their fourth straight win.

Texas A&M (13–11, 6–9 SEC) outlasted Mississippi State (18–11, 5–10 SEC) 68-64 in a physical, back-and-forth battle in the regular-season home finale on Thursday night.

It was a dog-fight for the full 40 minutes. Both teams headed into the contest 5-9 in SEC play. Both teams are on the NCAA Tournament bubble, and both teams knew what was on the line.

“That is an NCAA tournament team, and so are we,” A&M head coach Joni Taylor said. “You saw two teams that knew what was at stake, and they fought their hearts out.”

The Aggies came out sharp, building an 11-2 lead in the opening five minutes. However, as things seemed to be heating up for the Ags, things cooled down.

A&M went more than eight minutes without a field goal, allowing Mississippi State to respond with a 17-2 run that stretched into the second quarter.

The Bulldogs capitalized on the momentum swing, and the teams went into halftime deadlocked at 25-25.

Bella Costello, TexAgs

Thursday’s win marked Texas A&M’s first victory against Mississippi State at Reed Arena since January 17, 2021.

In the third quarter, the game appeared to tilt toward the visitors as Mississippi State pushed its lead to nine late in the period.

Freshman Madison Francis paced the Bulldogs with 19 points and nine rebounds, including 11 points in the third quarter alone, to extend the lead to five to start the fourth.

“Francis is a name you’re going to be calling for a long time,” Taylor said. “As a freshman, she is so fun to watch. We knew the ball was going to go to her hands.”

Francis and the rest of Sam Purcell’s team attacked the paint, outscoring the Aggies by 10 in that regard. The Bulldogs also quadrupled the Aggies in offensive rebounding.

But the fourth quarter belonged to A&M.

Ny’Ceara Pryor, Fatmata Janneh and Salese Blow combined for 23 of the Aggies’ 27 fourth-quarter points.

Pryor ignited the rally with nine points in the first four minutes of the period, forcing the Bulldogs to tighten defensively. That shift opened opportunities for Blow late, and she did not disappoint.

“I am so proud of [Blow],” said Pryor. “She let her defense turn into her offense, and she just started scoring. It was a great job.”

Pryor led the team with 16 and 11 assists. Janneh contributed 15 points, and Janae Kent added 11. However, Blow’s nine were the most important.

The “Bo Bo Show” was in full effect. Blow scored six of A&M’s final eight points, sealing the win and sending the crowd home happy in the final home game of the season.

The victory marks four straight for the Aggies, who are playing their best basketball at the right time.

“This is when you want to do it,” said Blow. “For it to be coming together when the stakes are getting even higher, it is the best feeling.”

With the SEC Tournament looming and postseason implications still in play, A&M has one regular-season test remaining as the Aggies travel to Oxford on Sunday to face No. 19 Ole Miss at 2 p.m. CT.

“They are a top-25 team, and we are going to their home court, in hostile territory,” said Taylor. “They are athletic, they shoot it and drive it well. We will have our hands full.”

A&M leaves Reed Arena with momentum and one more opportunity to strengthen its postseason resume.