Aggies make SEC history, Bowles leads MS State takedown

GREENVILLE, SC – No. 13 seed Texas A&M defeated No. 5 seed Mississippi State, 79-72, in the second round of the SEC Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on Saturday.

The Bulldogs pulled away early in the first quarter, going on a 7-0 run to build a 14-6 lead. The Aggies tacked on a 3-pointer by Aaliyah Patty and Janiah Barker’s jump shot, 16-11, before Mississippi State continued to pile on the points.

Jessika Carter capped a 5-0 run with a layup and three free throws to widen the gap, 21-11. The Bulldogs took a six-point lead into the second quarter, 25-19, capped by 10 points by Carter in the first quarter.

Texas A & M switched up the pace and controlled the second quarter, starting off with Patty’s jump shot and a 3-pointer by Sydney Bowles to close, 25-24. Jada Malone’s layup gave the Aggies their first lead of the game, 26-25, with more than seven minutes left in the half.

Carter picked up his second foul with 3:27 left in the first quarter. Texas A&M outscored the Bulldogs 13-4 over the next five minutes.

Texas A&M’s new energy powered the Bulldogs with a 12-0 run, extending their lead, 35-25.

However, Mississippi State finally ended the momentum with just 2:17 left in the half as Ramani Parker put one in, chipping away at a 10-point deficit, 35-27.

Ahlana Smith worked to close from the free throw line, but Barker put one more shot in before the halftime buzzer to set the Aggies’ seven-point lead at the end of the first half, 37-30.

The Aggies held the Bulldogs to just five points in the second quarter, the most they have allowed this season while matching the fewest points Mississippi State has scored in a quarter this season.

The third quarter began with a Debreasha Powe 3-pointer before Jordan swiped the ball to set up an uncontested layup, putting the Bulldogs within close range, 37-35.

But the Aggies wouldn’t give up easily, as Bowles’ third 3-pointer capped a 7-0 run and cut the lead to 44-35 with more than half a quarter to play.

A layup by Smith and a pair of free throws by Asiaae Johnson brought the Bulldogs within three, 44-41, but the Aggies would widen the gap again, 49-41. Mississippi State continued to fight back, coming within three again, 49-46, with just 2:28 left in the third quarter.

Bowles remained a threat beyond the arc, draining two more triples just 31 seconds apart, to defend Texas A&M’s lead, 58-51.

After Parker sank a pair of free throws, Tineya Hylton made two layups in the final seconds of the third for the Aggies to take a 62-53 lead into the final quarter.

Mississippi State went on an 11-6 run in the fourth as Carter contributed six to close the gap, 68-64, with 4:43 left to play.

But Bowles couldn’t be stopped, scoring another one from long range to pull the Aggies away, 73-64.

The Bulldogs remained undeterred as Carter, Hayes and Powe each tossed in a layup to come within three, 73-70, with 2:01 remaining.

McKinzie Green put the Aggies down three times before Anastasia Hayes scored Mississippi State’s final points from the free throw line.

Malone’s layup capped Texas A&M’s 79-72 victory over 5-seed Mississippi State to advance in the tournament. The Aggies became the first 13 seed to advance to the SEC quarterfinals.

Mississippi State (20-10, 9-7 SEC) has been eliminated from the tournament.

Until Next Time

13-seed Texas A&M (9-19, 2-14 SEC) will face 4-seed Ole Miss ((22-7, 11-5 SEC) in the quarterfinals of the SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament on Saturday at 2:00 PM ET ).