February 24, 2006
The No. 25-ranked Texas A&M Aggies (20-7, 9-5) continues their quest for a bye position in the postseason Big 12 Championship when they host the Iowa State Cyclones (15-10, 6-8) Sunday at 2:30 p.m. at Reed Arena.
| GAME INFO |
| Sunday, Feb. 25, 2:30 p.m. (CST) Reed Arena (12,500), College Station, Texas Tickets: |
| RECORDS |
| Iowa State: 15-10, 6-8 Big 12 (9th) Texas A&M: 20-7, 9-5 Big 12 (4th) |
| RANKINGS |
| A&M is ranked 25th in the Associated Press poll and is receiving votes in the ESPN/USA Today poll. |
| 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 |
| Iowa State leads, 11-1 Last Meeting: (2/26/05) |
| UP NEXT |
| A&M at Oklahoma State Wednesday, March 1, 7 p.m. (CST) Gallagher-Iba Arena, Stillwater, Okla. |
It marks the final home game for seniors Erica Roy and Tamea Scales.
A&M is in fourth place in the Big 12 and ranked in the top 25 for the third straight week.
It is A&M's first season to be ranked since the end of the 1996 season following winning the Southwest Conference Tournament.
A&M is receiving votes in the ESPN/USA Today WBCA Coaches Top 25 after being No. 23 last week.
The Aggies enter the game after sweeping the regular season series from Texas for the first time since 1995. A&M topped the Longhorns Wednesday at Reed Arena by the score of 79-67.
The Aggies hold a 5-0 record against Big 12 North Division teams this season. The last time A&M beat Iowa State was in 2002 at Reed Arena.
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 Aggies have won their nine league games by impressive average of 18 points a game.
A&M has won 18 of its last 23 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 seven losses, two are by a combined three points and five are to teams ranked in the top 20 (#9 Oklahoma (twice), #10 Baylor (twice), and #16 DePaul).
A&M has won 15 of its last 17 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.
Currently, A&M is No. 29 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 149 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, and turnover margin at +8.67.
The Aggies have held all but four 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 26.4 points while its offense is averaging 35.9 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 70.7 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 13.9 points while freshman Takia Starks is second at 11.6 points a game. Sophomore A'Quonesia Franklin is third on the team at 9.1 points while freshman Danielle Gant is fourth at 8.5.
Gant leads the way for the Aggies in shooting at 58 percent. Gant has scored double-digits in seven games. She has started in three games 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 22 of 27 games, including the last 19 straight, and has seen playing time at point guard.
Scales has 543 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 49 shots this season, the fourth most in a single season at the school. She now has 106 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.