February 20, 2007
With the Big 12 Conference season winding down, every game counts as the No. 16/18-ranked Texas A&M women?â„¢s basketball team (20-5, 10-3) vies for its first-ever conference regular season title in school history. The Aggies play host to an upset-minded Texas Tech (15-12, 6-7) squad on Wednesday, Feb. 21 at 7 p.m. A&M currently holds the ninth-longest home court winning streak in the nation having won 16-straight at Reed Arena including its undefeated 14-0 mark at the venue this season. The Lady Raiders have come close to dismantling two of the top teams in the league in back-to-back contests including a one-point victory at No. 19-ranked Nebraska (70-69) on Feb. 14 and a three-point loss to No. 14-ranked Oklahoma (70-67) on Feb. 17. The Aggies have already reached their seventh all-time 20-win season and first back-to-back 10-win seasons in the 11-year existence of the Big 12. A&M is currently tied for first place with Oklahoma and Baylor, while Tech is in sixth place in the latest league standings. They will be looking to sweep the Lady Raiders for the first time in the Big 12 era.
GAME PROMOTIONS
J.J. Jumper, the official mascot of NCAA Basketball, will make a special appearance at the Blair?â„¢s Kid Court and throughout the Texas Tech game. J.J. travels across the country in an effort to draw young fans to NCAA Division I women?â„¢s basketball games. J.J. will bring giveaways for fans, perform skits and promotions during timeouts and will pose for pictures and sign autographs. The Aggie Wranglers will perform a ?Dancing With the Stars? skit at halftime with special guests Chris Yoder from the Texas A&M football team and Mary Batis from the Texas A&M volleyball team.
ROAD TRIP TO WACO
Texas A&M head coach Gary Blair and the Texas A&M Maroon Club encourages fans to watch the Aggies travel to No. 14 Baylor (23-4, 10-3) on Sunday, Feb. 25 at 1 p.m. at the Ferrell Center in Waco, Texas. The Battle of the Brazos matchup between the two Big 12 Conference schools will be televised nationally on ESPN2. It will mark A&M?â„¢s second all-time appearance on the network next to last season?â„¢s NCAA Tournament first-round game versus TCU. The cost for the bus 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. The bus is scheduled to depart from the Sears parking lot at the Post Oak Mall in College Station at 10:45 a.m. (please arrive at 10:30 a.m.). For more information, please contact Marty at: (979) 846-3024 or mwalton@athletics.tamu.edu.
A LOOK AT THE LADY RAIDERS
Texas Tech is one of four bubble teams in the Big 12 vying for a postseason bid after missing the program?â„¢s first NCAA Tournament in 16-straight seasons last year with a 15-14 overall record. With a current 7-6 mark in league play, the Lady Raiders will be looking to finish 8-8 or better, but must do so by winning out with Texas A&M, Texas and Iowa State remaining on their schedule. Seven of their last eight contests have been decided by seven points or less. Tech has only managed to win three of those close calls including a 49-48 win over Texas on Jan. 27 and a 66-65 victory at Kansas on Jan. 31. They have posted a 4-7 record away from the friendly confines of United Spirit Arena this season and have only picked up league wins on the road at Oklahoma State along with a pair of victories over Big 12 North foes in Kansas and Nebraska. Senior forward Alesha Robertson is averaging a team-leading 13.7 points and 8.6 rebounds per game for the Lady Raiders.
PROBABLE STARTING LINEUPS
TEXAS A&M
No. Name (2006-07 Stats)
#10 A?â„¢Quonesia Franklin, G, 5-3, Jr. (9.3 ppg, 2.6 rpg)
#3 Takia Starks, G, 5-8, So. (14.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg)
#21 Morenike Atunrase, G/F, 5-10, Jr. (11.2 ppg, 3.5 rpg)
#55 Danielle Gant, G/F, 5-11, So. (10.3 ppg, 7.2 rpg
#12 La Toya Micheaux, C, 6-3, So. (6.5 ppg, 7.3 rpg)
TEXAS TECH
No. Name (2006-07 Stats)
#23 LaVonda Henderson, G, 5-7, So. (5.1 ppg, 2.1 rpg)
#10 Brooke Baughman, G, 5-10, Sr. (6.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg)
#13 Jordan Murphree, G, 6-0, Fr. (8.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg)
#55 Alesha Robertson, F, 6-0, Sr. (13.7 ppg, 8.6 rpg)
#33 Patrice Edwards, C, 6-6, Sr. (8.6 ppg, 5.4 rpg)
INSIDE THE SERIES
Texas Tech holds a 52-10 advantage in the all-time series versus Texas A&M. Last season, the Aggies split the home and away series with the Lady Raiders for the first time ever in Big 12 regular season competition. A&M snapped a 19-game losing skid in the series with a decisive 65-48 victory over Tech at Reed Arena on Feb. 5, 2006. Earlier this season, the Aggies picked up their first win in Lubbock since Feb. 4, 1980. They defeated the Lady Raiders, 49-47, on Jan. 10. In Big 12 regular season competition, the Lady Raiders lead 19-2 in the series. A&M has never swept Texas Tech in 62 previous meetings between the two schools. Historically, A&M has only swept three Big 12 South counterparts a total of seven times including Texas (2005-06), Baylor (1999-2000), Oklahoma (2006-07) and Oklahoma State (1996-97, 2004-05, 2005-06, 2006-07) in the 11-year history of the league.
ATUNRASE CLOSING IN ON CAREER MILESTONES
Preseason All-Big 12 Team selection Morenike Atunrase (Shreveport, La.) registered her first double-digit game since suffering a sprained right ankle at Oklahoma on Jan. 27. She finished with 10 points in the OSU victory. She is now eight points shy of recording her 1,000th career point and would become only the 18th player all-time to reach the milestone in school history. Atunrase is also two blocks away from becoming Texas A&M?â„¢s all-time leading shot blocker with 136 career blocks to date.
IN UNFAMILIAR TERRITORY
With three 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.
TEXAS TECH REPLAY
Junior Morenike Atunrase hit a jumper with 1:04 left to give No. 19 Texas A&M a 49-47 victory over Texas Tech before a crowd of 10,185 on Jan. 13 at United Spirit Arena. It marked A&M?â„¢s first win in Lubbock since 1980 and first victory against Texas Tech on the road in Big 12 Conference play. The Aggies also picked up only their 10th win in the all-time series versus the Lady Raiders. Texas A&M head coach Gary Blair also claimed his first victory against his alma mater in seven tries. The Aggie defense held Tech scoreless for the final three minutes of the game. Down by three and looking to score, junior A?â„¢Quonesia Franklin (Tyler, Texas) drained a long-range three-pointer with 1:57 to go to tie the game up at 47-47. Senior Lenka Zimova (Partizanske, Slovakia) scored a team-and season-high 11 points including nine key baskets in the first half of play. Sophomore Takia Starks (Houston, Texas) added 10. Atunrase had five points and four rebounds in her second game since suffering a foot fracture in early December. Alesha Robertson turned in a double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds for Texas Tech. Chesley Dabbs added 11 in the loss. The game was tied at 25-25 at halftime and the lead changed nine times. Up by five points, A&M held its largest lead of the contest with 12:40 remaining in the second half. Texas Tech shot 29.3 percent (17-of-58) from the field to 35.7 percent (20-of-56) by the Aggies.
OKLAHOMA STATE RECAP
Takia Starks hit a jumper with 0.3 seconds remaining to help Texas A&M survive another scare from Oklahoma State with a 62-60 victory on Feb. 17. The Cowgirls, who lost on a free throw with the same amount of time remaining in the teams?â„¢ previous meeting this season, rallied from six points down in the final three minutes to tie the game on Maria Cordero's layup with 23 seconds left. After a timeout, point guard A?â„¢Quonesia Franklin dribbled down most of the remaining time before the Aggies (20-5, 10-3 Big 12) had to scramble to get the ball to Starks near the foul line. Oklahoma State head coach Kurt Budke then called a timeout to set up a play, but Starks stole a long inbounds pass near the Cowgirls' 3-point line. Danielle Gant, who hit the winning free throw in the Aggies?â„¢ 64-63 win over Oklahoma State on Jan. 30, finished with 14 points and 14 rebounds for her sixth double-double. Starks scored 13 and Morenike Atunrase had 10 for Texas A&M. Freshman Andrea Riley matched her career high with 21 points, Danielle Chism scored 11 and Rashidat Sadiq added 10 for Oklahoma State. Gant?â„¢s free throw with 5:36 remaining gave the Aggies a 49-48 lead, and she added a three-point play off an offensive rebound on A&M's next possession to stretch the lead to four. She made it 56-50 by banking in a right-handed shot from the right side. Oklahoma State closed to within 57-56 on Andrea Riley's two free throws with 1:36 to play, with Budke flapping both arms in the air to encourage the crowd to stand and cheer, which he also did during Atunrase's missed free throw that gave his team a chance to tie. Riley's driving layup tied it at 58 with just over a minute to play, but Atunrase answered with a jumper in the key for the Aggies with 44.4 seconds left. Riley set up Cordero?â„¢s layup on the other end, but the Aggies had another stunner in store for the Cowgirls. It was A&M's seventh straight win over the Cowgirls. Oklahoma State fell to 0-6 this season against ranked foes. Oklahoma State held the Aggies without a basket for more than 6 minutes in the first half, scoring nine straight points to take a 15-9 lead on Sadiq's 3-pointer from the right wing. Texas A&M scored seven points in a row to claim a 26-23 lead on a basket by La Toya Micheaux. The game was tied at 28 at halftime.
IN THE NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT
Things keep on getting better and better for Texas A&M. Aggie Basketball may dominate the headlines, with recent visits and exposure from national media outlets such as Sports Illustrated, USA TODAY and CSTV, but A&M continues to be among the national leaders in four NCAA statistical categories including scoring defense (6th, 53.4), three-point field goal percentage (10th, 38.2), scoring margin (21st, 14.0) and assists (19th, 16.6) per game as of Feb. 18. Junior A?â„¢Quonesia Franklin ranks 38th nationally in assists per game (5.0) and first in the Big 12 in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.03).
AGGIES IN THE RPI
The Aggies are currently No. 21 in the Jeff Sagarin/CBN Women?â„¢s College Basketball Ratings as of Feb. 20. Eleven Big 12 schools are rated among the top 100 RPI teams in the nation including Baylor (9), Oklahoma (15), Texas A&M (26), Nebraska (28), Texas (29), Iowa State (34), Texas Tech (38), Missouri (46), Kansas State (54), Oklahoma State (70) and Colorado (92) according to CollegeRPI.com. The Big 12 is rated the second-toughest conference in the country behind the SEC. The Aggies have posted a 4-1 record against teams rated in the top 30 of the indexes. A&M has also played top 100 non-conference opponents in Washington (41), West Virginia (56) and Rice (90). In the latest RPI report released by the NCAA on Feb. 19, A&M is rated No. 27 and is the fourth-highest rated team in the Big 12.
RACE FOR FIRST PLACE
Texas A&M is tied for first place with Baylor and Oklahoma with 10-3 marks in Big 12 Conference play. A&M will have played three of its last five outings of the regular season on the road including its second all-time appearance on ESPN2 at Baylor on Feb. 25. The Aggies have only swept the Lady Bears once during the 1999-2000 season. They have won the second-most games on the road (4-3) in conference play behind Oklahoma (5-2), Nebraska (5-1) and Baylor (4-2). Should A&M win out in its last three games of the season, the Aggies will be in the hunt for at least a share of the conference regular season title. They are one of only four league teams to reach 20 wins this year and should be a lock for the NCAA Tournament come Selection Monday.
1T. Baylor (23-4, 10-3)
1T. Oklahoma (20-4, 10-3)
1T. Texas A&M (20-5, 10-3)
4. Nebraska (21-6, 9-4)
5. Iowa State (19-7, 7-6)
6. Texas Tech (15-12, 7-6)
7T. Oklahoma State (17-9, 5-8)
7T. Texas (16-11, 5-8)
7T. Colorado (11-14, 5-8)
10. Kansas State (16-10, 4-9)
11. Missouri (16-10, 4-9)
12. Kansas (9-17, 3-10)
AGGIES IN THE TOP 25
A&M slipped three spots to No. 16 in the latest Associated Press Top 25 Poll released Monday and two spots to No. 18 in the latest USA TODAY/ESPN Coaches Top 25 Poll released Tuesday. A&M has now appeared in both national polls a school-record 16-straight weeks since the preseason polls came out on Nov. 1 and 8. Meanwhile, the Aggies have been ranked in the AP Poll for a program-best 22-straight weeks since the 2005-06 season. The school record for consecutive weeks in the AP Poll was previously 12 which occurred during the 1994-95 campaign under former head coach Candi Harvey.
ASSOCIATED PRESS TOP 25 POLL
1. Duke (28-0)
2. Tennessee (24-2)
3. Connecticut (24-2)
4. North Carolina (26-2)
5. Ohio State (24-2)
6. Maryland (25-4)
7. LSU (23-4)
8. Stanford (23-4)
9. George Washington (23-2)
10. Arizona State (25-3)
11. Georgia (23-5)
12. Vanderbilt (23-4)
13. Oklahoma (20-4)
14. Baylor (23-4)
15. Purdue (23-5)
16. Texas A&M (20-5)
17. Middle Tennessee State (24-3)
18. Bowling Green (24-2)
19. Marquette (22-4)
20. Michigan State (21-6)
21. Rutgers (17-7)
22. James Madison (24-2)
23. Louisville (22-5)
24. Wisconsin-Green Bay (21-3)
25. Nebraska (21-6)
ESPN/USA TODAY COACHES TOP 25 POLL
1. Duke (28-00
2. Tennessee (24-2)
3. Connecticut (24-2)
4. North Carolina (26-2)
5. Maryland (25-4)
6. Ohio State (24-2)
7. LSU (23-4)
8. Arizona State (25-3)
9. George Washington (23-2)
10. Stanford (23-4)
11. Oklahoma (20-4)
12. Georgia (23-5)
12. Vanderbilt (23-4)
14. Baylor (23-4)
15. Purdue (23-5)
16. Bowling Green (24-2)
17. Middle Tennessee State (24-3)
18. Texas A&M (20-5)
19. Marquette (22-4)
20. Michigan State (21-6)
21. Louisville (22-5)
22. Rutgers (17-7 119
23. Wisconsin-Green Bay (21-3)
24. Nebraska (21-6)
25. James Madison (24-2)
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 Reed Arena on KZNE 1150 AM The Zone.