In the wake of a 39-point loss on Feb. 17 to then-No.18 Alabama, Texas A&M women’s basketball was outmatched in a 74-52 home loss to Florida, ensuring the first losing season since 2023.
Florida struck first after a back-and-forth exchange of defensive rebounds when senior center Ra Shaya Kyle took care of a soft interior defense to drop down the game’s first two baskets. The Aggies’ redshirt senior forward Lauren Ware had something to say in response and imposed her will with a strong presence under the rim. Ware’s two rebounds and four points in the first quarter ensured coach Joni Taylor’s crew stayed competitive in their first 10 minutes of action.
Sophomore guard Solè Williams made her mark behind the arc yet again, netting the Maroon and White’s only 3-point shot in the first half. The Cincinnati product has led the Aggies in scoring four out of the last seven games since redshirt senior G Aicha Coulibaly’s season-ending injury. Unfortunately for Williams, her second-quarter jump shot would be the last time she’d score until the three-minute mark of the fourth quarter.
Graduate G Sahara Jones’ gritty effort in a supporting role was exemplified by a hard-fought layup in the first quarter, pushing through contact to give the Aggies an 11-6 edge as defense remained the identity of this Taylor-coached unit.
However, the Gators would not back down so easily, as second-chance points and turnovers allowed the visitors from Gainesville, Florida to seize the lead again on the back of a 3-point basket by senior G Jeriah Warren.
The Aggies were behind 17-13 by the end of the first quarter, though they had competed strongly through three lead changes during that span.
A&M made a point to flip the script at the beginning of the second quarter as graduate F Amirah Abdur-Rahim and Williams brought the offense a spark. Their efforts, however, were hamstrung by a lackluster defense against Florida’s jump shots. Just as quickly as the Aggies evened the score, they found themselves down multiple possessions thanks to a lack of offensive rebounds.
The struggles only continued as Florida’s scoring run grew to a staggering 21-0, encapsulating all that A&M has struggled with since the loss of Coulibaly: consistent offense and proactive defense.
In their nine-minute scoring drought, the Fightin’ Farmers couldn’t generate the explosiveness necessary to break through the Gators’ defense. In danger of its seventh straight double-digit loss, A&M took a 39-17 deficit into halftime, desperate to find answers to the struggles keeping it in check.
“It is about focusing on the next best action, or NBA,” redshirt junior F Jada Malone said. “You can’t change what you did in the past, so you have to go back out there and give it your best effort given the situation.”
The third quarter finally saw the Maroon and White get more points on the board, as Ware’s two layups provided a glimmer of hope to the ailing Aggies. Jones chipped in with another tough trip to the basket, snagging her own rebound after a missed and-one shot to notch a four-point play.
“We responded, but we got to learn how to respond in the moment rather than just letting it get to us,” Taylor said. “We weren’t able to get set because of the speed they had in transition. Their paint points to ours was a huge discrepancy.”
With the visitors’ lead standing at 59-37 in the waning minutes of the third period, the threat of a seventh conference loss loomed close on the horizon.
The fourth quarter became a spot for moral victories as the game increasingly slipped out of reach for A&M, with Malone performing the best on both ends of the ball. Her seven rebounds were a team-best. Jones ended the game as the Aggies’ third-leading scorer with 10 points, while Ware increased her point total to 11 as the game drew toward its end.
What could perhaps be called a moral defeat was a late double technical foul called on the court that resulted in almost six minutes of added stoppage time. The aftermath was a series of four Williams free throws.
But when all was said and done, the Maroon and White were unable to respond to Florida’s 21-0 second-quarter run as they fell by 22.
The Aggies return to action on Feb. 23 in a road battle against Mississippi State.
