Credit to Brandon Collins | Associate Director, Athletics Communications
BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The Texas A&M women’s basketball team ran its win streak to seven games with Saturday’s 67-36 triumph over the Robert Morris Colonials inside Reed Arena.
The Aggies improved to 9-1 on the season, matching their win total from last season (9-20). The seven-game victory run is the longest for Texas A&M since starting the 2021-22 season with eight consecutive wins.
The Maroon & White pounded the boards, outrebounding the Colonials 53-26. It marked the Aggies’ third time owning a 20-plus rebound advantage this season. Texas A&M earned a 42-10 edge in points in the paint.
Aicha Coulibaly logged a game-high 16 points to go with eight rebounds, three steals, two assists and two blocks. She nailed 7-of-11 (63.6%) from the field.
Lauren Ware registered her sixth double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Maliyah Johnson logged seven points and seven rebounds in just 16 minutes on the court. Endyia Rogers posted eight points, five assists and three rebounds.
Robert Morris (3-6) hit a couple 3-pointers early to stay in the fray, with the second trey putting the Colonials ahead 10-6 at the 6:50 mark. Five different Aggies found the scoring column over the next 3:43 to fuel a 10-0 run. The Maroon & White used a 10-0 advantage in points in the paint to build the 17-12 cushion after one quarter.
The Aggies scored the first six points out of the break to inflate the cushion to 23-12. The Texas A&M defense held the Colonials to 3-of-12 (75.0%) shooting in the second quarter and A&M outscored RMU 15-7 in the quarter to mount a 32-19 advantage going into the locker room.
Coulibaly was the driving force behind the first half success, registering 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field to go with five rebounds, three steals, two assists and two steals.
Texas A&M held Robert Morris to single digits in the scoring column again in the third quarter to stretch the lead to 47-25 heading into the last intermission. The Aggies dominated the glass in the quarter with a 15-5 rebounding margin.
The Aggies slowly stretched the gap out to the 31 points at the final whistle, including outscoring the Colonials 11-1 in the final 3:13.
Up Next
The Aggies take eight days off before returning to the court on Dec. 18 to take on Mississippi Valley State at 7 p.m. inside Reed Arena.
POSTGAME NOTES
RECORDS & SERIES NOTES
This is the first time Texas A&M and Robert Morris have met and the Aggies are now 1-0 versus the Colonials.
Joni Taylor’s career record advances to 158-96 all-time and to 18-21 in her two seasons with the Aggies.
TEAM NOTES
The Maroon & White extend their winning streak to seven games, the longest streak since a nine-game run at the start of the 2021-22 season. The Aggies have outscored their opponents by an average of 29.9 points during the streak.
The Aggies held the Colonials to just 19 points on 7-25 (28%) shooting in the first half, the second lowest an opponent has scored in the first half against A&M this season behind a 10-point first half against Winthrop on Nov. 11, 2023.
The Aggies matched their win total from last season (9) just 10 games into the 2023-24 campaign.
Texas A&M finished the game holding the Colonials to only 26% (13-50) shooting from the field and 21.7% (5-23) from beyond the arc. This marks the fourth time this season the Aggies have held an opponent to less than 30% shooting.
The Maroon & White outscored Robert Morris in the paint by 32 points (42-10), the largest margin of the season.
The Aggies did not allow any Colonials to score in double-figures, the second time this season Texas A&M has done so (Winthrop – Nov. 25, 2023).
Texas A&M outrebounded Robert Morris by 27 (53-26), the second highest rebounding difference of the season behind a 29 rebound (52-23) advantage versus HCU on Nov. 20, 2023. This is the third time this season the Aggies have outrebounded a team by 20-plus boards.
Texas A&M only allowed seven points in the second quarter and six in the third, making eight times this season the Maroon & White have held an opponent to less than 10 points in a quarter.
Texas A&M began with a starting lineup of Endyia Rogers, Aicha Coulibaly, Sahara Jones, Janiah Barker and Lauren Ware. (9-1)
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
Lauren Ware
Recorded her sixth double-double of the season with 11 points on 4-7 (57.1%) shooting and a team-high 10 rebounds.
Tied her career high in steals with three.
Aicha Coulibaly
Led the Aggie offense with a team-best 16 points on 7-11 (63.6%) shooting from the field and also grabbed eight boards.
Tied her season-high in steals with three and added two blocks.
MJ Johnson
Led the Aggies in scoring off the bench with seven points on 3-4 (75%) shooting.
Recorded a season-high in rebounds with seven.
Vanessa Saidu
Recorded a season-high six points on 2-3 (66.7%) shooting in just four minutes off the bench.
Endyia Rogers
Recorded five assists, her fifth game this season with 5-or-more assists.
POSTGAME QUOTES
Head Coach Joni Taylor
On Aicha Coulibaly’s work ethic…
“She is one of the hardest workers and sets the tone for everything that we do. She is consistently at the gym either before or after practice and continuously plays with a high motor. That leadership allows other plays to jump on the same train and it has been an encouraging thing to see.”
On the message to the team for Mississippi Valley State….
“We are in the middle of finals, so it’s that time to get off your feet and study. We take care of business academically and finish the semester strong. After, we will come back and practice and make sure we are taking the next step and moving the needle in the right direction.”
Senior Guard Aicha Coulibaly
On matching win total from last season…
“It feels amazing, and it is why we were recruited here. We are helping her (Joni Taylor) build this program to where it was before. We have tough battles coming in the SEC and we have to keep our momentum and win more games.”
Redshirt Junior Forward Lauren Ware
On looking toward the next game…
‘We need to work on our execution and adjusting quickly during the games. You can practice as much as you want, but during games, we need to be able to make adjustments quickly. I believe that is something that will come with more practice and more time playing with each other.”