Texas A&M women’s basketball fell short of making the second round of the SEC Tournament Wednesday after losing to Auburn, 50-49.
Aggies point guard Ny’Ceara Pryor led the way with 25 points on 9-of-17 shooting from the field and a program-record six steals in a conference game. Forward Janae Kent sunk two free throws to take the lead with 11 seconds on the clock, but Auburn had enough time to drain a game-winning jumper.
Article continues below this ad
Texas A&M head coach Joni Taylor disputes a call during the Lone Star Showdown against the Texas Longhorns at the Moody Center on Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026 in Austin.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
A&M (14-12, 7-9 SEC) beat the Tigers 81-63 when they played Feb. 15 in College Station. It was part of a strong 6-1 end-of-season push with victories over ranked teams such as Alabama, Tennessee and Ole Miss. A&M improved from last season, when it won just three games in SEC play and 10 wins all season.
“I still think that with everything’s that happened, we’re an NCAA Tournament team,” head coach Joni Taylor said postgame.
With basketball over, the Aggies have many months to prepare for the 2026-27 season.
Article continues below this ad
MORE: New-look starting lineup leads Texas A&M to key win over Kentucky ahead of SEC Tournament
What will happen with Fatmata Janneh?
The junior forward transferred to A&M after two seasons at Saint Peter’s. She finished the season with 257 rebounds and 302 points and 11 blocks, leading the Aggies in total rebounds and 3-point percentage (.345). The Londoner played just 19 minutes against Auburn before going down with a knee injury. She returned to the court on crutches and the severity of the injury is not yet know.
Article continues below this ad
“She went into halftime obviously, saw the doctor and came back out, but I don’t have an update right now,” head coach Joni Taylor said postgame.
Texas Longhorns guard Ashton Judd (21) shoots the ball over Texas A&M forward Fatmata Janneh (44) during the Lone Star Showdown at the Moody Center on Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026 in Austin.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
Janneh had double-doubles in the last five games of the regular season and was a big presence in the paint that complimented center Lauren Ware. How the Aggies will adjust to Janneh’s injury is yet to be determined because Ware will graduate and no one on the roster can match her production. The Aggies may push for sophomore center Emerald Parker into Ware’s role, but A&M still lacks experienced bigs.
Texas A&M women’s program slowly growing
Last season was probably one of A&M’s worst seasons in history. The Aggies finished 16th-place with 13 SEC losses. They didn’t win any of their nine road games and lost 11 straight to end the season.
Article continues below this ad
MORE: How well did top Texas A&M players Cashius Howell, Will Lee III do at the NFL Combine?
But A&M improved to a 14-win season and won seven games in conference play in 2025-26, three of them against ranked teams. Some early season wins included a 77-72 win over Kansas State and a 59-46 victory over Colorado. Taylor just finished her fourth season at A&M and is 52-64 leading the Aggies. Despite leading the Aggies to a better record, there has been some fan chatter abut the team moving on from Taylor. No public update has been given about her status.
After a strong string of transfers, who will come to College Station next?
Last offseason, only two Aggies decided to return for another year: Ware and Janea Kent. Excluding freshmen, that means seven new faces joined the Aggies. With a team decorated with transfers, the Aggies built a roster to improve on last year’s horrific season.
Article continues below this ad
Texas A&M head coach Joni Taylor instructs guard Ny’Ceara Pryor in the first half of a game against Kansas State at Bramlage Coliseum on Nov. 16, 2025 in Manhattan, Kan.
Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images
A&M signed two four-star recruits in point guard Rieyan DeSouze from DeSoto and forward Jayda Porter from Columbia, Miss. The Aggies had success picking up players from the portal. Janneh, Pryor (Sacred Heart), Jordan Webster (Kansas) and Lemyah Hylton (Miami played integral roles.
It looks like Taylor will have to dip into the portal again. Webster is a graduate student and won’t return while Hylton and and Pryor could take a fifth year if they choose to.
What happens if the Aggies play again?
Taylor said that her Aggies are “an NCAA Tournament team” after A&M’s loss Wednesday to Auburn. But will she settle for the WNIT?
Article continues below this ad
“Absolutely. We will play postseason basketball. This team deserves that,” she said.
ESPN bracketologist Charlie Creme surmised that the Aggies were close, but couldn’t quite make it into her 68-team bracket. A&M is considered a Next Four Out team or a team ranked 73-76 to miss the bracket.
The Aggies may be down one of their star players, but they can use the WNIT to push opponents by experimenting with the lineup and seeing who will step up as leaders for A&M next year, if they decide to return.
Article continues below this ad