Texas A&M women defeat Mississippi State in SEC Tournament for second straight season

0:55

9-seed Aggies' explosive second half eliminates 8-seed MS State

Led by Aicha Coulibaly, Texas A&M earns the 72-56 SEC tourney second-round victory, outscoring the Bulldogs 26-14 in the third quarter.

Updated: Mar 7, 2024, 07:09 pm

GREENVILLE, S.C. -- — Aicha Coulibaly scored 17 points, Janiah Barker added 15 points and nine rebounds and ninth-seeded Texas A&M defeated eighth-seeded Mississippi State 72-56 on Thursday in the second round of the SEC Tournament.

The Aggies (19-11) beat the Bulldogs (21-11) in the tournament for the second season in a row. Texas A&M advances to play the nation's top-ranked team, South Carolina, in Friday's quarterfinals. The Gamecocks won the regular-season meeting 99-64.

The Bulldogs, who beat the Aggies 76-63 in February, lost their opening game of the tournament for the fourth straight season.

Endyia Rogers added 12 points for the Aggies, who never trailed and broke the game open by outscoring the Bulldogs 26-14 in the third quarter behind 56% shooting, led by Barker's eight points.

Both teams shot just 31% in the first half with the Aggies using their advantage on the glass to grind out a 25-21 lead. They finished with a 40-32 rebounding edge.

Jessika Carter and Darrione Rogers scored 12 points each for the Bulldogs.

---- Get alerts and updates on AP Top 25 basketball throughout the season. Sign up here ------ AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball