February 14, 2006
The No. 21-ranked Texas A&M Aggies (19-5, 8-3) will look for its fourth straight win overall when they host the No. 12-ranked Baylor Lady Bears (17-5, 7-4) Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Reed Arena.
Local home builder Campbell Custom Homes is sponsoring Dollar Day as $1 tickets, $1 hot dogs, and $1 Coke products will be offered. Tickets must be purchased in person.
| GAME INFO |
| Wednesday, Feb. 15, 7 p.m. (CST) Reed Arena (12,500), College Station, Texas Tickets: $1 at door or in person at A&M Athletic Ticket Office |
| RECORDS |
| Baylor: 17-5, 7-4 Big 12 (T-3rd) Texas A&M: 19-5, 8-3 Big 12 (2nd) |
| RANKINGS |
| A&M is ranked 21st in the Associated Press poll and 23rd in the ESPN/USA Today Top 25 poll. Baylor is rated 11th by ESPN/USAT and 12th by the AP. |
| RADIO |
| Tom Turbiville, play-by-play Tap Bentz, commentary (fans can listen in stands on 89.9 FM) |
| TELEVISION |
| none |
| INTERNET |
| Live Stats: (aggieathletics.com) Live Audio: (aggieathletics.com-subscription service) Live Video: (Aggie Ultimate Access-subscription service) |
| SERIES |
| tied, 34-34 Last Meeting: (1/18/06) |
| UP NEXT |
| A&M at (#9) Oklahoma Saturday, Feb. 18, 7 p.m. (CST) Lloyd Noble Center, Norman, Okla. |
The Aggies' ranking is its best since being ranked 21st in December of 1995. It is A&M's first season to be ranked since the end of the 1996 following winning the Southwest Conference Tournament.
A&M is ranked No. 23 in the ESPN/USA Today WBCA Coaches Top 25.
It is the first game for A&M as a ranked team against a rank team at home since December of 1995 when it lost to then #21 Oklahoma State at G. Rollie White Coliseum.
The Aggies enter the game after winning three games in seven days. The run started on Super Bowl Sunday as A&M beat Texas Tech (65-48) at home. Then the Aggies hit the road and beat Texas (73-53) in Austin Wednesday before beating Nebraska (69-50) Saturday in Lincoln.
A&M has tallied its most overall and Big 12 Conference wins since 1996. The Aggies have the second most wins overall in the league.
The last time the Aggies started 8-3 in league play was a 12-2 start in 1994. A&M has won its eight league games by impressive average of 18 points a game.
A&M has won 17 of its last 20 games since returning from Hawaii in November. It included a 10 game winning streak which is the second longest in school history.
A&M has five losses, two are by a combined three points and three are to teams ranked in the top 20 (#9 Oklahoma, #12 Baylor, and #16 DePaul).
A&M has won 14 of its last 15 games at Reed Arena dating to last season's WNIT postseason contests. It includes a 13-game winning streak that was the second longest home winning streak at A&M. The longest was 17 games set in 1994-95.
A&M will be seeking to end an 11-game losing streak to the Lady Bears that dates to Feb. 2001. Baylor captured the NCAA Championship last season.
Baylor enters the game after losing at Oklahoma in overtime, 81-77, Sunday in Norman, Okla.
Currently, A&M is No. 30 in CollegeRPI.com and No. 18 in the Sagarin Ratings.
Coach Gary Blair is one of four active coaches to take three different teams to the AP Top 25. He is one of eight coaches in the history of the poll to accomplish that feat.
Blair has 148 appearances in the AP Top 25 to rank No. 24 all-time and No. 16 among active coaches.
The Aggies are leading the Big 12 Conference in scoring defense. A&M also leads the league in number of steals, total blocks and turnover margin at +9.88.
The Aggies have held all but one of its league opponents to double-digits below their normal scoring output.
A&M's defense has been particularly stingy in the first half of games allowing 25.5 points while its offense is averaging 36.7 points.
Last season, the Aggies ranked eighth in the Big 12 in scoring offense averaging 64.3 points a game. This season, the Aggies are averaging 71.5 points a game ranking third in the league.
A&M ranks in the top three in scoring offense and scoring defense.
Two Aggies are scoring double-digits this season. Sophomore Morenike Atunrase, last year's Big 12 Freshman of the Year, leads the team at 13.1 points while freshman Takia Starks is second at 11.9 points a game. Sophomore A'Quonesia Franklin is third on the team at 9.1 points while freshman Danielle Gant is fourth at 8.7.
Gant leads the way for the Aggies in shooting at 58 percent. Gant has scored double-digits in seven games. She has started in one game this season and is usually the first player off the bench for the Aggies.
Starks is a two-time Big 12 Rookie of the Week and averages 26 minutes of playing time. Starks has started in 19 of 24 games, including the last 16 straight, and has seen playing time at point guard.
Scales has 535 career rebounds to rank No. 13 all-time at A&M. She is the 16th player in school history to grab 500 or more rebounds
The Aggies' roster is composed of 73 percent of players in their first or second year in the program. A&M starts two freshmen and three sophomores.
Atunrase has blocked 47 shots this season. She now has 104 career blocks to rank third all-time at A&M. At 5-foot-10, Atunrase is shorter than both players who rank ahead of her.