Slump continues as Mississippi State hands A&M its seventh straight loss

Down, but never out.

In its sixth game with just seven available players, Texas A&M’s woes on the hardwood did not let up as the Aggies fell to Mississippi State (13-5, 2-3), 60-44, on Sunday afternoon at Reed Arena.

Texas A&M (5-11, 0-6) has faced its share of adversity this season as this is its sixth conference loss and seventh consecutive defeat. Yet, the loss was a noted improvement for coach Joni Taylor’s injury-riddled squad.

“We are definitely getting better day-by-day,” A&M guard McKinzie Green said. “We need the outcome to show it. It will come eventually. That's why we are trusting the process because it's all going to come together.”

The first quarter doomed the Aggies as they were outscored 17-6, and playing catch-up was simply not enough to get the job done. Leading the charge, Kay Kay Green posted a career-high 18 points and shot an astounding 66 percent from the field.

“She was really good," Taylor said of Kay Kay Green’s performance. “Somebody was hounding her all night long, and she was able to run our offense, get us set, score for herself and find her teammates against full-court pressure all night long. That’s not easy to do.”

The Aggies let several miscues steer the beginning of the meeting.

With only six points in the first quarter, their turnover count surpassed it at nine. The Maroon & White also accumulated five fouls in the first quarter, which led A&M in the wrong direction.

A surge from Kay Kay Green midway through the second assisted A&M’s comeback attempt.

However, A&M’s only available forwards — Aaliyah Patty and Jada Malone — found themselves in foul trouble as they racked up three fouls apiece at the half. The Aggies closed the scoring gap to 10 at the break.

“Six points in the first quarter really hurt us,” Taylor said. “It's easy to look at the fourth quarter when we are making a run, but if we handle the pressure better in the first quarter, especially when we knew they were going to give us different looks. We need to handle that better to start the game.”

The Aggies’ defensive hustle held the Bulldogs scoreless until 5:30 in the third, which cut the deficit to five. On the other end, A&M struggled to finish at the rim, shooting 18.2 percent from the field in the third. Although the Aggies chipped the lead down to five, Mississippi State found its groove to end the half and earn the win.

Despite the prolonged swell of losses, Taylor remains proud of the tenacity of her squad.

“If you quit, you won't get what you want,” Taylor said. “If you get knocked down, you have to get back up. You have to keep standing. We may not get the result you want today, Thursday, Sunday, I don't know. But if we continue to do the right thing, it's coming.”

In search of their first conference win, the Aggies will head to Tuscaloosa, AL, for their next test with Alabama on Thursday, Jan. 19, at 6 p.m. CT.

“This is a team that has no SEC experience,” Taylor said. “None. You either have freshmen on the floor or returners who didn't play last year. It’s trial by fire.”

The fire may keep growing right before A&M’s eyes, but the Aggies won’t allow it to burn their optimism away.