Aggies cage Eagles at Raising the B.A.R. Invitational
BERKELEY, Calif. - The Texas A&M women's basketball team posted the largest victory of the Joni Taylor era in an 84-32 victory over Winthrop in the first round of the Raising the B.A.R. Invitational at Haas Pavilion on Friday.
A&M (4-1) was led by Endyia Rogers who lit up the box score from beyond the arc with a season-high four made threes that led to a team-best 16 points. The graduate student also added six assists and registered three steals.
Janiah Barker had 12 points and 11 rebounds for her third-straight double-double of the season. Additionally, Lauren Ware posted 13 points and 11 boards for her third double-double this year. Aicha Coulibaly filled up the stat sheet, as she contributed a career-high five assists, eight rebounds and three blocks.
The Aggies began the game in dominant fashion, stringing together the first 18 points of the ball game. The Eagles were unable to record their first bucket until 1:13 left in the first. A&M would add another five points to the quarter, highlighted by a buzzer-beater by Maliyah Johnson that resulted in a 23-2 first-quarter score. Skip Ad
The second frame was more evenly matched, with A&M outscoring Winthrop (3-3) 14-8 in the quarter to make the halftime score 37-10. Rogers led the halftime scorers with nine points on three deep bombs and Coulibaly had a team-high six rebounds and matched her career best with four assists.
The Aggies stretched the lead in the second half with a quick 16-2 run that led to a 62-22 advantage going into the fourth frame. The final quarter was much of the same for the Aggies, as A&M dominated to finish out the first round of the tournament with the largest victory of the Joni Taylor era, 84-32.
Up Next The Aggies will play for the Raising the B.A.R. Invitational championship on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. CT versus the host California Golden Bears (6-0).
POSTGAME NOTES
- Joni Taylor's career record advances to 153-96 all-time and to 13-21 in her two seasons with the Aggies. The Aggies matched up with Winthrop for the first time ever and are now 1-0 against the Eagles.
- The Aggies gave up just two points in the first quarter, marking the lowest points in a quarter surrendered since Dec. 28, 2020, when they held Northwestern State to only two points as well.
- A&M held the Eagles to 10 points in the first half, the lowest half total given up by the Aggie defense since Nov. 11, 2021, against Southern where they only allowed nine points.
- A&M opened the game on a 15-0 run or better for the second consecutive game.
- The Aggies had two players record double-doubles for the third-consecutive game. A&M is 2-1 in those ballgames.
- The Maroon & White had four players in double figures for points for the third time this season (3-0).
- The Aggie defense surrendered zero made threes for the first time since Dec. 6, 2022, versus Little Rock who went 0-3 from beyond the arc. The Eagles shot 0-15 from deep on their matchup with the Aggies.
- A&M registered the largest victory of the Taylor era for the second straight game, posting a 52-point victory over Winthrop. The previous high was 45 points against HCU.
- Texas A&M began with a starting lineup of Endyia Rogers, Aicha Coulibaly, Sahara Jones, Janiah Barker and Lauren Ware (4-1).
- Janiah Barker recorded a double-double for the third-straight game with 13 points and 11 rebounds.
- Endyia Rogers Led A&M in scoring for the first time this year with a season-high 16 points. Went 4-of-5 from deep, the most threes she has made as an Aggie. Added a season-high six assists.
- Aicha Coulibaly Posted a career-best five assists and matched her career-high with three blocks.
- Lauren Ware Registered her third double-double of the year with 12 points and 11 rebounds. A&M is 3-0 when she gets a double-double.
- Kay Kay Green Led all bench scorers with a season-high seven points.
Up Next ,
The Aggies will play for the Raising the B.A.R. Invitational championship on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. CT versus the host California Golden Bears (6-0).