Pryor, Janneh help A&M end 697-day SEC road drought at Florida
Game #12: Texas A&M 74, Florida 66
Records: Texas A&M (8-4, 1-2), Florida (12-6, 0-3)
Box Score
Responded right.
After a brutal second-half dry spell doomed Texas A&M's last lead on the road, the Aggies managed to hold on and beat Florida on Thursday night in Gainesville, 74-66.
Taking a 10-point lead into halftime, A&M looked comfortable, much like their previous outing, which resulted in a 64-56 loss at Georgia.
However, this time around, the Aggies didn't falter in the second half.
Ny'Ceara Pryor and Fatmata Janneh combined for 23 of the Aggies' 25 second-half points to propel the Aggies to their fourth SEC road win in Joni Taylor's four years on campus. The last time the Aggies won an SEC road game was Feb. 11, 2024, at Kentucky.
In the fourth quarter, Florida turned A&M's double-digit gap into just four, but a clutch defensive stop and makes at the free-throw line prevented any more blue and orange momentum.
Prior to the late push from Florida, it was all A&M early on.
A great shooting performance seized control, firing at a 64.7 percent clip in the first quarter.
Janneh accounted for nine of 26 first-quarter points. Off the bench, Pien Steenbergen hit back-to-back 3-pointers to help the lead reach 10.
The early difference came from beyond the arc. A&M knocked down four of its eight first-half 3-pointers, while Florida connected just once.
Both the Aggies and Gators were evenly paced in the second frame, but it was the initial spark that proved to be the X-factor. The visiting squad was outscored in the final two frames, but did just enough to leave the O'Connell Center with a win.
Orchestrating A&M's most consistent performance in the SEC so far, Pryor finished with 18 points, five rebounds, 12 assists and six steals. Janneh accounted for a season- and game-high 22, falling just shy of a double-double.
Janae Kent pitched in nine, while Salese Blow and Steenbergen added eight each. While the depth's impact has been sparse throughout the year, a handful of Aggies put forth several positive minutes.
Plagued by injures in previous seasons, Taylor got 11 players on the floor on Thursday night. A healthy roster will remain key if A&M wants to carry this forward.
Yet, history is at their backs, and the Aggies look to expunge any past frustrations and focus on their pursuit through conference play.
After 697 days without an SEC road win, the Aggies ended the drought and finished on the right side of the scoreboard.
Their next test comes quickly, as No. 7 Vanderbilt comes to College Station for a 2 p.m. CT tip.