August 16, 2006
Junior Patrice Reado scored 16 points leading the Texas A&M women?â„¢s basketball team to a 1-0 start of its 10-day European Tour with a 69-60 victory over Reims S.J.S. Wednesday night.
Against tough foreign competition, the Aggies struggled with turnovers and missed layups in the first half, but picked up their scoring rhythm and made a defensive presence in the second half of play. Down by two points prior to halftime, a pair of free throws made by junior A?â„¢Quonesia Franklin gave the Aggies a 34-33 lead heading into the break.
In the third and fourth quarters combined, A&M would outscore Reims S.J.S., 35-27. Junior Morenike Atunrase finished the night with 12 points and sophomore Danielle Gant added eight. Atunrase hit the Aggies?â„¢ lone three-pointer of the contest late in the fourth quarter. She also contributed five of the team?â„¢s 30 total rebounds.
?This was probably one of the harder teams we are going to play on this trip,? Texas A&M head coach Gary Blair said. ?We broke it open in the third quarter with some good defensive play which created some easy baskets for us particularly with (Patrice) Reado and Morenike (Atunrase).
?We just did a good job. I think the key to the second half was that we only turned over the ball four times compared to 15 in the first half. But, there were some things that we did well. Some of our new kids like (junior) LaToya Gulley, who did not play a whole lot in her career, did a solid job playing both at the one and the two positions. (Freshman) Ashlaa Horton in the first half was very active and once we got the ball into Lenka (Zimova), she was able to score. (Senior) Jen Wilks made a couple of good moves and Morenike had a solid ballgame.?
For the game, A&M shot 44 percent from the floor (26-59) and 77 percent from the free throw line (16-22) in its first outing since its NCAA first round loss to TCU on March 19, 2006.
Last season, Reims S.J.S. finished second in its 14-team league in the women?â„¢s basketball division of France.
Blair looks to make more adjustments and improvements on the court heading into the remainder of the team?â„¢s European contests.
?One thing we have to do a lot better is get on the boards,? he said. ?We got blocked out too easy and we were not able to get the second-chance points we needed. We had shots all night, but in your first ballgame, you are going to miss more than you make. That?â„¢s where your shooting percentage will go up, instead of shooting 44 percent for the game.
?I think we could have easily shot more, because we have the size and quickness on this team. But, we are going to take it and learn from it. We know what our mistakes are. We are playing four games in four nights and this is why we have to make sure all 11 players are ready to play and give us those minutes.?
The Aggies (1-0) will face Lyon ALGM tomorrow night in Lyon, France, followed by games scheduled against BBC Troistorrents on Aug. 18 in Montreux, Switzerland, Martigny on Aug. 19 in Martigny, Switzerland, and Roquebrune on Aug. 22 in Nice, France.
TEXAS A&M 69, REIMS S.J.S. 60
8/16/06 ?- 8:00 PM
at Reims, France
BOX SCORE ?- Texas A&M (1-0) STARKS, Takia 1-5 4-4 6; FRANKLIN, A?â„¢Quonesia 2-5 2-2 6; MICHEAUX, La Toya 2-7 2-5 6; ATUNRASE, Morenike 5-14 1-2 12; READO, Patrice 7-11 2-2 16; HORTON, Ashlaa 1-4 0-0 2; ZIMOVA, Lenka 3-5 1-2 7; WILKS, Jennifer 2-2 1-1 5; GANT, Danielle 3-4 2-2 8; GULLEY, LaToya 0-1 1-2 1; POUNDS, Katy 0-1 0-0 0. TOTALS 26-59 16-22 69.
Texas A&M ......... 14 20 18 17 ?- 69
Reims S.J.S ........ 17 16 7 20 ?- 60
3-point goals ?- 1-1 (ATUNRASE, Morenike 1-1). Fouled out ?- None. Rebounds ?- 30 (ATUNRASE, Morenike 5; READO, Patrice 5; MICHEAUX, La Toya 5). Assists ?- 6 (MICHEAUX, La Toya 2; GULLEY, LaToya 2). Total fouls ?- 18.