Pryor posts 24 points in Texas A&M's 77-72 win in the Little Apple
Game #3: Texas A&M 77, Kansas State 72
Records: Texas A&M (3-0, 0-0), Kansas State (3-2, 0-0)
Box Score
This A&M team feels different. The energy, depth and ball movement were crucial for the Maroon & White in the “Little Apple.”
On Sunday afternoon, Texas A&M won in its first road game of the season, led by a star performance by Ny’Ceara Pryor against Kansas State in Manhattan, 77-72.
Facing a Sweet 16 in last year’s NCAA Tournament, the Aggies entered hostile territory with the group of 12 new players after the entirety of the 2024-2025 season was a struggle.
Although the Wildcats also have a roster of nine new players, they are led by 12th-year head coach Jeff Mittie, who ranks in the top 20 among active coaches in NCAA Division I wins. Despite that, A&M only trailed for one minute and didn’t trail after the 5:05 mark in the opening quarter.
“I have a ton of respect for coach [Jeff] Mittie and what he does, the offense he runs, and he puts his players in position,” A&M head coach Joni Taylor said.
A&M’s effort was primarily led by Pryor, who scored 24 points in her first 20-point outburst of the season. She added to that with five rebounds and six assists. Her 14 second-half points helped the Aggies keep the lead late when the Wildcats made a push, even tying the game late in the fourth quarter.
“She really put the team on her back,” Taylor said. “She got to the free-throw line. She made the right decisions, scored the basketball and got it to the right people.”
The bulk of other contributions from the team were from Lauren Ware, Lemyah Hylton, Fatmata Janneh and Jordan Webster.
Ware contributed eight points and seven boards and led the team in combined blocks and steals with three.
As for Hylton and Janneh, each had 10 points in the win, and the latter contributed in crunch time, putting up four of the final seven team points. Janneh shot and made two free throws late to push the lead to four with 24 seconds remaining.
Webster offered a significant boost to the offensive output with nine points, knocking down all three of her 3-point attempts.
Additionally, the Aggies put together their best free-throw shooting game of the season, shooting 13-of-18 at the stripe. Taylor harped on that being a struggle from the season opener when they shot only 52 percent from the line.
“Kansas State dared us to shoot the basketball,” Taylor said. “We just continued to get movement and made a few shots and forced them to come out a little bit. Then we just continued our offense. They were patient. They didn’t settle.”
Sunday, the Aggies put together 12-0 and 15-5 runs to reach a double-digit lead at halftime, 41-28. The Aggies maintained constant control of the lead and the crowd throughout the first two quarters of the game.
However, in the third quarter, the Wildcats cut the deficit to three, with four Wildcats scoring over six points in the quarter. The crowd didn’t really explode until 4:05 in the fourth when Brandie Harrod tied the game with a 3-pointer.
“We knew they were going to come out,” Taylor said. “They are too well coached not to come out and make a run.”
The Aggies snatched the game back in the final few minutes with a 7-2 run to end the game.
“Once we got adjusted, we were much better in the fourth than the third,” said Taylor.
Taylor even discussed how much the effort of the Aggie football team's 27-point comeback win over South Carolina helped fuel her squad.
“Mike Elko has done a tremendous job with that program,” Taylor said. “His energy and leadership just permeate through all of us.”
One big thing for Aggies to get excited about is that this team has found a smart facilitator, quick scoring and an energy boost in Pryor.
“She is dynamic, getting to the rim and finding shots for other people,” Taylor said.
A&M pulled off a hard-fought win, and it is a testament to the roster and chemistry, as Taylor spoke about in the postgame.
“This year’s team fits our style,” Taylor said. “In terms of defensive intensity, we have shooters, players who can play inside... We have three-level scorers. This team, the culture is wonderful, and the chemistry is great.”
This early road win is a good guide for A&M to build on as the Aggies won’t be back inside Reed Arena until Dec. 3.
Additionally, A&M’s next stretch of games is 3,700 miles from College Station in Laie, Hawaii, for the North Shore Showcase. That three-game showcase begins against VCU at 10:30 p.m. CT on Sunday, Nov. 22.
