February 13, 2007
Looking to continue their winning ways, the No. 13/16-ranked Texas A&M women?â„¢s basketball team (19-4, 9-2) will break away from the friendly confines of Reed Arena this week with a tough two-game road swing through the Big 12 Conference beginning at Iowa State (17-7, 5-6) on Wednesday, Feb. 14 at 7 p.m. in Ames, Iowa. Three of the team?â„¢s final five games of the regular season will be decided on the road including an upcoming matchup at Oklahoma State (17-7, 5-6) on Saturday, Feb. 17 in Stillwater, Okla. Both the Cyclones and Cowgirls have only lost a combined four times at home this season. The Aggies are 4-4 away from Reed Arena including first-time wins in conference play at Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Missouri. A&M has never won in Ames in the Big 12 era and in the all-time series versus ISU. The Aggies will have to defy the magic of Hilton Coliseum as the Cyclones have gone an unprecedented 51-11 at the venue since the 2003-04 season. A&M is currently tied for first place with Nebraska in the Big 12 title race, while Iowa State is tied for fifth place with OSU. The Aggies have won a program-best six conference games in a row after recording a 2-0 week against two of last year?â„¢s four NCAA Tournament bound league teams in Missouri and Oklahoma. A&M swept the Sooners for the first time in school history on Feb. 10.
THE SPIN ON THE CYCLONES
Iowa State has won three of its last six games including a 76-68 win over Missouri on Feb. 4. The Cyclones have faced three of the top four league teams in consecutive outings. They are 1-3 against top 25 competition this season with an upset of then-No. 25 Texas (67-56) on Jan. 18 and a recent loss to No. 15 Baylor (81-64) on Feb. 10. The Longhorns are the only Big 12 South opponent to fall to ISU. Under head coach Bill Fennelly, Iowa State has advanced to postseason play all 10 years of the Big 12 including last season?â„¢s Postseason WNIT appearance. The Cyclones fell to Marquette in second-round action of the WNIT, but posted an 18-13 overall record. Perennially known as one of the top three-point shooting ball clubs in the league, Iowa State currently ranks 12th nationally in three-point field goals made (7.3). Three ISU players are averaging double figures in scoring including All-Big 12 First Team performer Lyndsey Medders (12.6 ppg), Nicky Wieben (12.0 ppg) and Toccara Ross (11.6 ppg). The Cyclones are also averaging 8,688 fans per game at Hilton Coliseum this season.
PROBABLE STARTING LINEUPS
TEXAS A&M
No. Name (2006-07 Stats)
#10 A?â„¢Quonesia Franklin, G, 5-3, Jr. (9.7 ppg, 2.7 rpg)
#3 Takia Starks, G, 5-8, So. (14.0 ppg, 4.3 rpg)
#21 Morenike Atunrase, G/F, 5-10, Jr. (11.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg)
#24 Patrice Reado, F, 6-0, Jr. (7.9 ppg, 4.1 rpg)
#12 La Toya Micheaux, C, 6-3, So. (6.7 ppg, 7.1 rpg)
IOWA STATE
No. Name (2006-07 Stats)
#04 Alison Lacey, G, 6-0, Fr. (7.2 ppg, 4.2 rpg)
#15 Heather Ezell, G, 5-9, So. (8.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg)
#31 Megan Ronhovde, G, 6-1, Sr. (7.4 ppg, 4.5 rpg)
#41 Toccara Ross, F, 5-11, Jr. (11.6 ppg, 7.5 rpg)
#05 Nicky Wieben, C, 6-4, So. (12.0 ppg, 5.8 rpg)
SERIES NOTES
Iowa State leads 11-2 in the all-time series versus Texas A&M. The Aggies have never won in Ames in five tries since the series first began during the 1989-90 season, the first and only meeting between the two schools prior to the formation of the Big 12. A&M snapped a three-game losing skid in the series with a 64-53 victory in last year?â„¢s meeting in College Station. ISU still holds an 8-2 advantage in regular season games played in the Big 12 era.
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 22-43 all-time and 4-1 this season against the Big 12 North with victories over Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri. A win against Iowa State would give A&M its second-best finish against its northern foes in the 11-year existence of the league.
CHANGING OF THE GUARDS
Two of the league?â„¢s top five guards will be directing the Aggies and Cyclones Wednesday night. Iowa State?â„¢s Lyndsey Medders missed two of the team?â„¢s last three contests against Nebraska and Baylor and played limited minutes versus Missouri on Feb. 4 due to a minor concussion. She currently leads the Big 12 in assists per game (6.4) which ranks seventh nationally. Texas A&M?â„¢s A?â„¢Quonesia Franklin, reigning Big 12 Player of the Week, leads the league in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.11) and is fourth-best in assists (4.9). In fact, Iowa State and A&M rank No. 1 and 2 respectively in the Big 12 when it comes to assist-to-turnover ratio.
IN UNFAMILIAR TERRITORY
With five games remaining on the Big 12 Conference slate, the Aggies have never been in a closer position to be in the running for a conference title since 1994 when A&M (11-3) posted a second-place finish in the Southwest Conference behind league champion Texas Tech (12-2). The Aggies have never won a regular season conference title, but won their first-ever conference tournament title in 1996. A&M would outlast Texas Tech, 72-68, in the championship game in the final year of the SWC. Not since his days at Stephen F. Austin (1985-93) where he collected seven-straight conference championships has Texas A&M head coach Gary Blair been able to grasp the elusive conference title at Arkansas (1993-03) or A&M (2003-Present). Blair squads at both schools have never posted back-to-back seasons finishing among the top three in the conference. Last season, he led the Aggies to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1996 and program-best tied for third finish in the Big 12.
OH, TO BE 20 AGAIN!
The Aggies are one win shy of recording their seventh all-time 20-win season in school history. With its current 19-4 overall record, A&M has already assured itself of its 19th all-time winning season in the 33-year existence of Aggie women?â„¢s basketball. They have posted three consecutive winning seasons under Texas A&M head coach Gary Blair for the first time since the 1995-96 season. A&M went 23-8 in 1993-94, 21-9 in 1994-95 and 20-12 in 1995-96. Blair has led 15 different teams to 20-win seasons combined at Stephen F. Austin, Arkansas and A&M including last season?â„¢s 23-9 NCAA Tournament squad.
MONEY BALL
Iowa State has drained 174 three-pointers this season which is tops in the Big 12 for made attempts (7.3). Four of the top 15 long-range specialists in the league hail from Iowa State including Lyndsey Medders (4th, 1.9), ISU?â„¢s Heather Ezell (8th, 1.6) and Megan Ronhovde (12th, 1.4). Texas A&M?â„¢s A?â„¢Quonesia Franklin ranks 10th-best (1.5). Meanwhile, the Aggies have taken the money ball to the bank rank with a league-best 40 percent accuracy from beyond the arc which ranks second nationally. The A&M defense has also limited opponents?â„¢ perimeter shooting to a league-best 28.1 percent this season.
A SEASON OF FIRSTS
Three 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. They added their first win in Columbia with a 69-63 decision over Missouri on Feb. 7. All three were first time victories on the road since the league?â„¢s inception in 1996-97. A&M will be looking for another first on Wednesday night in Ames.
SERIES REWIND
A?â„¢Quonesia Franklin scored a game-high 18 points on a career-high four three pointers to lead No. 25-ranked Texas A&M over Iowa State, 64-53, on Feb. 26, 2006 in College Station. A&M converted 21 of its points off 20 ISU turnovers. In the second half, the Cyclones pulled within three, 33-30, but Danielle Gant scored eight unanswered points as part of a 15-0 run, to give the Aggies a 51-33 lead midway through the half. Iowa State missed five shots and committed four turnovers during that stretch. Gant was instrumental in the opening portion of the second half with her offense and defense. Besides scoring 10 points in the stretch, Gant tallied a pair of assists and rebounds. La Toya Micheaux grabbed a season-best 11 rebounds, eight on the offensive end of the floor, while recording three steals. Franklin added four rebounds and a pair of steals to the winning cause. Takia Starks had 11, while senior Erica Roy registered eight points and nine rebounds with six assists and two steals in her final appearance on the hardwood at Reed Arena. Tamea Scales finished with a career-best three blocks along with four points and three rebounds. Iowa State was paced by Brittany Wilkins?â„¢ 12 points and nine rebounds and by Lisa Bildeaux?â„¢s 11 points and eight rebounds. A&M held an early 7-3 lead before the Cyclones rattled off a 9-2 run to take a 12-9 advantage in the early going. The Aggies responded with a 14-3 run highlighted by three-pointers from Morenike Atunrase and Franklin to retake the lead 23-15 late in the first half. Iowa State then tied the game at 23-23 with back-to-back three-pointers by Heather Ezell with 3:44 left to play in the half. The Aggies led 27-25 at the break. The Cyclones cut the A&M?â„¢s 18-point second-half lead to nine points, 62-53, with an 11-4 run over the last five minutes of the contest.
OU RECAP
No. 16 Texas A&M came out focused and didn?â„¢t let down as the Aggies swept No. 12 Oklahoma for the first time in school history securing its hold of first place in the Big 12 Conference title race with a 78-68 victory on Feb. 10. The Aggies extended their home court win streak to 15-straight games and remain an undefeated 14-0 at home this season. The Aggie defense forced 24 Oklahoma turnovers in which they converted into 27 points. A&M also got 64 percent of its scoring production from its guard play. Sophomore Takia Starks (Houston, Texas) and junior A?â„¢Quonesia Franklin (Tyler, Texas) each racked up 25 points apiece. Starks scored 17 of her 25 points in the first half alone. Franklin dished out a career-high tying 10 assists to record her third career double-double. Sophomore Danielle Gant (Oklahoma City, Okla.) added 11 points, while Oklahoma was led by All-American Courtney Paris who registered 25 points and 14 rebounds for the Sooners. The Aggies shot 5-of-10 from long-range in the first half including a trio of three-pointers by the hot-shooting Starks. A&M lead 37-29 at halftime, but OU would tie the game up at 39-39 with a 10-2 run to start the second half of play. For the game, A&M shot 45.5 percent from the floor and sophomore La Toya Micheaux (Missouri City, Texas) grabbed 11 of the team?â„¢s 26 rebounds. Meanwhile, the Sooners went 2-of-11 from beyond the arc and 16-of-28 from the charity stripe.
ON THE NATIONAL SCENE
Texas A&M continues to be one of the top 25 teams in the nation in five NCAA statistical categories including scoring defense (7th, 52.8), three-point field goal percentage (2nd, 40.0), scoring margin (19th, 15.4), assists (17th, 16.9) and steals (21st, 11.4) per game as of Feb. 11. Junior point guard A?â„¢Quonesia Franklin ranks 43rd nationally in assists per game (4.9). As a team, Iowa State ranks 19th nationally in personal fouls committed per game (14.7).
AGGIES IN THE RPI
The Aggies are currently No. 19 in the Jeff Sagarin/CBN Women?â„¢s College Basketball Ratings as of Feb. 11. Eleven Big 12 schools are rated among the top 100 RPI teams in the nation including Baylor (11), Oklahoma (16), Nebraska (23), Texas A&M (26), Texas (28), Kansas State (34), Texas Tech (37), Iowa State (38), Missouri (61), Oklahoma State (76) and Colorado (94) 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 (35), West Virginia (64) and Rice (86).
LOOKING AT THE BIG 12
Texas A&M shares the top spot in the latest Big 12 Conference standings with Nebraska. A&M?â„¢s final five-game stretch includes teams situated in the top half of the conference including Iowa State, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, Baylor and Texas. Nebraska still has Texas Tech, Missouri, Iowa State, Oklahoma State and Colorado on its five-game forecast. Both teams have never won a Big 12 regular season trophy since the league?â„¢s inception in 1996-97. Nine of the league?â„¢s 12 teams have won more than half of their contests. A&M is looking to join the ranks of Nebraska and Baylor and become the third school to reach 20 victories this season.
1T. Nebraska (21-4, 9-2)
1T. Texas A&M (19-4, 9-2)
3. Oklahoma (19-4, 9-3)
4. Baylor (21-4, 8-3)
5T. Iowa State (17-7, 5-6)
5T. Oklahoma State (17-7, 5-6)
5T. Texas Tech (14-11, 5-6)
8. Texas (16-10, 5-7)
9T. Kansas State (16-8, 4-7)
9T. Colorado (10-13, 4-7)
11T. Missouri (14-10, 2-9)
11T. Kansas (8-16, 2-9)
AGGIES IN THE TOP 25
A&M climbed three spots to No. 13 in the latest Associated Press Top 25 Poll released Monday and three spots to No. 16 in the latest USA TODAY/ESPN Coaches Top 25 Poll released Tuesday. A&M has now appeared in the national polls a school-record 15-straight weeks since the preseason polls first 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 (26-0)
2. North Carolina (24-1)
3. Tennessee (23-2)
4. Ohio State (23-1)
5. Connecticut (22-2)
6. Maryland (24-3)
7. LSU (22-4)
8. George Washington (21-2)
9. Stanford (21-4)
10. Arizona State (23-3)
11. Georgia (21-5)
12. Vanderbilt (21-4)
13. Texas A&M (19-4)
14. Oklahoma (18-4)
15. Baylor (21-4)
16. Purdue (21-5)
17. Middle Tennessee State (23-3)
18. Bowling Green (22-2)
19. Nebraska (21-4)
20. Louisville (22-3)
21. Marquette (20-4)
22. California (19-6)
23. Rutgers (15-7)
24. Michigan State (19-6)
25. James Madison (22-2)
USA TODAY/ESPN COACHES TOP 25 POLL
1. Duke (26-0)
2. North Carolina (24-1)
3. Tennessee (23-2)
4. Connecticut (22-2)
5. Ohio State (23-1)
6. Maryland (24-3)
7. LSU (22-4)
8. Arizona State (23-3)
9. George Washington (21-2)
10. Stanford (21-4)
11. Oklahoma (18-4)
12. Georgia (21-5)
13. Vanderbilt (21-4)
14. Baylor (21-4)
15. Purdue (21-5)
16. Texas A&M (19-4)
17. Bowling Green (22-2)
18. Middle Tennessee State (23-3)
19. Louisville (22-3)
20. Nebraska (21-4)
21. Marquette (20-4)
22. California (19-6)
23. Rutgers (15-7)
24. Michigan State (19-6)
25. Wisconsin-Green Bay (19-3)
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) and Amy Wright (color analyst) will call the action live from Hilton Coliseum on KZNE 1150 AM The Zone.