February 28, 2006
The No. 25-ranked Texas A&M Aggies (21-7, 10-5) continue their quest for a bye position in the postseason Big 12 Championship when they face the Oklahoma State Cowgirls (6-20, 0-15) Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Okla.
| GAME INFO |
| Wednesday, March 1, 7 p.m. (CST) Gallagher-Iba Arena (13,611), Stillwater, Okla. |
| RECORDS |
| Oklahoma State: 6-20, 0-15 Big 12 (12th) Texas A&M: 21-7, 10-5 Big 12 (T-3rd) |
| 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 Steve Miller, commentary |
| TELEVISION |
| none |
| INTERNET |
| Live Stats: (okstate.com) Live Audio: (aggieathletics.com-subscription service) |
| SERIES |
| Oklahoma State leads, 19-10 In Stillwater: OSU leads, 9-5 Last Meeting: (1/4/06) |
| UP NEXT |
| A&M at Big 12 Championship Tuesday-Saturday, March 7-11, 2006 Reunion Arena, Dallas, Texas Ticket Info: |
A&M will tally its best finish in the history of the Big 12 Conference as it could finish as high as a tie for second place.
A&M is in third place in the Big 12 and ranked in the top 25 for the fourth 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.
The Aggies enter the game after beating Iowa State, 64-53, Wednesday at Reed Arena. It completed a 6-0 sweep of Big 12 north division opponents for the Aggies.
The Aggies have won four straight over the Cowgirls, including the last three seasons at Reed Arena. A&M has won three of the last four meetings in Stillwater.
A&M Coach Gary Blair holds an 11-5 career record against Oklahoma State.
A&M has tallied its most overall wins since 1995 and its most Big 12 wins ever. The Aggies have the second most wins overall in the league.
The Aggies have won their 10 league games by impressive average of 17 points a game.
A&M has won 19 of its last 24 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 16 of its last 18 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. 26 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 150 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 +8.64.
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 26.3 points while its offense is averaging 35.6 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 70.4 points a game ranking fourth in the league.
A&M ranks in the top four 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 13.6 points while freshman Takia Starks is second at 11.6 points a game. Sophomore A'Quonesia Franklin is third on the team at 9.5 points while freshman Danielle Gant is fourth at 8.6.
Gant leads the way for the Aggies in shooting at 59 percent which is the second best by any freshman in the country. 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 23 of 28 games, including the last 20 straight, and has seen playing time at point guard.
Scales has 546 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 50 shots this season, the third most in a single season at the school. She now has 107 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.