Texas A&M
9-2
Sam Houston State
3-9
Texas A&M 93, Sam Houston State 43
Dec 29, 2006 | Women's Basketball
December 29, 2006
Sophomore Takia Starks (Houston, Texas) scored a career-high 28 points to lead No. 16 Texas A&M to a 93-43 rout of Sam Houston State Friday night at Reed Arena.
Sophomore La Toya Micheaux (Missouri City, Texas) scored a career-high 13 points for the Aggies (9-2). Sophomore Danielle Gant (Oklahoma City, Okla.) scored 11 and junior A'Quonesia Franklin (Tyler, Texas) added 11.
Sam Houston State (3-9) committed an opponent season-high 37 turnovers, leading to 48 Texas A&M points. Gant had four steals for the Aggies, and Starks and Franklin each had three.
In the first half of play, the Aggies limited Sam Houston State to 15 points and 28.6 percent (6-of-21) field-goal shooting. The Bearkats shot 30.8 percent for the game and missed all nine three-pointers attempted. The Aggie defense also held SHSU to 15 first-half points.
Texas A&M shot 50 percent from beyond the arc, making 6-of-12 including two each by Franklin and Starks.
LaToya Bennett led Sam Houston State with eight points. Adah Wells and Erica Parker each scored seven in the Bearkats?™ seventh-straight loss of the season.
The Aggies will ring in the New Year with one more non-conference tilt slated against 2006 WNIT participant Western Illinois (2-9) on Tuesday, Jan. 2 at 6 p.m. The game will be part of a doubleheader with the A&M men at Reed Arena.
Postgame Notes?...For the third time this season, the Aggies used the starting lineup of A?™Quonesia Franklin, Takia Starks, Danielle Gant, Katrina Limbaha and La Toya Micheaux?...A&M improves to 3-0 when using that particular starting five?...The Aggie defense held Sam Houston State to 15 first-half points, the third-lowest scoring production in a half by an opponent this season...The team?™s 49 first-half points were the fourth-most by A&M in a half this season?...Freshman Adrian McGowen (Goodrich, Texas) came off the bench and drained two of the Aggies?™ six three-pointers of the game?...A?™Quonesia Franklin had back-to-back threes at the 17:42 and 16:58 minute marks of the second half?...Sam Houston State committed 24 turnovers in just the first half alone?...The Bearkats ended the game with an opponent season-high 37 turnovers?...Franklin was one of four players to score in double figures?...She scored 10 against the Bearkats, to mark her third double-digit game of the season?...Franklin also dished out eight assists?...Starks had a career-best 28 points and has scored in double figures in all but two contests this season?...It marked her sixth 20-point game of her career?...The 2,573 fans in attendance bared the elements as the Bryan-College Station area was under a tornado watch during the game?...The victory marked 21-straight non-conference wins at Reed Arena dating back to 2004?...The Aggies remain an undefeated 7-0 at the venue this season?...Junior Patrice Reado recorded her 500th career point with seven against the Bearkats?...Micheaux fouled out of the game, but set career-highs in points (13) and assists (4).
POSTGAME QUOTES
TEXAS A&M HEAD COACH GARY BLAIR
On the game ?...
?It was a typical first game after the break. There are not a whole lot of positives, but not a whole lot of negatives. We had eight healthy bodies out there. We did some good things particularly in the first half of play. It was the first time we played zone in a very long time. We tried to stay out of foul trouble and we did a good job getting our post players some touches. Our perimeter players did a good job as well, but when you keep mismatching your kids out there, sometimes you lose your continuity.?
On the team?™s upcoming game against Western Illinois?...
?Western Illinois is coming up and will give us a better test. They are a WNIT team and are starting to get kids healthy and playing a lot of teams closer. We are looking forward to that ballgame and having 10,000 fans at the arena.?
On Sam Houston?™s turnovers?...
?We were playing the press without fouling on the press and not giving up layups. We have to press due to the players we have injured. If they are going to give us 24 turnovers, we are going to take advantage of it. Sam Houston is a good team though. We don?™t care about what the score is on offense, but we do care what the score is on defense. We take pride in our defense everyday.?
SOPHOMORE GUARD TAKIA STARKS
On her second half of play and her career-high ?...
?Basically, I just played what the defense gave me. I was feeling good out there. Whenever I felt I was open, I took the open shot.?
JUNIOR GUARD A?™QUONESIA FRANKLIN
On getting things going in the first half and getting ready for conference play?...
?I just tried to get everyone pumped up in the first half. Coming into the Big 12 Conference season, our defense will be a lot different with more pressure defense. With this game, we wanted to get everyone?™s confidence up before January 6 (Big 12 opener at Kansas State). The next game against Western Illinois will prepare us for Big 12 play. We will work on all of our offenses and defenses and make sure everything is up to par.?
SOPHOMORE CENTER LA TOYA MICHEAUX
On the game ?...
?Our focus tonight was to play defense. We were not looking at the score and just wanted to make every possession count.?
