November 14, 2007
The 11th-ranked Texas A&M women?â„¢s basketball team (1-0) will take on Prairie View A&M (1-2) in its home season opener on Thursday, Nov. 15 at Reed Arena. Tipoff between the Aggies and the Lady Panthers is slated for 8 p.m. Both sidelines will feature two of the best in the women?â„¢s game in 2007 Big 12 Conference Coach of the Year Gary Blair and 2007 Southwestern Athletic Conference Coach of the Year Cynthia Cooper-Dyke. Just a year ago, the former U.S. Olympian and WNBA Houston Comets star led Prairie View to the school?â„¢s first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance, while Blair guided A&M to its first-ever conference title in school history. It?â„¢s not a surprise that both teams even boast a talented corps of guards and post players. Fans who attend the A&M soccer team?â„¢s NCAA First Round match against Stephen F. Austin will be allowed free admission to the women?â„¢s basketball game by presenting their ticket stub at Reed Arena.
THERE?â„¢S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
Last season, A&M turned in the best Division I home-court record in the nation going an undefeated 16-0 at Reed Arena. The Aggies will look to defend their home court streak versus the Lady Panthers Thursday. They have compiled 18 consecutive home wins at Reed Arena which includes two home victories against Big 12 Conference rivals Texas and Iowa State at the conclusion of the 2005-06 season. The Aggies are 14-3 all-time in home openers and have won their last four consecutive opening day contests including a 72-48 victory over Pepperdine to kickoff the 2006-07 campaign.
A LOOK AT THE PANTHERS
Similar to A&M, 2007 SWAC Tournament Champion Prairie View A&M was picked to defend their conference title in a preseason poll voted on by the league?â„¢s head coaches and sports information directors. Last season, the Lady Panthers ranked ninth-best among the most improved Division I women?â„¢s basketball teams with a 19-13 overall record. It marked the program?â„¢s first-ever winning season after compiling a 7-21 overall record in Cooper-Dyke?â„¢s first season at the school. The Lady Panthers?â„¢ magical season ended with a 95-38 first-round loss to top-seeded North Carolina in the Dallas Regional. PVAMU returns four starters to the lineup including 2007 SWAC Freshman of the Year Gaati Werema who averaged a team-leading 14.8 points per game last season. Last week, the Lady Panthers went 1-2 in tournament play defeating Howard (77-73) and falling to Saint Mary?â„¢s (87-80) and host Baylor (89-61) at the BTI Classic in Waco.
PROBABLE STARTING LINEUPS
TEXAS A&M
No. Name (2007-08 Stats)
#10 A?â„¢Quonesia Franklin, G, 5-3, Sr. (8.0 ppg, 3.0 apg)
#3 Takia Starks, G, 5-8, Jr. (17.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg)
#55 Danielle Gant, G/F, 5-11, Jr. (2.0 ppg, 9.0 rpg)
#33 Ashlaa Horton, F, 6-1, So. (10.0 ppg, 15.0 rpg)
#12 La Toya Micheaux, C, 6-3, Jr. (2.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg)
PRAIRIE VIEW A&M
No. Name (2007-08 Stats)
#23 Kandis Brown, G, 5-9, Jr. (12.3 ppg, 2.0 rpg)
#24 Candice Thomas, G, 5-8, So. (18.3 ppg, 2.3 rpg)
#22 Shavonne Smith, G, 5-8, Sr. (6.0 ppg, 1.7 rpg)
#20 Gaati Werema, F, 6-0, So. (15.0 ppg, 6.7 rpg)
#32 Aminata Dieye, C, 6-5, Jr. (9.0 ppg, 9.3 rpg)
SERIES HISTORY
Texas A&M holds a 12-2 advantage including an 11-game winning streak in the all-time series versus Prairie View A&M. The Aggies last faced the Lady Panthers in non-conference play on Dec. 3, 2002 in College Station. A&M went on to claim a 63-48 victory over Prairie View. The Aggies are 8-1 all-time when playing Prairie View at their home venue. In fact, only four contests in the series have been played on the road or at a neutral site. The Lady Panthers?â„¢ only two victories in the series occurred in back-to-back matchups during the 1974-75 season under former head coach Kay Don. Both were two-point losses (L, 48-46 and L, 51-49) for the Aggies.
DID YOU KNOW?
?* Cynthia Cooper-Dyke is the childhood idol of senior forward Patrice Reado who grew up watching the former Houston Comets all-star. The Aggies have played back-to-back contests versus women?â„¢s basketball icons as the U.S. National Team boasted three-time Olympian Lisa Leslie who is the childhood idol of junior guard Takia Starks and junior center La Toya Micheaux.
?* Texas A&M head coach Gary Blair has never faced a Prairie View A&M squad in 23 years as a Division I coach even during his early coaching days at Stephen F. Austin.
?* Thursday?â„¢s meeting will mark only the third matchup between the two schools in the month of November in the all-time series.
?* Prairie View A&M is one of 10 opponents on this year?â„¢s schedule which advanced to the NCAA Tournament last season. In fact, the Aggies will face five teams coming off an NCAA berth including TCU (Dec. 2), Florida State (Dec. 6), George Washington (Dec. 20) and Texas-Arlington (Dec. 28) in non-conference play.
?* Texas A&M and system school Prairie View A&M are the two oldest public institutions of higher education in the state of Texas.
AGAINST THE SWAC
The Aggies are 26-6 (.813) all-time against opponents hailing from the 10-member Southwestern Athletic Conference. They have faced all but three SWAC schools in program history having played Alcorn State (1-0), Arkansas-Pine Bluff (2-0), Grambling State (0-1), Jackson State (1-0), Mississippi Valley State (1-0) and Texas Southern (9-3).
DESTINATION: ISLAND PARADISE FOR AGGIES
For the third time in five years, the Aggies will travel to an exotic locale over the Thanksgiving holiday break and participate in the 2007 Paradise Jam on Nov. 22-24 in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. There, they will face Wichita State on Nov. 22, Wake Forest on Nov. 23 and Indiana on Nov. 24. A&M previously traveled to the 2003 Junkanoo Jam in Freeport, Grand Bahama Island, and the 2005 Hawaiian Airlines Rainbow Wahine Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii.
SMU RECAP
Sophomore Ashlaa Horton turned in her first career double-double to lead Texas A&M to the program?â„¢s 500th all-time win with a 62-57 victory at SMU on Nov. 9. Horton registered 10 points and grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds in the team?â„¢s season opener on the road. She was one of three double figure scorers for the Aggies. Junior Takia Starks poured in 17 points, while freshman Sydney Colson added 13 in her rookie debut. Colson came off the bench and dished out four assists with no turnovers.
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. Play-by-play announcer Tom Turbiville will call the action live from Reed Arena alongside color analyst Tap Bentz via a live audio feed on www.AggieAthletics.com and a live broadcast on KZNE 1150 AM.
IN THE NATIONAL POLLS
A&M remained at No. 11 in the latest Associated Press Top 25 Poll and USA TODAY/ESPN Coaches Top 25 Poll released on Monday. The Aggies have appeared a program-best 27-straight weeks in the AP Poll and 22-straight weeks in the Coaches Poll since the 2005-06 season. They were ranked No. 11 in both preseason national polls which marked their second-highest ever ranking in school history.
ASSOCIATED PRESS TOP 25 POLL
1. Tennessee (1-0)
2. Connecticut (1-0)
3. Maryland (2-0)
4. LSU (2-0)
5. Stanford (2-0)
6. Rutgers (0-1)
7. North Carolina (2-0)
8. Georgia (2-0)
9. Oklahoma (0-1)
10. Duke (1-0)
11. Texas A&M (1-0)
12. California (1-0)
13. Baylor (3-0)
14. George Washington (2-0)
15. Arizona State (0-1)
16. Ohio State (1-0)
17. Michigan State (2-0)
18. Florida State (2-0)
19. West Virginia (1-0)
20. Vanderbilt (2-0)
21. Texas (1-0)
22. Louisville (1-0)
23. Notre Dame (1-0)
24. DePaul (1-0)
25. Wisconsin (1-0)
ESPN/USA TODAY COACHES TOP 25 POLL
1. Tennessee (1-0)
2. Connecticut (1-0)
3. Maryland (2-0)
4. LSU (2-0)
5. Stanford (2-0)
6. North Carolina (2-0)
7. Rutgers (0-1)
8. Oklahoma (0-1)
9. Duke (1-0)
10. Georgia (2-0)
11. Texas A&M (1-0)
12. George Washington (2-0)
13. Baylor (3-0)
14. Arizona State (0-1)
15. California (1-0)
16. Ohio State (1-0)
17. Vanderbilt (2-0)
18. Michigan State (2-0)
19. Florida State (2-0)
20. West Virginia (1-0)
21. Louisville (1-0)
22. Texas (1-0)
23. Purdue (1-0)
24. North Carolina State (1-0)
25. Notre Dame (1-0)