Aicha Coulibaly, Joni Taylor discuss Endyia Rogers' return, facing No. 1 South Carolina on Friday

Texas A&M kept their NCAA Tournament hopes alive with a 72-56 win over Mississippi State in the second round of the SEC Tournament.

After the win, both Joni Taylor and G Aicha Coulibaly realized the importance of the return of Endyia Rogers in order for them to move on to the quarterfinals.

“We knew from the jump that we need Endyia Rogers from the start,” said Coulibaly in her postgame interview. “Her coming back just gives us a lot of energy. We know what she can do and she showed it on the court today. I’m so proud of her and we’re glad to have her back.”

“I think it speaks volumes, right? I mean we played the last six games without her at a crucial point to close things out. She stretches the floor. She runs it well on offense, getting people open shots. Good pace, a three-level scorer,” Taylor said at the desk on the SEC Network. “When she’s out on the floor, we just have better chemistry and play really well together. We’re happy to have her back.”

Rogers came off the bench and played in her first game since a knee injury and subsequent surgery back in February. In her appearance in Greenville, she scored a dozen points on 5-7 (71.4%) from the field overall, including two of two makes from deep. She also grabbed two rebounds and posted two assists in the 16-point win.

Now, for that victory, Texas A&M will move on to face the top-seeded Gamecocks tomorrow. It could obviously be a massive boost for them if they’re the first team to knock off South Carolina but their preparation over the next 24 hours will have to match the challenge if they are going to pull the massive upset.

“We’ve got a long road ahead, starting tomorrow with No. 1 South Carolina. Very, very dangerous offensively. I didn’t think we were very aggressive the last time we played them. I thought we let them dictate to us. So it starts with having the same mindset on both ends of the basketball,” said Taylor. “Obviously, it’s going to be a tough, tough matchup. That’s why we’re going to go back to the hotel and we’re going to get ready for it now.”

“We’re going to get back. Let them rest a little bit, get off their feet. We’re going to watch film and we’re going to get ready for South Carolina tomorrow,” Taylor said. “The plan is what’s in front of is, which is South Carolina.”