Ny’Ceara Pryor scores 25 and sets an SEC Tournament steal record, but Texas A&M women’s basketball falls to Auburn on a last-second bucket.
Texas A&M women’s basketball saw its SEC Tournament hopes disappear in brutal fashion Wednesday night.
Auburn stunned the Aggies with a last-second basket to escape with a 50-49 victory in the opening round of the SEC Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena, wasting a spectacular individual performance from Texas A&M star Ny’Ceara Pryor.
Pryor delivered one of the most electric outings of the Aggies’ season. The dynamic guard poured in a season-high 25 points on 9-of-17 shooting while also stuffing the stat sheet with four assists and six steals.
Her six steals set a Texas A&M program record for a single SEC Tournament game and repeatedly disrupted Auburn’s offense throughout the night.
Still, the Aggies (14-12, 7-9 SEC) couldn’t quite finish the job.
The game opened as a defensive slugfest, with Auburn jumping ahead early before Pryor began asserting herself offensively. Texas A&M trimmed the deficit to one point by the end of the first quarter and briefly grabbed control midway through the second after Pryor knocked down a clutch three-pointer to push the Aggies ahead 16-13.
Auburn answered with a strong closing stretch before halftime, reclaiming momentum and carrying a 23-21 lead into the break despite Pryor’s 12-point first half.
The Tigers continued to apply pressure coming out of halftime, stretching their advantage to seven points late in the third quarter. But Texas A&M refused to fold.
Emerald Parker sparked the Aggies with a burst that helped erase most of the deficit, and Pryor delivered one of the night’s most jaw-dropping plays moments later. With the shot clock winding down, she launched a deep, off-balance three that somehow dropped through the net, tying the game and igniting the Aggies’ bench.
Momentum shifted again early in the fourth quarter when Lemyah Hylton drilled a 3-pointer and quickly added another basket, pushing Texas A&M back in front.
From there, the teams traded tense possessions down the stretch. With just 11 seconds remaining, Janae Kent calmly stepped to the line and knocked down two free throws to give the Aggies a 49-48 edge.
But Auburn had one final response.
The Tigers raced up the floor and converted a game-winning shot in the closing seconds, sending Texas A&M home from the SEC Tournament in heartbreaking fashion.
Despite the loss, Pryor’s historic defensive performance and scoring explosion stood out as one of the tournament’s most memorable individual efforts.