October 28, 2006
Texas A&M junior Morenike Atunrase (Shreveport, La.) and sophomore Takia Starks (Houston, Texas) each scored 17 points as the Maroon squad held off White, 53-45, in the third annual Maroon and White Game held Saturday at Reed Arena.
Sophomore Danielle Gant (Oklahoma City, Okla.) added 14 points combined for both Maroon and White. She was one of seven Aggies to score in double figures along with 13 by junior A?â„¢Quonesia Franklin (Tyler, Texas), 16 by junior Patrice Reado (Houston, Texas) and 10 by freshman Katrina Limbaha (Riga, Latvia).
?I was a little disappointed by the Maroon squad in the first quarter, but as the game progressed we got a little tired and kids were open for shots,? Texas A&M head coach Gary Blair said. ?Maroon led in the first quarter, only because White missed free throws. When you live and die by the jump shot, it?â„¢s hard to do things.?
Led by a game-high 20 points turned in by freshman Adrian McGowen (Goodrich, Texas), the White squad kept the contest close in the first two quarters. McGowen drained three 3-pointers in her unofficial collegiate debut. Fellow freshman Damitria Buchanan (Houston, Texas) also chipped in eight points for the White squad.
?Give our freshmen some credit,? Blair said. ?That was the most Adrian has scored in a practice situation since we started playing this fall. I was very pleased with all three of our freshmen. Katrina played really well earlier on and provided us with some scoring. But, the biggest surprise of the game was Damitria. She was very active on the court, stepped up and did a lot of good things well for us.?
Five 10-minutes quarters were played with the first three being contested between the Maroon and White and two against the men?â„¢s practice squad. Maroon defeated the practice squad, 42-39.
?We have to get better defensively,? Blair said. ?Our offensive rebounding needs some work, but it just takes time. What we did do today was see some weaknesses that we can go back to the practice court and work on. I was very pleased with our depth, because the Maroon team should have ran over the White team in the first two quarters. But, kids come out and compete. When you compete, you do things well. Danielle (Gant) played extremely well and I thought she had the most energy of any kid out there on the court today.?
The Maroon and White Game was a chance for fans to get a sneak preview of this year?â„¢s squad. Several national polls have A&M tabbed as one of the top 10 preseason teams in the country. The Aggies were also picked to finish a program-best second in the Big 12 Preseason Coaches Poll.
?Our fans did a great job of coming out today,? Blair said. ?We had a lot of little kids here to get autographs and interact with our team. That is what the Maroon and White Game is all about ?- to get our fans excited about Aggie Basketball and the upcoming season.?
The women?â„¢s basketball team has the first of two exhibition games scheduled against Athletes In Action on Friday, Nov. 3 at 6 p.m. in Reed Arena. Season tickets can still be purchased by calling 1-888-99-AGGIE or online at AggieAthletics.com.
First Basketball Luncheon?...Join Texas A&M head coach Gary Blair and select women?â„¢s basketball players for the first basketball luncheon of the year on Tuesday, Oct. 31, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the third floor of Reed Arena. Cost is $10 (cash only) per person. The luncheon will be the first installment of six throughout the 2006-07 season. For more information on future basketball luncheons, contact the Texas A&M women?â„¢s basketball office at: (979) 845-0565.