Aggies Host Athletes In Action in Exhibition Hoops Sunday
Nov 11, 2005 | Women's Basketball
November 11, 2005
The Texas A&M women?™s basketball team will play its final exhibition game as Athletes In Action visit Sunday at 4:15 p.m. at Reed Arena.
The Aggies dropped their first exhibition game last Monday when a team of professionals called Everyone?™s Internet rallied from a 13-point deficit to win, 75-73.
Despite the exhibition loss, A&M coach Gary Blair saw some good things from his team.
?Morenike (Atunrase) can definitely play the perimeter,? Blair said of Morenike Atunrase?™s recent position change.?
Atunrase, the Big 12 Freshman of the Year last season, scored 21 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, and seven steals.
Blair noted the play of his point guards and the solid job his freshmen did in the first exhibition game.
?I think our point guards need to make better decisions and they are capable of doing that,? Blair said. ?The freshman that played did a lot of good things. They made the most of their minutes. We looked like we were as physically strong as the team we were playing.?
Blair played four true freshmen in the game and started La Toya Micheaux at the post position. Takia Starks and Danielle Gant each played 20 minutes, but Blair wants to play his other freshmen and while giving all the newcomers more minutes.
?I want to be able to play more players in more minutes? Blair said. ?This will give us our last look before the first game.?
A new point of emphasis for officials this season is the inability for players to use their forearm as a defensive technique. This is used most often by post players for positioning. Foul trouble cost the Aggies?™ post players Micheaux and junior transfer Lenka Zimova valuable minutes and Blair said his players will need to adjust to the way the games will be officiated.
?We need to continue to adjust to the new defensive rules in the paint,? Blair said. ?We?™ve worked on it in practice and everybody in the country is dealing with the same issues. It might take a month or so to adjust to how the games will be called.
?I want to see my big kids work in the paint without all the fouls that were called in the last game. That first game was a lot like a Big 12 opponent. They had good size and ability. It?™s what we see in our league every night.?
Athletes in Action is a Christian-based organization providing athletes an opportunity to compete after their college eligibility has passed or while their professional careers are in the off-season. They have competed this month against a variety of opponents throughout the southeast.
?I?™ve played Athletes in Action probably 15 of the last 17 years,? Blair said. ?I appreciate what these young ladies are doing by traveling the country and witnessing through basketball. They take time away from their jobs to play basketball at a very low per diem.?
Admission is free for fans donating a spare coat or blanket to the Athletic Department's annual coat drive. The drive benefits Twin City Missions in Bryan. Aggie Athletes Involved will be accepting the items at the main entrance at Reed Arena.
Blair?™s Kids Court will open at 3 p.m. in the practice gym.
Tickets for the game can be purchased by calling the Athletic Ticket Office at 979-845-2311 or on-line at AggieAthletics.com.
