January 05, 2007
Two of the youngest teams in the Big 12 Conference will go head-to-head as the No. 17-ranked Texas A&M women's basketball team (10-2, 0-0) travels to Kansas State (12-2, 0-1) for the Aggies' league opener on Saturday, Jan. 6 at 2 p.m. at Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan, Kan. Both teams are vying for their first conference win of the season. K-State holds one of the top home courts in the nation having compiled an unprecedented 77-10 record over the last six years in the venue. The Aggies (8-0) and Wildcats (7-0) are one of six league teams who remain undefeated at home including A&M's next opponent Texas Tech (6-0), Oklahoma State (9-0), Iowa State (9-0) and Missouri (8-0). A&M has held opponents to 49.5 points per game which ranks fifth nationally, while K-State has held opponents to 31.1 shooting from the floor which ranks fifth nationally. The Wildcats will have to defend one of the top shooting ball clubs in the country as the Aggies rank second in the Big 12 in field goal percentage (46.9) and tops in three-point field goal percentage (42.5).
| GAME INFO |
| Saturday, January 6, 2 p.m. (CST) Bramlage Coliseum, Manhattan, Kan. |
| RECORDS |
| Texas A&M: 10-2, 0-0 Big 12 Kansas State: 12-2, 0-1 Big 12 |
| RANKINGS |
| A&M is ranked 17th by both ESPN/USA Today and The Associated Press. |
| TELEVISION |
| None |
| LIVE VIDEO |
| None |
| RADIO |
| KZNE-AM 1150 (Local) Tom Turbiville, play-by-play (broadcast time 1:45 p.m. CST) |
| INTERNET |
| Live Video: None Live Audio (Free): (Aggies All-Access) Live Stats: (kstatesports.com) |
| SERIES |
| KSU leads, 10-4 Last Meeting: (1/11/06) Last in Manhattan: (1/19/05) |
| UP NEXT |
| A&M at Texas Tech Wednesday, Jan. 10, 7 p.m. (CST) United Spirit Arena, Lubbock, Texas |
AGGIES IN BIG 12 OPENERS
The Aggies are 3-7 all-time in Big 12 Conference openers. They are 2-4 on the road and 1-2 at home when breaking down league openers. A&M has started the conference season on the road seven out of the 11 years of the league's existence. This will be the just the third time for the Aggies to play a Big 12 North opponent in an opener and the first against K-State. They previously opened up with Kansas during the 1998-99 and 2001-02 seasons. A&M's three victories in Big 12 openers include a 62-59 win at Baylor in 1999-00, a 58-51 win at Kansas in 2001-02 and a 74-52 win versus Oklahoma State in 2005-06. The Aggies have never turned in back-to-back seasons with wins in Big 12 openers.
DOLLAR DAY AHEAD
Texas A&M will put its undefeated 8-0 record at Reed Arena to the test as the Aggies host ninth-ranked Baylor (14-1) on Saturday, Jan. 13 at 3:30 p.m. Dollar Day specials will be available to fans with tickets, hot dogs and drinks priced at $1. Dollar tickets must be purchased in person at the Reed Arena Box Office or at the Athletic Ticket Center at Kyle Field. Last season, A&M set a new school record for attendance at the venue with 11,088 fans in attendance against the Lady Bears.
THE WILDCATS AT A GLANCE
Kansas State perhaps has the toughest start of the Big 12 Conference season with back-to-back top 25 matchups against league foes picked to finish No. 1 and No. 2 in this year's preseason coaches poll in No. 7 Oklahoma and No. 17 Texas A&M. In fact, four of the Wildcats' first five opponents were picked to finish sixth or better in the league including OU (1st), A&M (2nd), Nebraska (6th) and No. 9 Baylor (4th). K-State had one loss on the year prior to a 20-point league-opening loss at OU (78-58) on Jan. 3. Sophomore forward Marlies Gipson led the Wildcats with a near double-double with 14 points and seven rebounds. K-State shot a season-low 28.6 percent going 18-of-63 from the floor, but made 50 percent of their three-pointers (12-24) for the game. Junior Kimberly Dietz is averaging a team-leading 14.2 points per game, while Gipson (8.1) and sophomore Shalee Lehning (6.6) are clearing the boards for the Wildcats. K-State also ranks fourth nationally in blocked shots per game (7.4). Last season, the Wildcats captured the Postseason WNIT title with a 77-65 win over Marquette in the championship game. They finished the year at 24-10 overall and 8-8 in Big 12 play.
PROBABLE STARTING LINEUPS
TEXAS A&M
No. Name (2006-07 Stats)
#10 A'Quonesia Franklin, G, 5-3, Jr. (6.7 ppg, 6.3 apg)
#3 Takia Starks, G, 5-8, So. (15.7 ppg, 4.3 rpg)
#55 Danielle Gant, G/F, 5-11, So. (10.2 ppg, 6.5 rpg)
#44 Katrina Limbaha, F, 6-3, Fr. (3.1 ppg, 2.2 rpg)
#12 La Toya Micheaux, C, 6-3, So. (7.2 ppg, 6.0 rpg)
KANSAS STATE
No. Name (2006-07 Stats)
#5 Shalee Lehning, G, 5-9, So. (6.4 ppg, 5.8 apg)
#13 Kimberly Dietz, G, 5-9, Jr. (14.2 ppg, 3.3 rpg)
#25 Danielle Zanotti, F, 6-2, So. (3.8 ppg, 3.4 rpg)
#14 Claire Coggins, F, 5-11, Sr. (11.7 ppg, 4.1 rpg)
#51 Marlies Gipson, F, 6-0, So. (12.5 ppg, 8.1 rpg)
SERIES HISTORY
Kansas State leads 10-4 in the all-time series versus Texas A&M. The Aggies snapped a six-game losing streak in the series with a 66-39 victory on Jan. 11, 2006 in College Station, Texas. In Big 12 Conference play, K-State holds a 7-3 advantage in regular season and championship games combined. A&M is 1-4 when playing in the Little Apple. They have not beaten the Wildcats on the road since a 73-59 win on Jan. 27, 1999.
LAST TIME OUT
Morenike Atunrase scored 10 of the final 11 points in the first half enroute to 17 points for the game as Texas A&M beat Kansas State, 66-39, on Jan. 11. It marked the fewest points allowed by A&M in a conference game as the Aggies tallied their largest margin of victory since the Big 12's inception in 1996-97. The Aggies recorded their 12th-straight win at Reed Arena and its first over Kansas State since 1999 which snapped a six-game losing skid. Former Aggie Tamea Scales scored 11 second-half points as she and Atunrase both came off the bench. Atunrase added six rebounds, four assists, and two steals. K-State grabbed its only lead, 21-20, when Kimberly Dietz drained a three-pointer from the right side with 4:56 to play. It capped an 8-2 run by the Wildcats. Atunrase scored 10 to push A&M back into the lead, 31-21, during the final 3:46 of the first half. K-State failed to score during the final five minutes. A&M extended its lead in the second half to 39-25 as Scales scored the first eight points for the Aggies in the frame. The Aggies outscored the Wildcats, 31-6, over a 15-minute stretch over both halves which included a nine-minute scoring drought from the field. A&M took a 51-27 lead with 8:41 to go. A&M topped the Wildcats in the second half, 35-18. It marked the fewest second-half points scored by an A&M opponent. K-State committed a season-high 27 turnovers, while A&M recorded a season-low nine turnovers. Patrice Reado scored six points, grabbed three rebounds and had two steals in the first eight minutes to help A&M to a 15-7 lead. Reado finished with eight points and a career-high seven steals. K-State scored 12 of its first 13 points in the paint, before Claire Coggins drained a three-pointer to bring the Wildcats within two, 18-16, with 7:07 remaining in the half. JoAnn Hamlin led the Wildcats with 10 points and five rebounds.
WESTERN ILLINOIS RECAP
Sophomore La Toya Micheaux (Missouri City, Texas) recorded her first career double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds, two blocks and five steals to lead Texas A&M to a 70-36 victory over Western Illinois on Jan. 2. Junior A'Quonesia Franklin (Tyler, Texas) scored a season-high 17 points for the Aggies (10-2) and sophomore Takia Starks (Houston, Texas) added 13. A&M scored 30 points off 29 Western Illinois turnovers and led 31-16 at the half. WIU was only 5-of-22 from the floor in the first half and ended the night shooting 28.9 percent (13-of-45) from the field. The Aggies shot 44.1 percent (30-of-68) for the game. The second-largest crowd of the season packed Reed Arena with 6,389 fans in the stands to mark the fourth-largest crowd in school history. WIU's 16 first-half points were the fourth fewest by an opponent this season in the first half of play.
YOUNG GUNS
Both Texas A&M and K-State start one of the youngest lineups in the conference. The Aggies have started four underclassmen in four of the last five games including sophomore Takia Starks, sophomore Danielle Gant, freshman Katrina Limbaha and sophomore La Toya Micheaux. A&M's young guns have a combined 33 Big 12 starts to their credit including 16 by Starks, 15 by Micheaux and two by Gant. Starks was named to the inaugural All-Big 12 Rookie Team a year ago and is the team's leading active scorer averaging 15.7 points per game which is tied for sixth-best in the league. Meanwhile, the Wildcats start three sophomores in Shalee Lehning, Danielle Zanotti and Marlies Gipson. The sophomore trio have a combined 34 career starts in Big 12 action. Lehning and Gipson played in all 16 league contests last season. The Aggies also have veteran experience in conference play with juniors A'Quonesia Franklin (31), Morenike Atunrase (30) and Patrice Reado (12).
GETTING TO THE POINT
Two of the nation's and conference's top point guards will be on hand in Saturday's contest. Texas A&M point guard A'Quonesia Franklin currently ranks eighth nationally in assists per game (6.3 avg), while K-State point guard Shalee Lehning ranks 17th nationally (5.8 avg). Both rank No. 2 and No. 3 among Big 12 assists leaders. Franklin also holds the best assist-to-turnover ratio (2.68) in the league. She has dished out 75 assists to date and is 25 shy of recording her third-straight 100+ assist season. Lehning has a team-leading 77 assists for the Wildcats. As a team, A&M ranks third in the nation in assists per game (20.3).
STEAL OF A DEAL
Texas A&M has led the Big 12 in steals the last six consecutive seasons. It's no wonder the Aggies are tops in the league with 155 on the season which ranks 25th nationally. They recorded a season-high 20 steals against Western Illinois on Jan. 2. It marked the fourth game this season and second-straight that the Aggies had 15-or-more steals in a contest. The school record for most steals in a single season is 449 which occurred in 2001-02. Sophomore Danielle Gant (Oklahoma City, Okla.) is tied for second in the league in the steals category (2.5 avg), while junior Patrice Reado is 10th-best (1.8 avg).
TURNOVER PRONE vs. THE AGGIE DEFENSE
Western Illinois became the fifth victim of the Aggie defense. The Westerwinds committed 29 turnovers in both team's Jan. 2 matchup, to become the fifth opponent this season to turn over the ball more than 29 times in a game including Pepperdine (34), Mercer (34), West Virginia (29) and Sam Houston State (37).
INJURY UPDATE
Junior All-American candidate Morenike Atunrase (Shreveport, La.) is highly questionable to play in the Big 12 opener at Kansas State on Jan. 6. Atunrase, the team's leading scorer, suffered a fracture in her left foot on Dec. 1 in a 79-66 loss at Rice. Prior to the injury, Atunrase averaged a team-leading 17.1 points and 1.9 blocks per game for the nationally-ranked Aggies. She had not missed a game dating back to the beginning of her Big 12 Freshman of the Year campaign in 2004-05. A&M has gone 4-1 in her absence thus far. Junior LaToya Gulley (Fayetteville, Ark.) and redshirt freshman Ashlaa Horton (Cedar Hill, Texas) are still recovering from stress fractures, while junior Katy Pounds (Shallowater, Texas) played five minutes with four points against Western Illinois on Jan. 2. Pounds had a stress reaction to her left foot.
RIGHT ON TARGET
Kansas State and Iowa State have perennially been the conference's top three-point shooting marksmen. However, A&M is currently the only team in the league shooting over 40 percent from beyond the arc with a conference-best 42.5 accuracy. The Aggies are also tops in three-point field goal percentage defense holding their last 12 opponents to a combined 23.4 shooting percentage from the perimeter. A&M has connected on six-or-more three-point attempts in five games this season including eight versus Western Illinois on Jan. 2. Junior A'Quonesia Franklin made a career-best 5-of-7 threes for a season-high 17 points against the Westerwinds. Freshman Adrian McGowen (Goodrich, Texas) is shooting a team-best 57.9 percent from beyond the arc followed by the injured Atunrase (54.2). Historically, A&M's best mark from three-point land was in 1989-90 when the Aggies shot a program-best 35.8 percent for the season.
JANUARY BABIES
Four Aggies will celebrate their birthday in the month of January including redshirt freshman Ashlaa Horton on Jan. 11, sophomore Takia Starks on Jan. 16, freshman Katrina Limbaha (Riga, Latvia) on Jan. 19 and senior Jennifer Wilks (Frankston, Texas) on Jan. 23. Last season, A&M went 6-3 in the month of January, the best run through the calendar month in the Gary Blair Era. They previously went 1-8 in 2003-04 and 3-6 in 2004-05.
AGGIES IN THE RPI
The Aggies are currently No. 38 in the Jeff Sagarin/CBN Women's College Basketball Ratings as of Jan. 4. Nine Big 12 opponents are rated among the top 100 RPI teams including Oklahoma (17), Baylor (18), Iowa State (26), Kansas State (32), Nebraska (39), Missouri (44), Texas (52), Texas Tech (65) and Colorado (93) according to CollegeRPI.com. A&M also played top 100 non-conference opponents in Washington (21), Arizona (62) and West Virginia (83).
BIG 12 CONFERENCE PLAY BEGINS
Texas A&M (10-2) and Oklahoma State (12-1) were the only two Big 12 Conference schools to receive a bye on Wednesday night's official opener of league play. The Aggies last played Western Illinois on Jan. 2, while the Cowgirls traveled to Hawaii and won the Bank if Hawaii Invitational on Dec. 30. Both teams will now play 16-straight league games without a bye week. Conference schools posted a league-best 123-31 combined record (79.9 percent) against non-conference opponents with eight of the 12 teams having two losses or less prior to Big 12 play. Baylor, Iowa State, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State are among 19 teams in Division I with one loss or less on the season. Four teams still remain undefeated including defending national champion Maryland, North Carolina, Duke and Connecticut.
1T. Baylor (14-1, 1-0)
1T. Iowa State (13-1, 1-0)
1T. Oklahoma (11-1, 1-0)
1T. Nebraska (13-2, 1-0)
1T. Colorado (7-6, 1-0)
6T. Oklahoma State (12-1, 0-0)
6T. Texas A&M (10-2, 0-0)
8T. Kansas State (12-2, 0-1)
8T. Missouri (12-2, 0-1)
8T. Texas (10-4, 0-1)
8T. Texas Tech (9-6, 0-1)
8T. Kansas (5-8, 0-1)
AGGIES IN THE TOP 25
A&M dropped one spot to No. 17 in the latest Associated Press Top 25 Poll released Monday and remained at No. 17 in the USA TODAY/ESPN Coaches Top 25 Poll release on Tuesday. Their previous No. 10-ranking during Week 3 in both the AP and Coaches Polls marked the highest-ever national ranking in school history. A&M is one of only eight schools including Ohio State, North Carolina, LSU, Connecticut, Michigan State, Duke and Marquette with both its men's and women's basketball teams ranked among the top 25 teams in the country. However, the Aggies are the only Big 12 school to hold that distinction. A&M has appeared in the national polls for nine-straight weeks since the preseason polls came out on Nov. 1 and 8. The school record for consecutive weeks in the AP Top 25 Poll is 12-straight weeks during the 1994-95 campaign under former head coach Candi Harvey. A&M went on to win the NWIT that season. The Aggies also appeared in the AP Poll for seven-straight weeks in 1995-96.
AGGIES ON THE RADIO
All Texas A&M women's basketball games can be heard via a radio broadcast on the Texas A&M Sports Network. Tom Turbiville (play-by-play) will call the action live from Bramlage Coliseum on KZNE 1150 AM.