Arkansas

Aggies use huge second half versus Arkansas to snap two game losing streak

Published

2 years ago

February 22, 2024

Aggies use huge second half versus Arkansas to snap two game losing streak

COLLEGE STATION, Texas — The Aggie bench propelled the Texas A&M women’s basketball team to Thursday evening’s 73-67 victory over the Arkansas Razorbacks inside Reed Arena.

Paced by Solè Williams’ 11 points, the Maroon & White bench outscored the Razorbacks’ reserves 26-2. Williams was 3-of-6 from 3-point range. Sydney Bowles added nine points, including a free throw to ice the game with 12.7 seconds remaining. The bench played a key role in erasing a 14-point deficit early in the second half.

The Aggies needed a strong fourth quarter, nursing a one-point lead heading into the last stanza. Texas A&M (18-8, 6-7 SEC) outscored Arkansas (18-10, 6-7 SEC) out of the break, 10-4, to claim its largest margin of the game, 61-52, with 5:51 remaining.

The Razorbacks were relentless over the next three minutes, using a 13-3 surge to briefly nose ahead, 65-64, with 2:44 left. Sahara Jones hit a 10-footer to give Texas A&M the advantage, 66-65, at the 2:21 mark and the Maroon & White would not trail the rest of the game. Janiah Barker and Kay Kay Green layups stretched the gap to five points and Ol’ Sarge’s charges sank three free throws down the stretch.

Barker registered a career-high 15 rebounds in her eighth double-double of the season. She added 11 points, three rebounds and two steals.

Sahara Jones logged 11 points and seven rebounds, while Aicha Coulibaly stuffed the stats sheet with 11 points, seven rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks. Kay Kay Green added seven points, three rebounds and a season-high five assists.

The Aggies matched a season-high with eight 3-point field goals and their 50.0% (8-of-16) from long range was a best for the campaign. Maroon & White dominated on the boards with a 45-32 rebounding margin.

Texas A&M was up 15-13 after a first quarter in which buckets were hard to come by. The Aggies hit 5-of-20 (25.0%) while Arkansas made 5-of-17 (29.4%). The Maroon & White’s biggest lead was 10-6 following an old-fashioned 3-point play by Aicha Coulibaly at the 3:27 mark. Arkansas responded with a 7-1 surge, staking claim to a 13-11 edge with 77 ticks left in the period. The Aggies closed out the quarter with a layup by Coulibaly and two free throws by Maliyah Johnson.

Texas A&M was outscored 17-5 in the second quarter, going without a field goal the 7:39 of the period. The Razorbacks carried a 30-20 lead into halftime.

Arkansas hit a couple 3-pointers early in the third quarter to inflate it cushion to 36-22. The Aggies responded with a 10-0 burst keyed by an old-fashioned 3-point play and a new wave trifecta by Barker, shaving the deficit to 36-34 at the 6:51 mark. The Maroon & White took the lead, 43-41, five minutes later when Williams nailed a jumper in the lane. The game see-sawed in the waning moments of the quarter before Williams beat the buzzer with a shot beyond the arc to put Texas A&M up 49-48 at the last intermission.

Up Next

The Aggies will return to the hardwood on Sunday, Feb. 25 as they travel to Auburn for a 2 p.m. matchup.

POSTGAME NOTES

RECORDS & SERIES NOTES

Texas A&M is now 16-24 against Arkansas all-time.
Joni Taylor’s career record advances to 167-104 all-time and to 27-28 in her two seasons with the Aggies.

TEAM NOTES

Four Aggies scored in double-digits for the 11th time this season (Barker – 16, Coulibaly – 11, Jones – 11, Williams – 10).
Texas A&M out-rebounded Arkansas 45-32. The Maroon & White are now 14-1 when winning the rebounding battle by 10-or-more.
The Aggies hit eight 3-pointers, tying for their most the season, on a season-best 50.0% shooting from behind the arc.
Scored 29 points in the third quarter, the most the Aggies have scored in a quarter in SEC play and matched their largest scoring quarter of the season against North Texas on Nov. 12, 2023.
Dominated the Razorbacks in scoring off the bench, putting up 26 points compared to only two from Arkansas. The 24-point margin is the Aggies largest this season.
The Maroon & White overcame a 10-point deficit for the first time since a win versus Mississippi State on March 3, 2023.
Held Arkansas to zero fast-break points. The Aggies are 2-0 this season when holding teams to no fast-break points.
The Aggies are now 16-1 this season when leading after the first quarter.
Texas A&M began with a starting lineup of Kay Kay Green, Aicha Coulibaly, Sahara Jones, Janiah Barker and Lauren Ware (1-2).

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

Janiah Barker

Posted a team-high 16 points and grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds.
Recorded her eighth double-double of the season.

Kay Kay Green

Paced the team in assists in with five, tying her season high.

Solè Williams

Led the team in scoring off the bench with 11 points and hit three three-pointers.

Sydney Bowles

Matched her season-high in scoring with nine points off the bench.

POSTGAME QUOTES

Head Coach Joni Taylor

On the 3-point shooting tonight …

“It’s a possibility every night and sometimes it is and sometimes it’s not. I think what really helped us is when we came out in the third quarter and pushed the ball. You know, Janiah got it, pushed it, and made good decisions. She comes down in transition and makes the three. It just opens things up and it takes some pressure off us to have to manufacture points in the half court because of how everybody’s packed the paint. And when we’re knocking threes down, it opens things up.”

On her synopsis of the first half …

“We were taking a lot of jumpers and we only had 10 paint points. That’s not typical of us. And so, that’s our bread and butter when there’s penetration and kick or a high-low, or whatever it is. We weren’t doing the things that we needed to do to have success offensively. Now with that being said, we had 11 offensive rebounds, but we weren’t converting them. We only had six second chance points off of those 11 rebounds. So, I think we just had better shots in the third and fourth quarters, but our pace had a lot to do with that.”

Senior Guard Aicha Coulibaly

On what changed in the first and second halves …

“We were just trying to figure it out and talk to each other. We’re still working on the first and second quarters because they are not our best. But we just came out in the third quarter and punched them in the face. Like I said before, we have to start the game that way and punch other teams first. We have to build that momentum from our third and fourth quarters and take that to Auburn.”

Sophomore Guard Sydney Bowles

On the trust that the team and coaching staff has …

“First of all, I just wanna start off by thanking God. I mean, it’s been tough since we lost a couple of players. But the trust our coaches have in us and that my teammates have has stayed consistent through the ups and downs. We’ve been kind of inconsistent on the court, but the one thing that has stayed is the trust between the staff and players.”

Follow the Aggies

Visit for more information on Texas A&M women’s basketball. Fans can keep up to date with the A&M women’s basketball team on Facebook, Instagram/Threads and X by following @AggieWBB.

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Arkansas

Arkansas driver’s licenses and state IDs now available in Apple Wallet

Published

4 hours ago

June 3, 2026

Press Room

Arkansas driver’s licenses and state IDs now available in Apple Wallet

Arkansans can now present their driver’s licenses and state identification cards on mobile devices using Apple Wallet, state finance officials announced Wednesday.

The Department of Finance and Administration said Arkansans can use Apple Wallet to present their license or ID in person, online and in apps at select organizations, including at more than 250 Transportation Security

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Arkansas

Your Arkansas Driver’s License Can Now Live on Your iPhone

Published

14 hours ago

June 2, 2026

Press Room

Your Arkansas Driver’s License Can Now Live on Your iPhone

IDEMIA Public Security North America and the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration’s Division of Driver Services and Motor Vehicles have launched Arkansas driver’s licenses and state IDs in Apple Wallet, allowing residents to securely store and use their credentials on an iPhone or Apple Watch.

The new feature gives Arkansans the ability to present their identification at participating businesses and venues, at Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoints in more than 250 airports, and online or within apps when age or identity verification is required.

The launch builds on Arkansas’ ongoing efforts to expand digital identification options. In March 2025, the state introduced the Arkansas Mobile ID app, and officials say adding IDs to Apple Wallet offers residents another secure and convenient way to access their credentials.

“We’re proud to build on our partnership with the Arkansas DFA’s Division of Driver Services and Motor Vehicles, expanding on the launch of the Arkansas Mobile ID app in March 2025. The launch of ID in Apple Wallet in the state provides Arkansas residents a new, secure way to store and present their digital credentials, with transparency and control over how their information is shared at the forefront,” said Rob Gardner, CEO, IDEMIA Civil Identity.

To add an Arkansas driver’s license or state ID to Apple Wallet, users can tap the plus sign at the top of the Wallet app on their iPhone, select “Driver’s License or State ID,” and follow the verification process.

Officials say privacy and security were central considerations in the rollout. Information stored in Apple Wallet is encrypted on a user’s device, and users control when and how their information is shared. When presenting an ID, only the information necessary to verify age or identity is provided.

Apple and the Arkansas Division of Driver Services and Motor Vehicles also do not receive information about when or where residents use their digital IDs.

The technology is also designed to make verification easier for businesses. Participating businesses can use IDEMIA’s Mobile ID Verify app to accept and verify mobile IDs directly from an iPhone without requiring customers to hand over their devices or use additional hardware.

The launch marks another step toward broader adoption of digital credentials in Arkansas, giving residents a secure alternative to carrying a physical driver’s license or state ID while maintaining control over their personal information.

For information on the launch of IDs in Apple Wallet in Arkansas, click here.

READ ALSO: Adam O’Neal Stepping into Chancellor Role at UA-EACC

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Arkansas

Arkansas gymnatics coach Chris Brooks completes staff with hiring of Zan Jones | Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Published

1 day ago

June 2, 2026

Press Room

Arkansas gymnatics coach Chris Brooks completes staff with hiring of Zan Jones | Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

New Arkansas gymnastics coach Chris Brooks announced Monday the hiring of Zan Jones to complete his first staff, as well as the promotion of assistants Kyla Ross and Catelyn Branson.

Brooks succeeded his wife, Jordyn Wieber, on April 28 after Wieber stepped down.

Jones joins the Razorback after two seasons as an assistant coach at Texas Woman’s University in Denton, Texas. The Pioneers won back-to-back Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics National Invitational Championship titles in 2025 and 2026 with Jones on staff. He has been named a Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association Division II assistant coach of the year three times, including this spring.

Jones also earned Midwest Independent Conference assistant coach of the year in both of his seasons at Texas Woman’s.

Jones served as the Pioneers’ primary vault and uneven bars coach, and the team set a program record of 49.35 on the bars in March.

An Alabama alumnus, Jones served as a student manager for the Crimson Tide gymnastics team. He served a year at Talladega (Ala.) College in its inaugural season of gymnastics and spent time as a recreational and team coach at Trussville (Ala.) Academy of Gymnastics.

Brooks also promoted both Ross and Branson to the title of associate head coach. Ross, a former UCLA gymnast and Olympic gold medalist as part of Team USA in 2012, started at Arkansas as a volunteer assistant in 2022. Ross helped Arkansas produce program records on the balance beam in back-to-back years before taking over the vault squad, which set a program high 49.675 in 2026.

The Razorbacks ranked as high as No. 2 on the vault last season and were never lower than No. 7. Senior transfer Morgan Price landed the first 10 in school history on the vault in February.

Branson returned to the Arkansas staff ahead of the 2025 season, helping lead the floor squad. In that time, Branson has led the Gymbacks to two of their top five best floor scores ever and Arkansas has been ranked as high as No. 2 in the country on floor in the last two seasons. In 2026, over 60% of the team’s scores on floor were 9.85 or better.

Branson served as Lindenwood’s head coach from 2022-24, where she was named 2024 Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association South Central Region Coach of the Year and the Midwest Independent Conference Coach of the Year. She led the Lions to their second consecutive and fifth overall USAG national championship and seventh MIC title in 2024.

Branson had a prior stint at Arkansas from 2020 to 2022, in which time the Gymbacks ranked as high as third on beam and second on floor.

Tom Murphy

tmurphy@wholehogsports.com

Tom Murphy is a sports reporter for WholeHogSports. A graduate of Louisiana Tech University, he is a member of the Football Writers Association of America and voter for the Heisman Trophy and AP Top 25 football poll. He was voted the 2017 Arkansas Sportswriter of the Year.

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