November 13, 2005
Morenike Atunrase scored 18 points for Texas A&M in a 77-70 women?â„¢s basketball exhibition victory over Athletes in Action Sunday at Reed Arena.
Atunrase, a sophomore from Shreveport, La., also grabbed five rebounds, dished out four assists, had two blocks and recorded a steal.
The Aggies split their two preseason exhibition games. A&M fell to Everyone?â„¢s Internet, 75-73 last week.
?I thought offensively we played better against this team than we did against (Everyone?â„¢s Internet),? A&M coach Gary Blair said. ?We were able to get the ball inside and I thought our three post players played pretty well. It was like a three-headed center. Each of them did some things very well.?
Junior center Lenka Zimova scored 12 second half points and grabbed six rebounds as she connected on 6-of-9 shots while freshman center La Toya Micheaux grabbed five rebounds and blocked a shot.
?When (Lenka) has room to score, she has as good of a shooting touch as anybody,? Blair said. ?I just have to get her more room.?
Pacing the Aggies in nearly every statistical category was freshman forward Danielle Gant. A newcomer from Oklahoma City, Gant scored 16 points, four rebounds, six assists, two steals, and shot 7-of-10 from the field in 28 minutes.
?She just knows how to play,? Blair said. ?She is sort of my Miss Fix-it. Whatever position needs fixing we can put her in. Whether it?â„¢s the five, four, or three, she goes north-south with the ball instead of east-west. She is always penetrating, looking to dish or looking for that easy basket.?
Freshman Takia Starks played in 29 minutes and scored 12 points, three rebounds, five assists, and two steals for A&M. Blair said Starks played in place of senior returning starter Erica Roy who the coaches felt could use some extra rest from competition.
?Starks got the minutes today because we needed to rest Erica,? Blair said. ?I told (Erica) at shoot-around that we were not going to play her unless we had to.?
In the first half, Atunrase scored seven straight points to cap a 15-5 run by the Aggies which gave them a 23-15 lead with 10:51 to play in the frame. Gant later hit a jumper giving A&M its largest lead of the half, 29-19, with 7:45 to play.
The Aggies led 38-29 at halftime. Atunrase paced the squad with 11 first half points.
A&M extended its lead in the opening minutes of the second half as Gant connected on a jumper and a layup to lift the Aggies to a 46-32 lead with 18:13 remaining.
Later, junior center Lenka Zimova drained back-to-back buckets to give A&M its largest lead at 57-39 lead with 12:50 to play.
AIA began to cut into the Aggies?â„¢ lead as it put together a 21-8 run highlighted by a three-pointer by Kristi Channing to pull within 65-60 with 4:52 remaining in the game.
?I felt like we were in control of the game after about the first five minutes of the game, but we never could put them away,? Blair said. ?They were making some tough shots. Sometimes you just have to give your opponent credit?
AIA grabbed 11 offensive rebounds and converted them into 13 points. AIA was paced by Molly McDowell?â„¢s 17 points, Channing?â„¢s 15 points, and Heather Cusick?â„¢s 14 points.
Atunrase sparked the Aggies down the stretch with a pair of baskets and a free throw as A&M held its lead and extended it to 74-64 with 2:26 to play.
The Aggies did not record a field goal in the final two minutes, but did manage a free throw from Atunrase and two free throws by A?â„¢Quonesia Franklin in the final minute.
AIA shot 45 percent from the field for the game while connecting on 5-of-13 from long range and 13-of-16 free throws.
?I thought Athletes in Action stayed with their offense very well,? Blair said. ?When you shoot that well against us that means we were just not guarding people. We were giving up mistakes and got hurt on dribble penetration. We just need to keep them in front of us and we just need some work on that.?
A&M tallied nine steals and converted some of AIA?â„¢s 16 turnovers into 22 points.
?It was on our half court offense generally,? Blair said. ?We were able to convert a steal into a half-court possession. And that?â„¢s great, but eventually we need to score a little bit easier.?
The Aggies shot 50 percent from the field and 68 percent from the charity stripe, but they struggled shooting the ball from three-point range. A&M managed just one three-pointer in 12 attempts.
?It wasn?â„¢t good,? Blair said. ?I told them at halftime quit shooting the thing unless we have to. We will work on it practice and get better.?
Blair played 13 of his 15 squad members in the game. Sophomore Patrice Reado did not play in either exhibition, but is expected to see action in the Aggies?â„¢ season opener.
?This is what early season is about, getting to play a lot of kids,? Blair said. ?We are very hungry. We are going to make mistakes and correct them.?
The Aggies will open the regular season by hosting Saint Peters on Monday, Nov. 21 at 7:30 p.m. at Reed Arena.