February 06, 2007
Playing their best basketball of the season, the No. 16/19-ranked Texas A&M women?â„¢s basketball team (17-4, 7-2) travels to Missouri (14-8, 2-7) to tangle with the Tigers on Wednesday, Feb. 7 at 6:30 p.m. in Columbia, Mo. The Aggies know never to underestimate their competition, especially in the Big 12 Conference as they will have faced two of the league?â„¢s underdogs in back-to-back games. A&M is currently situated in a two-way tie for second in the league standings with a 7-2 mark, while Mizzou is 11th at 2-7. For the first time in school history and in the Big 12 era, A&M has won four conference games in a row after going 2-0 against Oklahoma State (64-63) and Kansas (64-53) last week. Their four-game streak also includes two top 25 victories over Nebraska and Oklahoma. Meanwhile, the Tigers are still trying to find their first win over a Big 12 South opponent this season. MU has not been successful in three tries, but has managed to come within eight points or less against Texas (-2), Texas Tech (-8) and Baylor (-1). The Aggies have never won on the road in five all-time meetings between the two schools in Columbia. This will mark only the second time A&M will have played in the 15,000+ seat Mizzou Arena which opened in 2004. The Tigers are 10-2 at home this season with losses only to Texas and Nebraska in league play.
ON THE HORIZON
Two of top teams in the nation and in the conference will battle it out once again as Texas A&M hosts No. 9/12 Oklahoma (18-3, 8-2) on Saturday, Feb. 10 at 1 p.m. Fans are encouraged to wear white to the much-anticipated rematch which will be televised nationally on Fox Sports Net. The Aggies are the only team in the Big 12 who remain undefeated at home this season with a 13-0 record at Reed Arena. They will put their second-longest home court winning streak in school history on the line against the Sooners. A&M previously ended OU?â„¢s 26-game winning streak in conference play with a 54-52 upset in Norman on Jan. 27.
EYEING THE TIGERS
Missouri was one of four Big 12 teams a year ago to advance to the NCAA Tournament after posting a 21-10 campaign. The Tigers started off the season with a 12-1 record in non-conference play, but have struggled ever since a 71-59 loss at Colorado in the league opener on Jan. 3. Their two wins in Big 12 play have been home victories over Iowa State (66-56) on Jan. 6 and Colorado (61-48) on Jan. 28, the program?â„¢s fewest victories in league competition since the formation of the Big 12. MU has played the majority of their conference games on the road, five of nine to be exact. With the exception of three games, Mizzou has held its opponent to a single-digit victory this season in Big 12 play. The Tigers have played their best basketball at home this season with a 10-2 mark at Mizzou Arena. Missouri currently ranks third nationally in free throw percentage (79.6) behind the nation?â„¢s third-best free throw shooter in senior forward Carlynn Savant (91.6). Savant is also shooting a team-best 42.5 percent from beyond the arc hitting on three of the team?â„¢s 10 three-pointers in a 68-76 loss to ISU in their last outing. Two of the top 15 scorers in the league hail from MU including senior forwards EeTisha Riddle (6th, 16.4 ppg) and Tiffany Brooks (12th, 13.3).
PROBABLE STARTING LINEUPS
TEXAS A&M
No. Name (2006-07 Stats)
#10 A?â„¢Quonesia Franklin, G, 5-3, Jr. (8.7 ppg, 2.7 rpg)
#3 Takia Starks, G, 5-8, So. (13.1 ppg, 4.4 rpg)
#55 Danielle Gant, G/F, 5-11, So. (9.6 ppg, 7.1 rpg)
#24 Patrice Reado, F, 6-0, Jr. (8.0 ppg, 4.1 rpg)
#12 La Toya Micheaux, C, 6-3, So. (7.1 ppg, 6.8 rpg)
MISSOURI
No. Name (2006-07 Stats)
#34 Tiffany Brooks, G, 5-11, Sr. (13.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg)
#23 Blair Hardiek, G, 5-7, Sr. (5.1 ppg, 1.9 rpg)
#12 Alyssa Hollins, G, 6-0, So. (12.3 ppg, 3.0 rpg)
#43 Carlynn Savant, F, 6-1, Sr. (11.7 ppg, 7.6 rpg)
#54 EeTisha Riddle, C, 6-3, Sr. (16.4 ppg, 8.1 rpg)
SERIES HISTORY
Missouri leads 7-4 in the all-time series versus Texas A&M. Last season, the Aggies snapped a three-game losing skid in the series with a 72-52 (+20) victory in College Station on Jan. 21, 2006. It was the largest margin of victory in the series for A&M since defeating the Tigers by 24 points in an 85-61 win on Feb. 16, 2002 in College Station. A&M has never been on the winning end in five previous meetings in Columbia. They have lost by an average margin of 10.8 points on the road at Mizzou. The Tigers also hold a 6-4 advantage in regular season games played between the two schools. They met only once prior to the inception of the Big 12 in 1996-97.
A SEASON OF FIRSTS
Two of A&M?â„¢s biggest wins of the season and in the Gary Blair era have occurred on the road in Big 12 play. Last month, the Aggies picked up their first-ever win in Lubbock since 1980 with a 49-47 victory on Jan. 10 and first-ever win in Norman since 1990 with a 54-52 upset on Jan. 27. Both were first time victories on the road since the league?â„¢s inception in 1996-97. The Aggies are 3-4 away from Reed Arena this season. They will be looking for another first in Columbia on Wednesday.
A LOOK BACK IN THE SERIES
Morenike Atunrase scored 15 points to lead Texas A&M to a 20-point victory over Missouri (72-52) on Jan. 21, 2006 at Reed Arena. The win was the first for A&M over Mizzou in three games. A 22-4 run over a six-minute stretch in the second half of play, changed the game for the Aggies. Atunrase scored nine points in that run including a three-pointer to give A&M a 52-33 lead. The Aggies scored 34 points off of the Tigers?â„¢ season-high 30 turnovers in the game. Erica Roy had a season-high 13 points and seven rebounds for the Aggies, while Takia Starks added 12 points. A?â„¢Quonesia Franklin notched eight points and seven assists in the winning cause. A&M won the rebounding battle, 47-37. La Toya Micheaux had a season-high 11 rebounds, while Patrice Reado added 10. It was Reado?â„¢s second-straight game with a season-best seven defensive boards. The Aggies held MU?â„¢s leading scorer, LaToya Bond, to a season-low six points. She fouled out with 11 minutes to play. It was her first game not to reach double-digits for the season. Missouri was paced by C?â„¢stelle N?â„¢Garsanet?â„¢s 13 points and eight rebounds and by EeTisha Riddle?â„¢s 10 points and four blocks. It took the Aggies three minutes to record their first points in the game as they missed their first five shots. Roy tied the game at 2-2 with a layup. Missouri started off on a 6-2 run as the Aggies struggled to shoot the ball, connecting on one of their first 10 attempts. Midway through the half, the Aggies put together a 12-3 run to take an 18-12 lead. The Tigers answered with back-to-back three-pointers by Carlynn Savant and Riddle to tie the game at 18-18 on their way to a 15-6 run and a 27-24 lead. N?â„¢Garsanet added six points during the run. The Aggies closed the half with a six-point run to give them a 30-27 lead at the break.
AGAINST THE BIG 12 NORTH
Big 12 North opponents have always posed a challenge for its Southern counterparts even despite only facing each other once a year during conference play. Only three of the past Big 12 Champions in league history have hailed from a North school including Kansas in 1997, Iowa State in 2000 (share) and Kansas State in 2004 (share). Last year, A&M went a program-best 6-0 versus the Big 12 North and previously had not posted more than three victories against North schools except for a 3-3 mark during the 2001-02 season. The Aggies are 21-43 all-time and 3-1 this season against the Big 12 North with victories over Colorado, Nebraska and Kansas. They will have faced three North schools in their current five-game stretch.
BUILDING A BASKETBALL POWER IN COLLEGE STATION
It's not hard to believe with the hirings of Texas A&M men?â„¢s basketball coach Billy Gillispie and Texas A&M women?â„¢s basketball coach Gary Blair that they would build a basketball power in College Station. Texas A&M is currently one of five Division I programs in the country with both of its men?â„¢s (16-0) and women?â„¢s (13-0) teams undefeated at home this season. The others are Ohio State, North Carolina, George Washington and BYU. Of that group, the Aggies are one of just three with both their men and women ranked in the top 25 along with Ohio State and UNC. The Aggie women have won all but two games over the last two seasons at Reed Arena with a 27-2 record under Blair.
GANT DOUBLES UP
Sophomore Danielle Gant (Oklahoma City, Okla.) led No. 18-ranked Texas A&M to a 2-0 week and a half game back from first place in the Big 12 Conference standings with victories over Oklahoma State (64-63) on Jan. 30 and Kansas (64-53) on Feb. 3. Gant recorded her fourth and fifth career double-doubles in both outings. She averaged a team-leading 15.5 points, 12.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.5 steals per game against the Cowgirls and Jayhawks combined. She currently leads the team with a 55.2 accuracy from the floor this season which ranks fourth-best in the league. For the week, Gant shot 52.4 percent from the floor and 69.2 percent from the charity stripe. She did not falter under pressure as she hit the game-winning free throw with one second left to lift A&M over OSU. Gant finished the contest with 16 points and a season-high 15 rebounds. She drained six of her career-high 10 attempts from the charity stripe versus the Cowgirls. Four days later, Gant registered 15 points and 10 rebounds versus the Jayhawks. She blocked a season-high three shots against KU. Gant has brought down double-digit boards six times this season and is the team?â„¢s leading rebounder averaging 7.1 boards per game which ranks 11th in the Big 12. She also ranks third among league leaders in steals (2.2 avg). Her five double-doubles are tied for eight-most among all Big 12 players this season.
KANSAS RECAP
Junior Patrice Reado (Houston, Texas) scored 18 points and sophomore Danielle Gant (Oklahoma City, Okla.) had 15 points and 10 rebounds in No. 18 Texas A&M's 64-53 victory over Kansas on Feb. 3. The Aggies won their fourth-straight Big 12 game for the first time in school history. Reado, who came in averaging 7.5 points per game, was 8-of-10 from the floor with eight rebounds. Taylor McIntosh had 12 points for Kansas which has lost five in a row and 12-of-13. Danielle McCray had 11 points, and Shaquina Mosley added 10 points and 10 assists. Mosley?â„¢s layup tied the game at 36 with 15:39 remaining. But, the Aggies went on a 13-0 run to take control. Gant started the spurt with a basket and junior A?â„¢Quonesia Franklin (Tyler, Texas) hit a 3-pointer to give Texas A&M a 49-36 cushion with 8:48 left. In that stretch, Kansas missed seven consecutive shots and turned the ball over three times. The Jayhawks took a 22-18 lead on McIntosh?â„¢s tip-in, before the Aggies finished the first half with a 14-6 surge to take the lead.
ON THE NATIONAL FRONT
Texas A&M continues to be one of the top 20 teams in the nation in five NCAA statistical categories including scoring defense (3rd, 51.6), three-point field goal percentage (5th, 39.3), scoring margin (16th, 16.1), assists (14th, 17.0) and steals (20th, 11.6) per game as of Feb. 4. Junior point guard A?â„¢Quonesia Franklin ranks 48th nationally in assists per game (4.8).
LOOKING AT THE RPI
The Aggies are currently No. 20 in the Jeff Sagarin/CBN Women?â„¢s College Basketball Ratings as of Feb. 4. Eleven Big 12 schools are rated among the top 100 RPI teams in the nation including Oklahoma (13), Baylor (19), Texas (22), Nebraska (25), Kansas State (32), Texas Tech (39), Iowa State (41), Texas A&M (46), Missouri (48), Colorado (79) and Oklahoma State (93) according to CollegeRPI.com. The Aggies have posted a 3-1 record against teams rated in the top 30. A&M has also played top 100 non-conference opponents in Washington (45), West Virginia (64) and Rice (88).
AGGIES IN THE TOP 25
A&M climbed two spots to No. 16 in the latest Associated Press Top 25 Poll released Monday and one spot to No. 19 in the latest USA TODAY/ESPN Coaches Top 25 Poll released Tuesday. A&M has now appeared in the national polls a school-record 14-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 was previously 12 which occurred during the 1994-95 campaign under former head coach Candi Harvey.
ASSOCIATED PRESS TOP 25 POLL
1. Duke (23-0)
2. North Carolina (24-0)
3. Tennessee (20-2)
4. Ohio State (21-1)
5. Connecticut (20-2)
6. Maryland (22-3)
7. LSU (21-3)
8. George Washington (19-2)
9. Georgia (19-4)
10. Arizona State (21-3)
11. Stanford (19-4)
12. Oklahoma (18-3)
13. Purdue (20-4)
14. Vanderbilt (20-4)
15. Baylor (19-4)
16. Texas A&M (17-4)
17. Louisville (21-2)
18. Bowling Green (20-2)
19. Middle Tennessee State (21-3)
20. California (18-5)
21. Nebraska (19-4)
22. Rutgers (14-6)
23. Marquette (19-4)
24. Wisconsin-Green Bay (18-3)
25. James Madison (19-2)
USA TODAY/ESPN TOP 25 COACHES POLL
1. Duke (23-0)
2. North Carolina (24-0)
3. Tennessee (20-2)
4. Connecticut (20-2)
5. Ohio State (21-1)
6. Maryland (22-3)
7. LSU (21-3)
8. Arizona State (21-3)
9T. George Washington (19-2)
9T. Oklahoma (18-3)
11. Stanford (19-4)
12. Georgia (19-4)
13. Purdue (20-4)
14. Vanderbilt (20-4)
15. Baylor (19-4)
16. Louisville (21-2)
17. Bowling Green (20-2)
18. Middle Tennessee State (21-3)
19. Texas A&M (17-4)
20. California (18-5)
21. Nebraska (19-4)
22. Marquette (19-4)
23. Rutgers (14-6)
24. Michigan State (17-6)
25. Wisconsin-Green Bay (18-3)
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) will call the action live from Mizzou Arena on KZNE 1150 AM.