January 20, 2007
One of the most intense rivalries in all of college sports looms upon the state capital as the No. 17/18 Texas A&M women?â„¢s basketball team (13-3, 3-1) gets ready to battle No. 22/24 Texas (13-5, 2-2) for ultimate bragging rights in the first installment of the State Farm Lone Star Showdown on Sunday, Jan. 21 at 2 p.m. in Austin, Texas. The Aggies and Longhorns will meet for the 70th time in the longstanding series between both schools which dates back to the 1974-75 season. This will mark only the second time in which a ranked Aggie squad will face rival Texas and the first-ever meeting with both teams ranked in the national polls at the same time. The Aggies have won three-straight, but are 2-3 away from Reed Arena this season. They are currently tied for second in the Big 12 Conference race along with their next opponent Nebraska at 3-1. Both A&M and UT have compiled 13 victories this season and were predicted to finish third-or-better in the league in the preseason coaches poll with A&M picked second and Texas third. They also had their midweek games postponed due to inclement weather in the Central Texas area. Last season, A&M swept the home-and-home series for the first time since 1995. The Longhorns will be vying for revenge on their home court and have held A&M to only three all-time wins in Austin.
NATIONAL EXPOSURE
The Aggies make their second appearance on national television this season with Bill Land (play-by-play) and Brenda VanLengen (color analyst) calling Sunday?â„¢s game live from the Frank Erwin Center on Fox Sports Net. Fans throughout the country can watch the game live on FSN Arizona, FSN Bay Area, FSN Detroit, FSN Florida, FSN Midwest, FSN New England, FSN New York, FSN North (Wisconsin), FSN Northwest, FSN Ohio, FSN Pittsburgh, FSN Rocky Mountain, FSN Southwest, FSN West, Comcast Philadelphia, Comcast Chicago and SportSouth. Check your local listings. The Aggies are 2-0 in televised games this season and 1-0 when playing on FSN.
ROAD TRIP TO AUSTIN
Texas A&M head coach Gary Blair and the Texas A&M Maroon Club invite fans to watch the Aggies play on the road this season. The Maroon Club is sponsoring upcoming bus trips to Austin and Waco. The cost for each road trip is $20 for Maroon Club members and $25 for all other Aggie fans. The bus trip package includes one ticket to the game, a snack pack, a media guide and a chance to win free prizes. A&M will take on rival Texas on Sunday, Jan. 21 at 2 p.m. in Austin. The bus is scheduled to depart from the Sears parking lot at the Post Oak Mall in College Station at 11 a.m. (please arrive at 10:45 a.m.). For more information, please contact Marty at: (979) 846-3024 or mwalton@athletics.tamu.edu.
EYEING THE LONGHORNS
Having already matched its 13 victories a year ago, Texas is primed and ready to rebound from an injury-plagued 13-15 campaign in 2005-06. However, the Longhorns have not made it easy on themselves with one of the nation?â„¢s toughest schedules to boot. They have faced four top 25 opponents this season including two of the top five teams in the country in No. 1 Duke (lost 80-52) on Dec. 10 and No. 4 Tennessee (lost 67-46) on Dec. 17. Texas most recently lost a key component to their offense when sophomore guard Erika Arriaran suffered an ACL injury in a 64-61 victory over No. 10 Purdue on Jan. 7. The team?â„¢s second leading scorer, Arriaran was also tops for UT in the three-point (40.0) and free throw (88.9) shooting departments. She is one of three players injured on the sidelines, shortening Texas?â„¢ roster to 10 active players. A&M will be their first top 25 test in conference play as the Longhorns are just 1-3 against the top 25 this year. Senior forward Tiffany Jackson, a two-time All-Big 12 First Team performer, currently leads the Longhorns in scoring (19.2) and rebounding (9.1). Jackson ranks among the top 25 scorers nationally and is second-best in the league behind OU?â„¢s Courtney Paris. They are 2-2 on the season with losses against two Big 12 North foes in Nebraska (79-74) on Jan. 3 and Iowa State (67-56) on Jan. 18.
PROBABLE STARTING LINEUPS
TEXAS A&M
No. Name (2006-07 Stats)
#10 A?â„¢Quonesia Franklin, G, 5-3, Jr. (7.6 ppg, 2.8 rpg)
#3 Takia Starks, G, 5-8, So. (14.6 ppg, 5.0 rpg)
#21 Morenike Atunrase, G/F, 5-10, Jr. (13.9 ppg, 4.6 rpg)
#55 Danielle Gant, G/F, 5-11, So. 9.2 ppg, 6.7 rpg
#12 La Toya Micheaux, C, 6-3, So. (7.4 ppg, 6.1 rpg)
TEXAS
No. Name (2006-07 Stats)
#3 Carla Cortijo, G, 5-7, RS-Fr. (6.9 ppg, 4.7 rpg)
#10 Brittainey Raven, G, 6-0, Fr. (6.6 ppg, 2.6 rpg)
#20 Erneisha Bailey, G, 5-9, Jr. (7.1 ppg, 5.8 rpg)
#33 Tiffany Jackson, F/C, 6-3, Sr. (19.2 ppg, 9.1 rpg)
#00 Earnesia Williams, F, 6-1, RS-Fr. (9.4 ppg, 3.6 rpg)
SERIES HISTORY
Texas leads 57-12 in the all-time rivalry series against Texas A&M. Last season, the Aggies snapped a 10-game losing streak on the road at Texas dating back to 1995. They also ended a seven-game losing skid in the all-time series with a 73-53 victory in the first of two State Farm Lone Star Showdown meetings in 2005-06. It marked the largest margin of victory (+20) ever versus the Longhorns in Austin. A&M later completed the series sweep with a 79-67 win in College Station. Prior to last year?â„¢s sweep, the Longhorns had defeated the Aggies by an average margin of 17.1 points per game since 2002. Texas holds a 16-4 advantage in Big 12 regular season play versus A&M.
AGAINST THE TOP 25
This will be the eighth time in school history in which a ranked A&M squad will go up against a top 25 opponent. Last season, the Aggies went 0-6 against top 25 competition, but picked up their first top 25 victory in the Gary Blair Era with a 60-52 upset of No. 9 Baylor on Jan. 13 in College Station. They previously went 0-12 in 2003-04 and 0-8 in 2004-05. In all, the Aggies have played seven games against ranked opponents when also ranked in the top 25. The occurrence happened once this season, three times in 2005-06 and three times in 1995-96.
ALL-TIME RANKED AGGIES vs. RANKED OPPONENTS
Opponent - A&M - Result - Location (Date)
(#9) Baylor - (#19) - W, 60-52 - College Station, Texas (1/13/07)
(#10) Baylor - (#22) - L, 52-53 - Dallas, Texas (3/9/06)
(#9) Oklahoma - (#21) - L, 54-73 - Norman, Okla. (2/18/06)
(#12) Baylor - (#21) - L, 59-84 - College Station, Texas (2/15/06)
(#20) Ole Miss - (#22) - W, 75-60 - Las Cruces, N.M. (12/18/95)
(#21) Oklahoma State - (#19) - L, 70-77 - College Station, Texas (12/9/95)
(#5) Purdue - (#22) - L, 72-74 - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii (12/1/95)
STATE FARM LONE STAR SHOWDOWN HISTORY
The State Farm Lone Star Showdown series was created prior to the 2004-05 season to help bring more attention to the rivalry in sports beyond football at each institution. It encompasses all sports where both schools field a varsity team. The football game played between the two schools is the third longest-running rivalry in the nation and is the longest-running rivalry for both schools. A total of 19 points are up for grabs during the 2006-07 school year. Each women?â„¢s basketball game in head-to-head competition is worth 1/2 point in the overall standings. A point system will track all 25 scheduled A&M-Texas contests this season. The Aggies and Longhorns are currently tied at 3-3 in the rivalry series with victories over UT in football, women?â„¢s swimming and women?â„¢s cross country. Texas previously won in 2005 (14.5 to 4.5) and 2006 (14 to 5).
RIVALRY TIDBITS
Texas A&M University established in 1871 and the University of Texas established in 1883 are two of the largest higher education institutions by enrollment in the United States. Texas ranks fifth nationally with an enrollment of 49,738 and Texas A&M ranks seventh with an enrollment of 45,487 as of Fall 2006. More than 1,300 student-athletes (male and female) compete for both universities combined on the Division I level. Both schools also boast huge living alumni bases with more than 450,000 for UT and more than 260,000 for Texas A&M along with a significant following from supporters throughout the state and the nation.
DEANS OF LONE STAR STATE BASKETBALL
In the women?â„¢s game, Texas head coach Jody Conradt and Texas A&M head coach Gary Blair rank first-and second-most when it comes to overall years of head coaching expertise among coaches at a Division I basketball school in the state of Texas. Conradt has 38 overall seasons of coaching experience under her belt, while Blair is in his 22nd overall season (fourth season at A&M). Both are also deans among the Big 12 coaches with 895 career wins for Conradt and 469 career wins for Blair. He ranks among the top 30 all-time coaching greats in career winning percentage and career victories. Conradt stands No. 2 in all-time career victories among men?â„¢s and women?â„¢s coaches (active and non-active) behind Tennessee head coach Pat Summitt (930). Blair and Conradt are also the only two coaches in the league who annually coach against their alma mater. Conradt is a 1963 and 1965 graduate of Baylor, while Blair is a 1972 and 1974 graduate of Texas Tech. North Texas head coach Tina Slinker ranks third-most (18) followed by SMU head coach Rhonda Rompola (16) and Houston head coach Joe Curl (16). Both Blair and Conradt have recruited homegrown talent. Native Texans make up 64 percent of A&M?â„¢s roster and 69 percent of Texas?â„¢ roster with the majority hailing from the Houston and Dallas/Fort Worth areas.
AGAINST THE BIG 12 SOUTH
Every year the league gets stronger and stronger and the Big 12 South becomes a destination no opponent favors in regular season play. Four of the six schools which make up the Big 12 South are currently ranked among the top 25 teams in the country with No. 6 Oklahoma, No. 12 Baylor, No. 17 Texas A&M and No. 22 Texas. Historically, the Aggies have not fared so well with a 23-79 all-time record against their southern counterparts since the league?â„¢s formation. They have only won nine road games in 51 tries including their first-ever Big 12 road win at Texas Tech on Jan. 10. Last season, A&M posted its best record against Big 12 South foes (5-5) sweeping rival Texas and Oklahoma State and taking a series split versus Tech. They are 2-0 against the South thus far with wins over Texas Tech and Baylor. The Aggies have never beaten Tech, BU and UT (at least once in the home-and-home series) during the same season in Big 12 regular season play.
THEY KNOW WHAT IT MEANS TO BE AN AGGIE ?... OR LONGHORN
There will be plenty of Aggies and Longhorns on both benches who know how intense the rivalry can be between the two schools. Texas A&M associate head coach Vic Schaefer is one of six coaches in the Big 12 serving at their alma mater. Schaefer, an Austin native, is a member of the Class of 1984 and wears his Aggie Ring proud. He currently directs the Aggie defense which has held opponents to 49.1 points per game which ranks third nationally. On the other end of the sidelines, former Texas All-American standouts Clarissa Davis-Wrightsil (1985-89) and Travis Mays (1986-90) comprise head coach Jody Conradt?â„¢s staff. Davis-Wrightsil, a six-time National Player of the Year and Women?â„¢s Basketball Hall of Famer, is in her first year at UT, while Mays is in his third. On the administrative side of things, Texas A&M director of basketball operations Erich Birch is a 2002 graduate and athletic trainer Mike Ricke is a 1982 graduate of A&M. Cathy McDonald, Texas associate athletics director for women?â„¢s basketball operations, is a 1984 UT graduate and played for the Longhorns from 1980-83. McDonald also served as an assistant coach at A&M under former head coach Lynn Hickey from 1989-94.
CURRENT BIG 12 COACHES AT ALMA MATER
Coach - Title - School and Year
Vic Schaefer - Associate Head Coach - Texas A&M ?'84
Clarissa Davis-Wrightsil - Assistant Coach - Texas ?'89
Travis Mays - Assistant Coach - Texas ?'90
Kelly Moylan - Assistant Coach - Kansas State ?'94
Andria Jones - Assistant Coach - Kansas State ?'97
Kerensa Barr - Assistant Coach - Missouri ?'03
THINK PINK
Fans can join in on the Texas A&M athletic department?â„¢s efforts to ?Beat the Hell Outta Breast Cancer? as the nationally-ranked Aggie women host Kansas on Saturday, Feb. 3 at 6 p.m. Tickets are priced from $10-$8 and will benefit the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. In addition, there will be official ?BTHO Breast Cancer? shirts available in the concourse. This is a special opportunity to make a difference in the community. Fans are also encouraged to wear pink to the game in support of the cause.
ROUND 1 - LAST TIME IN AUSTIN
Morenike Atunrase scored 15 points to lead No. 24 Texas A&M over Texas, 73-53, on Feb. 8, 2006 in Austin. The win was the first for A&M over UT in Austin since 1995. It was the largest margin of victory against the Longhorns on their home court. In the process, A&M ended Texas?â„¢ 31-game conference home winning streak. A&M caught fire midway through the first half, while Texas struggled shooting the ball. The Aggies put together a 28-0 run en route to outscoring the Longhorns, 33-5, prior to halftime. During a 13-minute stretch, Texas failed to record a field goal and only made three free throws courtesy of former Longhorn Nina Norman. UT connected on two of its final 15 shots in the half. The A&M defense caused havoc on the Longhorns as the Aggies converted nine UT turnovers to 16 points. Texas jaunted off to a 12-7 lead early in the first half, after Daria Mieloszynska hit a bucket with 15:40 to play. A&M retaliated by outscoring Texas, 40-8, the rest of the half. The Longhorns responded in the second half with a 10-2 run to cut the Aggies?â„¢ lead to 59-38 with 11:45 remaining in the game. A&M?â„¢s largest lead was 29 points, 57-28, after Lenka Zimova hit a jumper. She finished with a career-high 13 points and five rebounds. Texas pulled within 19 points twice in the final 10 minutes. Texas played without its leading scorer and rebounder Tiffany Jackson who suffered an ankle injury in the Longhorns?â„¢ previous contest at Colorado. A?â„¢Quonesia Franklin helped pace the Aggies from the point guard position as she tallied 14 points, five assists with zero turnovers and two steals. Takia Starks added 11. Erika Arriaran led Texas as she scored 11 of her 14 points in the second half. Norman added 14 and Mieloszynska tallied 12 points and seven rebounds. It marked the first win for Blair over Texas since he became a head coach in 1985. He had dropped six previous meetings. It also marked the first time for A&M to beat Texas Tech and Texas in the same week since 1996.
ROUND 2 - COMPLETING THE SWEEP
Morenike Atunrase recorded 27 points and grabbed nine rebounds as No. 25 Texas A&M beat Texas, 79-67, on Feb. 22, 2006 in College Station. It marked the first time since 1995 that A&M swept the regular season series versus Texas. Atunrase added a career-best six assists to her total, while blocking a shot and recording a steal. She was 10-of-18 from the field, 2-of-4 from three-point range and 5-of-6 from the free throw line. It was the most field goals made of her career. A&M capitalized on 20 Texas turnovers by converting them into 24 points. A&M led 37-27 at halftime. Texas came out of the lockerroom and scored five quick points to pull within 37-22 in the opening minutes of the second half. Ashley Lindsey scored a layup to pull Texas within 40-38. Then, Nina Norman capitalized on a steal to tie the game at 40-all with 14:50 left in regulation. A&M drained 13-straight free throws in the second half to help pull away from the Longhorns. The Aggies connected on 16-of-18 free throws in the half, including 12-of-14 in the final four minutes. A jumper by Takia Starks lifted A&M to a 23-14 lead midway through the half. Starks finished with 13 points and four assists. The Aggies extended the lead to 35-20 following a 12-4 run where 10 points were scored in the paint. In the second half, UT connected on its first seven shots while the Aggies connected on just one of their first five attempts. After Texas tied the game, A&M responded with a 16-9 run to take a 56-49 lead following a short jumper by Lenka Zimova midway through the second half. Texas later suffered a five-minute drought without a field goal before Erika Arriaran hit a left side jumper to close the gap at 56-51. Arriaran led Texas with 17 points. Atunrase drained a three-pointer from the left side to give A&M a 61-52 lead with 5:26 left to play. Four Aggies scored in double figures for the game. A?â„¢Quonesia Franklin scored 14 points with nine assists and had a 7-of-8 effort at the free throw line. Patrice Reado added 12 points and five assists. Nina Norman ended the game with 16 points and nine assists, while Tiffany Jackson had 14 points for the Longhorns.
COLORADO RECAP
Six players scored in double figures to lead No. 17 Texas A&M to a 74-58 rout of Colorado on Jan. 18. The game was rescheduled a day later due to inclement weather. Sophomore Takia Starks (Houston, Texas), junior A?â„¢Quonesia Franklin (Tyler, Texas) and sophomore La Toya Micheaux (Missouri City, Texas) scored 13 points apiece in the 16-point victory over the Buffaloes. Junior All-American candidate Morenike Atunrase (Shreveport, La.) added 11 points and seven rebounds, while juniors Patrice Reado (Houston, Texas) and Katy Pounds (Shallowater, Texas) each had 10 for the Aggies. Starks also contributed seven of the team?â„¢s 41 rebounds for the game. Jackie McFarland led the Buffaloes with a game-high 15 points and 13 rebounds. She was 9-of-10 from the free throw line. Jasmina Ilic had 14 points, including four 3-pointers and Whitney Houston came off the bench to add 10. Texas A&M led 34-25 at the half and built a 19-point lead with 4:16 remaining. The Aggies never trailed and turned 23 Colorado turnovers into 29 points. The Buffaloes turned in their second-fewest points ever scored (58) in the all-time series. CU became the first Big 12 team the Aggies have handily defeated by double digits this season (+16). Of the six players who scored in double figures, five were A&M?â„¢s starters. It marked the first time in the last three seasons to have six players score in double figures in a single game. The most was five which occurred twice during the 2004-05 season against McNeese State on Dec. 12, 2004 and Cleveland State on Nov. 27, 2004. Pounds scored a season-high 10 points with a season-best three three-pointers (3-of-4) against the Buffaloes. A&M committed a season-low 11 turnovers in the contest, while CU committed 23.
CREATING HAVOC ON THE COURT
Texas A&M prides itself on its defense and it shows. The Aggie defense has held its last 16 opponents to 49.1 points per game which ranks tops in the Big 12 and third nationally behind No. 8 LSU (46.4) and top-ranked Duke (47.0). They have consistently led the Big 12 in steals over the last six seasons and have made a league-leading 199 steals this season which ranks 14th nationally as of Jan. 18. The Aggies recorded a season-high 20 steals against Western Illinois on Jan. 2 and have stripped the ball more than 11 times in 12-of-16 games played this season including three times in conference action. The Aggie defense has caused 12 opponents this season to turn over the ball more than 20 times in a contest including Pepperdine (34), Mercer (34), McNeese State (28), West Virginia (29), Rice (22), Washington (22), North Texas (26), Sam Houston State (37), Western Illinois (29), Kansas State (24), Baylor (21) and Colorado (23). Sophomore Danielle Gant is tied for third in the league in steals (2.3 avg), while junior Patrice Reado is sixth-best (2.0), junior A?â„¢Quonesia Franklin 12th-best (1.9) and sophomore Takia Starks 13th-best (1.8) through all games played. Reado stole the ball a season-high six times at K-State which is tied as a league single-game high.
GETTING BACK INTO THE GROOVE
Junior Morenike Atunrase made her second start in Big 12 play this season against Colorado on Jan. 18, after returning to the starting lineup against No. 9 Baylor. Her appearance in the starting five against the Lady Bears was her first since fracturing her left foot at Rice on Dec. 1. Atunrase has averaged 12.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.0 steals per game in her two Big 12 starts this season. She is currently the team?â„¢s second leading scorer averaging 13.9 points per game. The preseason All-Big 12 Team selection missed five contests of the season during her recovery. The Aggies went 4-1 in her absence. Atunrase has averaged 28.0 minutes on the court since her return earlier this month. Teammate Ashlaa Horton (Cedar Hill, Texas), a redshirt freshman, also saw 12 minutes of action against Baylor and Colorado combined, after missing seven contests of the season with a stress fracture. Junior LaToya Gulley (Fayetteville, Ark.) is still sidelined with a stress fracture.
AROUND THE BIG 12
In the latest Big 12 Conference standings, Texas A&M is tied for second place with Nebraska with 3-1 records in league play. No team has been able to stop Oklahoma?â„¢s winning ways as the Sooners own an undefeated 4-0 record. The Aggies embark on a challenging three-game stretch this week with a much-anticipated rematch at No. 22 Texas slated for Sunday followed by quick turnarounds with Nebraska on Wednesday, Jan. 24 and No. 7 Oklahoma on Saturday, Jan. 27. A six-way tie for fourth is shared by No. 12 Baylor, No. 25 Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas Tech and Colorado. All have posted 2-2 records. In three weeks time, A&M will have competed against all but one of the top nine teams positioned fourth-or-better in the league.
1. Oklahoma (14-1, 4-0)
2T. Nebraska (15-3, 3-1)
2T. Texas A&M (13-3, 3-1)
4T. Baylor (15-3, 2-2)
4T. Kansas State (14-3, 2-2)
4T. Oklahoma State (14-3, 2-2)
4T. Texas (13-5, 2-2)
4T. Texas Tech (11-7, 2-2)
4T. Colorado (8-8, 2-2)
10. Iowa State (14-4, 2-3)
11. Missouri (13-5, 1-4)
12. Kansas (6-11, 0-4)
AGGIES ON THE RADIO
All Texas A&M women?â„¢s basketball games can be heard via a radio broadcast on the Texas A&M Sports Network. Tom Turbiville (play-by-play) and Tap Bentz (color analyst) will call the action live from the Frank Erwin Center on KZNE 1150 AM.