SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

March 4, 2026

Joni Taylor

Ny'Ceara Pryor

Bon Secours Wellness Arena

Texas A&M Aggies

Postgame Press Conference

Auburn-50, Texas A&M-49

THE MODERATOR: Head Coach Taylor, you're welcome to have an opening comment.

JONI TAYLOR: Credit Auburn. They came out and played really hard and just did an excellent job on both sides of the basketball tonight. I think that for us we have done a tremendous job this month, and I still think that with everything that's happened, we were an NCAA Tournament team.

We'll go back home and regroup. We have regrouped and recovered and responded to everything that we've seen this year, and we're going to do the same thing now.

Obviously not happy with the loss, but another opportunity for us to go back home and get better and grow from it.

THE MODERATOR: Questions for the student-athlete Pryor there, Ny'Ceara Pryor.

Q. Obviously a tough way to end things here. I guess just over this last couple of weeks where you were on this winning streak, what did you see in this team that made that happen and made that work and put you guys in position to where you are now where you might be a postseason team?

NY'CEARA PRYOR: Yeah, we talk about our response, and this month, again, has been one of the best months that we've had. Our response has been good. Again, one game doesn't determine the type of team that we are. Everybody have bad days, bad nights.

Credit to Auburn. They did a very good job with their game plan, but I still think we're a tournament team. It's just kind of like a wait and see. I still believe in this team, and that's what got us here in the first place was our fight.

I think that we just got to keep fighting.

Q. I am regretfully unfamiliar with your game, and I am wildly a huge fan now. What goes through your head when you are going for these blocks and you're out there commanding the floor and leading this team the way that you do?

NY'CEARA PRYOR: I mean, yeah, one of the reasons why I came to Texas A&M was to run the show and be a point guard. I think the belief that the coaches, that my teammates have had in me over the last year has just been something that I couldn't ask for better. So I think for me it's just, like, having -- them having the confidence in me. I have the confidence in myself to just go out there and just run the show.

THE MODERATOR: That was a season-high 25 points for Ny. Thank you very much, Ny. Now, questions for Coach Taylor.

Q. Joni, the SEC is so deep that you're going to take losses in this conference. When you say that you believe you're a tournament team, what aspect of your résumé should really stand out to the committee?

JONI TAYLOR: Thank you for asking that question. Our strength of schedule is No. 4 in the country. When you look at the WAB, the WAB, we're two points higher than anybody else that sits on that. The committee takes into consideration how you're playing lately. I think that speaks for itself.

Our non-conference schedule keeps coming into question. We had some teams that dropped us. We can't control that. The teams that dropped us -- and I don't mean this sarcastically or disrespectfully -- they're Quad 4 teams that we would have beat by 30. Is that what we're going to hold against us? We played Georgia Tech at home and won. We played a really good Colorado team on a neutral court and beat them. We went to Kansas State and beat them on their home court. Played West Virginia at home, and dropped a loss that game, but our non-conference schedule against Quad 1 and Quad 2 opponents speaks for itself.

I think we have done everything that we can do to put ourselves in this position to be a NCAA Tournament team, considering the conference that we're playing in. There should be 12 teams in the NCAA Tournament from the SEC. Thank you for asking that question.

Q. Joni, I was wondering if you just had an update on Janneh and know what her status is or anything?

JONI TAYLOR: I don't. She went in at halftime and saw the doctor and came back out, but I don't have an update right now, no.

Q. Just wanted to ask you, in the event -- I know you really want to play in the NCAA Tournament and you believe you belong there. In the event that you don't hear your name called on Selection Sunday, would you all be open to playing in another tournament, like the WBIT?

JONI TAYLOR: Absolutely. Absolutely, we're going to play post-season basketball. This team deserves that. They've earned the right to do that.

Q. You mentioned you've had to regroup several times this season. What will that look like at this point going into the NCAA Tournament?

JONI TAYLOR: The same way it's looked. We come in every day with fresh eyes, with our heads down, focused on what we need to do to get better. That's what we've done all year long. That's what we'll continue to do.

We'll get an update on Fats and see how she's doing and move our pieces around, rest our bodies and get ready to play basketball.

This team has been tremendous in terms of their response, their resiliency, their belief in each other. We've done nothing but work all year long, have fresh eyes every single day and trust each other.

Q. Unless I'm wrong about your eligibility, I think you only get Ny for this season.

JONI TAYLOR: Yeah. You found a loophole to get her back? Is that what you're about to tell me?

Q. I'll let you know. I was just wondering, this run that you've been on and just if you could speak about what she's meant to your program this year and what she's helped you do.

JONI TAYLOR: I think -- I wish you would have found her earlier. I can't believe you are just now becoming a fan of Ny Pryor. We'll talk about that when I come down these steps.

Her game speaks for itself. What I want to make sure everybody understands about that young lady is that her faith is unbelievably strong. Her heart for people is incredible. Fans love her. When she has off days, she goes to junior high and middle school games and watches the young ladies that come watch us play. She watches their basketball games.

She has a community service initiative back home where she gives over 500 backpacks away to kids in Baltimore and in Maryland. She is incredible.

From a basketball standpoint, what you see is what you get with her. Every single night the game plan is to take Ny away or to stop Ny. I think she's one of the best two-way players in the country, and so I'm excited that she's been able to do what we knew she was capable of doing and that everybody is understanding the power that she has. She's going to be a great professional when she leaves us. Not only because of her talent, but how she operates every single day in everything she does.