January 11, 2006
Morenike Atunrase scored 10 of the final 11 points in the first half enroute to 17 points for the game as Texas A&M beat Kansas State, 66-39, Wednesday at Reed Arena.
It marked the fewest points allowed by A&M in a conference game ever as it tallied its largest margin of victory since the Big 12 Conference inception.
The Aggies (13-3, 2-1) recorded their 12th straight win at Reed Arena and its first over Kansas State (11-3, 1-2) since 1999 ending a six-game losing streak.
?I knew we were ready to play when we walked off the court at Texas Tech,? A&M coach Gary Blair said. ?For once in the eyes of my team they hurt after that (Texas Tech) loss. We?â„¢re learning what it takes to be an elite team.?
Tamea Scales scored 11 points, all in the second half, as she and Atunrase both came off the bench.
Atunrase added six rebounds, four assists, and two steals. She failed to tally a block for the first time this season.
?(Atunrase) got dirty,? Blair said. ?She had a complete game.
?We proved we can score without hitting a three and we can win a ballgame without Morenike (Atunrase) blocking a shot.?
A&M did not drain a three pointer for the second time this season. Previously, the Aggies lost against DePaul when not scoring a three pointer.
KSU grabbed its only lead, 21-20, when Kimberly Dietz drained a three pointer from the right side with 4:56 to play. It capped an 8-2 run by KSU.
Atunrase then took over with 10 of the final 11 points to push A&M back into the lead, 31-21, during the final 3:46 of the half. KSU failed to score during the final five minutes.
A&M extended its lead in the second half to 39-25 as Tamea Scales scored the first eight points for the Aggies in the frame. Scales finished with 11 points.
The Aggies outscored the Wildcats, 31-6, over a 15 minute stretch over both halves including a nine minute scoring draught from the field by KSU to take a 51-27 lead with 8:41 to go.
A&M topped the Wildcats in the second half 35-18. It marked the fewest points scored by an A&M opponent in the second half this season.
?We took them out of their flow with the press,? Blair said. ?We tired them out. The result was they turned it over in the half court.?
K-State committed a season-high 27 turnovers while A&M recorded a season-low nine turnovers.
Patrice Reado scored six points, grabbed three rebounds, and had two steals in the first eight minutes to help A&M to a 15-7 lead. Reado finished with eight points and a career-high seven steals.
KSU scored 12 of its first 13 points in the paint before Claire Coggins drained a three pointer to bring the Wildcats within 18-16 with 7:07 to play in the half.
JoAnn Hamlin led the Wildcats with 10 points and five rebounds.
The Aggies return to the road when they face Kansas (12-2, 1-2) on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kan.
NOTES?-Morenike Atunrase was selected as the State Farm Player of the Game. Reado received her first start of the season as Blair used his fifth different lineup. It marked the third straight Big 12 opponent that A&M has held to double digits scoring below their normal output. KSU entered the game averaging 72.8 points.