GREENVILLE, S.C. – A valiant effort by the Texas A&M women's basketball team came up shy in Friday's 79-68 loss to the No. 1 South Carolina Gamecocks in SEC Tournament quarterfinal action inside Bon Secours Wellness Arena.
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The Aggies' (19-12) defense forced a season-high 24 turnovers by South Carolina (30-0), keyed by Aicha Coulibaly's game-high three steals.
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Coulibaly also led all scorers in the game with her career high and Aggie SEC Tournament record 32 points. She hit 8-of-16 from the field, including 3-of-4 from 3-point range, and 13-of-15 from the charity stripe. Coulibaly pulled down six rebounds with five on the offensive glass.
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Lauren Ware added 10 points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots. Meanwhile, playing back-to-back days after missing the six prior contests due to injury, Endyia Rogers posted seven points, four assists, two rebounds and a steal in 24 minutes. Janiah Barker also added 11 points.
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The Aggies played hounding defense in the first quarter, inducing 10 turnovers by the Gamecocks. South Carolina tried to pull way, building a 12-6 lead at the midway point of the period, but the Maroon & White responded with 3-pointers by Barker and Bowles during an 8-2 run to trim the deficit to one point. The Gamecocks went into the first break with a 16-13 advantage.
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Coulibaly and Ware opened the second quarter with baskets as the Aggies staked claim to a 17-16 edge at the 8:46 mark. The whistles were unkind to the Aggies the rest of the half with South Carolina going 6-of-6 on foul shots while the Maroon & White received no trips to the charity stripe. The disparity sparked a 17-5 surge by the Gamecocks to close out the half and Carolina led 33-22 at the intermission.
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The Aggies' third quarter offensive arsenal was buoyed by Coulibaly scoring A&M's last 13 points, including 7-of-8 from the charity stripe. The Gamecocks opened a 49-35 advantage, their biggest lead to that point before Coulibaly went on her four-minute scoring barrage. The burst included scoring the last six points of the quarter, trimming the deficit to 57-48 heading into the final break.
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Still nursing a nine-point lead, South Carolina went on a 10-1 run to stretch its advantage to 71-53 with 4:17 remaining in the game. Coulibaly continued to battle with 11 points in the final three minutes of the game, including two long distance field goals.
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Up Next
The Aggies will await selection Sunday on March 17 to learn their postseason fate. The selection show begins at 7 p.m. on ESPN.
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POSTGAME NOTES
RECORDS & SERIES NOTES
TEAM NOTES
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
Aicha Coulibaly
Follow the Aggies
Visit for more information on Texas A&M women's basketball. Fans can keep up to date with the A&M women's basketball team on Facebook, Instagram/Threads and X by following @AggieWBB.
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The Aggies' (19-12) defense forced a season-high 24 turnovers by South Carolina (30-0), keyed by Aicha Coulibaly's game-high three steals.
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Coulibaly also led all scorers in the game with her career high and Aggie SEC Tournament record 32 points. She hit 8-of-16 from the field, including 3-of-4 from 3-point range, and 13-of-15 from the charity stripe. Coulibaly pulled down six rebounds with five on the offensive glass.
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Lauren Ware added 10 points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots. Meanwhile, playing back-to-back days after missing the six prior contests due to injury, Endyia Rogers posted seven points, four assists, two rebounds and a steal in 24 minutes. Janiah Barker also added 11 points.
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The Aggies played hounding defense in the first quarter, inducing 10 turnovers by the Gamecocks. South Carolina tried to pull way, building a 12-6 lead at the midway point of the period, but the Maroon & White responded with 3-pointers by Barker and Bowles during an 8-2 run to trim the deficit to one point. The Gamecocks went into the first break with a 16-13 advantage.
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Coulibaly and Ware opened the second quarter with baskets as the Aggies staked claim to a 17-16 edge at the 8:46 mark. The whistles were unkind to the Aggies the rest of the half with South Carolina going 6-of-6 on foul shots while the Maroon & White received no trips to the charity stripe. The disparity sparked a 17-5 surge by the Gamecocks to close out the half and Carolina led 33-22 at the intermission.
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The Aggies' third quarter offensive arsenal was buoyed by Coulibaly scoring A&M's last 13 points, including 7-of-8 from the charity stripe. The Gamecocks opened a 49-35 advantage, their biggest lead to that point before Coulibaly went on her four-minute scoring barrage. The burst included scoring the last six points of the quarter, trimming the deficit to 57-48 heading into the final break.
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Still nursing a nine-point lead, South Carolina went on a 10-1 run to stretch its advantage to 71-53 with 4:17 remaining in the game. Coulibaly continued to battle with 11 points in the final three minutes of the game, including two long distance field goals.
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Up Next
The Aggies will await selection Sunday on March 17 to learn their postseason fate. The selection show begins at 7 p.m. on ESPN.
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POSTGAME NOTES
RECORDS & SERIES NOTES
- Texas A&M is now 4-12 all-time versus South Carolina and 1-1 against the Gamecocks in the SEC Tournament.
- Joni Taylor's career record falls to 168-107 all-time and to 3-2 in the SEC Tournament at Texas A&M.
TEAM NOTES
- The Aggies forced a season-high 24 turnovers from the Gamecocks, including 10 in the first quarter.
- The Maroon & White are 14-11 all-time in the SEC Tournament.
- The Aggies had both Barker and Rogers healthy for the 23rd game this season. The Aggies are 17-6 in those games and 2-6 without Rogers or Barker in the lineup.
- Tied for the fifth-lowest margin of victory for No. 1 South Carolina this season.
- Texas A&M began with a starting lineup of Kay Kay Green, Janiah Barker, Aicha Coulibaly, Sahara Jones and Lauren Ware for the sixth time this season (2-5).
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
Aicha Coulibaly
- Posted a career-high and A&M record for the SEC Tournament with 32 points.
- Became the first player to score 30-or-more points in a game since Kayla Wells poured in 30 against Arkansas on Feb. 3, 2022.
- Had the most free throws made in a game by an Aggie player since Chennedy Carter knocked down 14 at Tennessee on Feb. 16, 2020.
- Recorded three-or-more steals for the 16th time this season.
Follow the Aggies
Visit for more information on Texas A&M women's basketball. Fans can keep up to date with the A&M women's basketball team on Facebook, Instagram/Threads and X by following @AggieWBB.