December 19, 2007
No. 22 George Washington (8-3) is up next for the 10th-ranked Texas A&M women?â„¢s basketball team (9-1) as the Aggies visit our nation?â„¢s capital for a Thursday, Dec. 20 rematch with the Colonials. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. (CT) at the Charles E. Smith Athletic Center in Washington, D.C. A&M will look to avenge a 59-47 loss to GW in the second round of last year?â„¢s NCAA Tournament which ended the hopes of the program?â„¢s first-ever trip to the Sweet 16. The Aggies are riding a six-game win streak and made their way back into the top 10 this week after defeating one of the last undefeated teams in the country in No. 14 Auburn (62-60) on Dec. 15. In fact, A&M is one of only 31 teams in the nation with one loss or less in its current season record. Both teams boast strong backcourts and are notorious for their aggressive defense on the hardwood. A&M currently ranks 13th nationally in scoring defense allowing opponents only 51.8 points per game. GW has only scored under 55 points on two occasions this season.
THE BOOK ON GEORGE WASHINGTON
Picked to win the A-10 Conference title for the third consecutive year, George Washington is on a three-game winning streak with recent wins over Samford (64-57), Villanova (67-52) and Loyola Marymount (85-46). Like A&M, the Colonials were hit with the injury bug early in the season with the loss of starters Whitney Allen and Antelia Parris who are now back in the lineup after a five-game absence each. Four players are averaging double figures in scoring including Jessica Adair who is averaging a team-leading 16.9 points per game. GW is five wins away from picking up its 600th win in program history, while senior point guard Kimberly Beck became the school?â„¢s all-time career assists leader (581) with her seven assists against LMU on Tuesday night. Beck currently ranks 16th nationally in assists per game (6.1). A&M will be the second top 10 opponent the Colonials have faced this season next to a 67-42 loss to No. 6 Rutgers on Nov. 18 which snapped a 15-game home court winning streak at the Smith Athletic Center. GW went an undefeated 13-0 at its home venue in 2006-07. They return virtually their entire NCAA Tournament squad from a year ago minus senior starter Kenan Cole who averaged 10.8 points and 4.8 rebounds per contest for the Colonials.
PROBABLE STARTING LINEUPS
TEXAS A&M
No. Name (2007-08 Stats)
#10 A?â„¢Quonesia Franklin, G, 5-3, Sr. (7.9 ppg, 4.6 apg)
#3 Takia Starks, G, 5-8, Jr. (17.8 ppg, 3.7 rpg)
#55 Danielle Gant, G/F, 5-11, Jr. (13.4 ppg, 6.4 rpg)
#33 Ashlaa Horton, F, 6-1, So. (2.9 ppg, 3.9 rpg)
#12 La Toya Micheaux, C, 6-3, Jr. (5.6 ppg, 5.8 rpg)
GEORGE WASHINGTON
No. Name (2007-08 Stats)
#5 Kimberly Beck, G, 5-8, Sr. (12.4 ppg, 6.1 apg)
#32 Sarah-Jo Lawrence, G, 5-11, Sr. (13.1 ppg, 5.1 rpg)
#13 Antelia Parrish, F/G, 6-0, Jr. (13.7 ppg, 9.0 rpg)
#3 Whitney Allen, F, 5-11, Sr. (6.8 ppg, 6.7 rpg)
#1 Jessica Adair, F/C, 6-4, Jr. (16.9 ppg, 6.3 rpg)
LAST TIME OUT vs. GEORGE WASHINGTON
Takia Starks scored 15 points as fourth-seeded Texas A&M fell 59-47 to fifth-seeded George Washington in the second round of the Dallas Regional on March 19, 2007. Sophomore Danielle Gant registered nine points and seven rebounds, while sophomore La Toya Micheaux had eight points and seven points in the loss to the Colonials (28-3). With star post player Jessica Adair on the bench for much of the game and a step slow when she was in it, GW won with smallball. Kimberly Beck scored 18 points and made a three-pointer that put the game away with 1:40 to play and fellow guard Sarah-Jo Lawrence added 12 points for the Colonials. The 6-foot-4 Adair picked up her fourth foul with 15:02 to play and sat out nearly nine minutes. She had 10 points and five rebounds after getting 15 points and a career-high 21 rebounds in George Washington?â„¢s first-round win over Boise State. The Colonials relied instead on perimeter jumpers and breakaway layups from the gangly, 5-foot-8 Beck. She shot 6-for-12 from the field and scored seven points during a 15-5 run to close the first half that gave GW a 23-21 halftime lead. A jumper and a three-pointer from Starks, cousin of former Knicks sharpshooter John Starks, just after Adair sat down tied it at 29 with 13:47 left. But the Colonials outscored the Aggies 23-11 over an eight-minute span in the middle of the second half, capped by a layup from a resurgent Adair and another from Kenan Cole to take an 11-point lead 54-43 with 3:25 to go. In a sluggish first half that saw as many turnovers as field goals, the Aggies (25-7) rebounded their way to an early lead, hitting the offensive boards hard and taking advantage of a slow start from Adair on the way to a 16-8 lead. Adair?â„¢s sister, Jazmine, played in her place for much of the game and went 4-for-6 from the field for eight points as GW advanced to its first trip to the Sweet 16 since 1997.
AGAINST THE A-10
Texas A&M is 3-4 all-time against schools hailing from the 14-member Atlantic 10 Conference. Thursday?â„¢s contest will mark the second-ever meeting with George Washington (0-1). A&M has faced UMass (3-0), Charlotte (0-2) and LaSalle (0-1). The Aggies have lost their last four-straight meetings versus an A-10 opponent since 2001.
STARS, STRIPES AND AGGIES
The Aggies are making their first-ever trip to the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. A&M will enjoy a four-day trip to the nation?â„¢s capital with tours lined up to visit the Pentagon, the White House, the Capitol and other national monuments while in the District of Columbia. The Aggies will have a special guided tour of Washington courtesy of former A&M first lady Becky Gates, the wife of current U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates who served as the 22nd university president from 2002-06. Both received honorary doctoral degrees from Texas A&M on Aug. 10, 2007. Last December, during her husband?â„¢s confirmation hearings, Mrs. Gates traveled with the A&M women to her hometown of Seattle to watch the Aggies play the University of Washington. An avid supporter of women?â„¢s athletics at A&M, she will be among the sea of maroon at the Smith Athletic Center which will also include members of the National Capital A&M Club, one of the largest A&M chapters outside of the Lone Star State. The Aggies will also get a chance to take in an NBA game between the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards to top off the once-in-a-lifetime experiences in D.C.
COACHES WITH THE MOSTESS
Prior to the 2007-08 season, George Washington head coach Joe McKeown and Texas A&M head coach Gary Blair ranked No. 23 and No. 24 respectively among active Division I women?â„¢s basketball coaches in career victories. Best friends off the court, both are nearing their 500th career win with Blair (490-214) and McKeown (490-170) exactly 10 wins shy of reaching the milestone. Ironically, both coaches entered last year?â„¢s NCAA Second Round matchup with 481 career victories. In the summer of 2006, Blair and McKeown fulfilled a lifetime dream by attending The Masters at the Augusta National Golf Club. Their longtime friendship began while McKeown was an assistant coach at Oklahoma from 1983-86 and Blair an assistant coach at Louisiana Tech from 1980-85. Blair has led his teams (Stephen F. Austin, Arkansas and A&M) to a combined 13 NCAA Tournament appearances, while McKeown has led George Washington to 16 NCAA Tournament appearances.
NATIONAL CALIBER SCHEDULING
The Aggies will face back-to-back top 25 opponents in non-conference play for the first time since taking on No. 16 Duke, No. 11 Colorado and No. 5 Purdue in a three-game span at the on set of the 1995-96 season. A&M met all three nationally-ranked opponents in the Preseason WNIT under former head coach Candi Harvey as the Aggies posted a 1-2 record against the threesome. A&M?â„¢s matchup with Colorado occurred a season prior to the formation of the Big 12 Conference, while the Aggies were a member of the old Southwest Conference. With national caliber competition ahead, it?â„¢s no wonder A&M?â„¢s schedule currently ranks as the 11th toughest in the nation with 15 teams which advanced to postseason play a year ago including three NCAA Sweet 16 squads in George Washington, Florida State and Oklahoma.
PURE COINCIDENCE
It was pure scheduling coincidence that A&M would face both of their 2007 NCAA Tournament opponents in back-to-back games this season with George Washington on Dec. 20 and Texas-Arlington on Dec. 28. In fact, both GW and UTA were scheduled in advance of last year?â„¢s NCAA Tournament Selection Show according to Coach Blair. A&M advanced to its second-round tournament matchup with the Colonials, after handing the Mavericks a 58-50 loss in first-round action at USC?â„¢s Galen Center last March in Los Angeles.
DID YOU KNOW?
?* Texas A&M head coach Gary Blair is 0-3 all-time versus George Washington in his 23 years as a Division I head coach. Thursday?â„¢s contest will mark only the second time the fifth-year A&M coach has faced the Colonials next to last year?â„¢s NCAA Second Round game. Blair previously faced GW and Coach McKeown on two occasions during the 1998-99 and 1999-00 seasons while at Arkansas. A&M will be the second top 15-ranked squad Blair will take to D.C. next to his No. 13-ranked Arkansas team which lost to No. 22 George Washington (74-56) on Dec. 5, 1998. In their return trip to Fayetteville a year later, the Colonials picked up their second-straight win in the series versus the Lady Razorbacks (83-71) on Jan. 3, 2000. Both teams were unranked.
?* The Aggies will be searching for only their third win ever against a top 25 opponent on the road next to last year?â„¢s wins at No. 6 Oklahoma on Jan. 27 and No. 14 Baylor on Feb. 25. They are 0-2 all-time versus non-conference top 25 opponents on the road with losses at No. 9 Vanderbilt in 1996 and at No. 8 Arizona in 1997. Thursday?â„¢s tilt with George Washington will mark the 15th time a ranked Aggie squad will face another ranked team. A&M is 7-7 all-time when being ranked and playing ranked opponents.
?* This past summer, Texas A&M associate head coach Vic Schaefer led the U.S. Women?â„¢s Jones Cup Team to a bronze-medal finish after posting a 4-2 record in tournament pool play with victories over Korea, Japan, Chinese Taipei and New Zealand in Taipei, Taiwan. The 12-player squad included Texas A&M junior center La Toya Micheaux (Missouri City, Texas) and George Washington senior guard Sarah-Jo Lawrence. Texas A&M senior forward Katy Pounds (Shallowater, Texas) also served on the sidelines as the youngest assistant coach ever in U.S. Jones Cup history and Texas A&M strength and conditioning coach Jen Jones. Team USA was sponsored by Athletes In Action.
WELCOME BACK MO
After missing the first nine games of the season, senior combination guard/forward Morenike Atunrase (Shreveport, La.) returned to the A&M lineup against No. 14 Auburn on Dec. 15. She checked into the game at the 14:05 minute mark of the first half and ended the night with five points, three rebounds, two assists, one steal and one blocked shot in 23 minutes of play versus the Tigers. Atunrase had surgery in October to correct a non-healing stress fracture in her right tibia and was not expected to return until Big 12 Conference play in January. Last year, she missed six games of the season due to two separate injuries which included a fracture to her left foot (five games) and a sprained right ankle (one game). Atunrase currently ranks 11th all-time in career scoring (1,035) and is 12 points shy of breaking into the top 10 and surpassing former player Lana Tucker (1,046) in the A&M annals.
LOOKING AT THE RPI
Texas A&M is currently rated No. 5 in the latest RPI index according to CollegeRPI.com. The Aggies have the nation?â„¢s 11th strongest schedule with 12 opponents in the top 50 including George Washington (No. 26). A&M remains the highest-rated Big 12 school in the RPI and is among the likes of Tennessee, Connecticut, Stanford, Rutgers, Maryland, Georgia, Old Dominion, Notre Dame and Oklahoma. Meanwhile, the Big 12 is rated the second-best in the nation behind the Big East. Of the top 10 teams in the RPI, all but four teams have won a national championship title and all but one team has played in the national championship game since 1982.
AUBURN RECAP
Junior Takia Starks scored 17 points and junior Danielle Gant added 16 as No. 11 Texas A&M handed No. 14 Auburn its first loss of the season, 62-60, on Dec. 15. The Aggies posted their school-record 23rd consecutive home victory to improve to 9-1 on the season, while the Tigers fell to 9-1. Auburn was one of nine unbeaten schools leading into the game. After trailing by as many as nine points in the second half, the Tigers pulled within a point with 3:17 remaining, 57-56, but senior point guard A?â„¢Quonesia Franklin scored A&M?â„¢s next five points on a three-pointer at the shot clock buzzer and two free throws to hold the Tigers at bay. Franklin ended the night with eight points. A&M took an 11-point lead into halftime on the strength of a 20-4 run late in the first period. The run started after the Aggies fell behind by six points with 12:54 to go in the first half of play, 17-11. For the fifth-straight game, A&M shot better than 40 percent from the floor (41.7) and scored 34 of its total points in the paint including a seven-point and eight-rebound effort by senior Patrice Reado. Four Auburn players scored in double figures including a team-high 13 points and nine rebounds from Jordan Greenleaf.
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 the Charles E. Smith Athletic Center alongside former player Katy Pounds on KZNE 1150 AM. A live audio feed will also be available on www.AggieAthletics.com.
BACK IN THE TOP 10
A&M climbed two spots to No. 10 in the latest Associated Press Top 25 Poll released on Monday and one spot to No. 10 in the latest USA TODAY/ESPN Coaches Top 25 Poll released on Tuesday. The Aggie women moved up in the rankings after claiming a 62-60 victory over No. 14 and previously unbeaten Auburn on Dec. 15. It marked the first time for the Aggies to be ranked among the top 10 in the AP Poll this season, while A&M was previously ranked No. 10 in the Coaches Poll during week 2. A&M?â„¢s current ranking tied the program?â„¢s highest national ranking ever in school history as the Aggies were ranked No. 10 in both national polls during the regular season on Nov. 27, 2006. They have now appeared a program-best 32-straight weeks in the AP Poll and 27-straight weeks in the Coaches Poll since the 2005-06 season.
ASSOCIATED PRESS TOP 25 POLL
1. Tennessee (9-0)
2. Connecticut (7-0)
3. North Carolina (10-1)
4. Maryland (13-1)
5. Stanford (8-1)
6. Rutgers (8-2)
7. Georgia (9-0)
8. LSU (7-2)
9. Oklahoma (7-2)
10. Texas A&M (9-1)
11. Baylor (7-1)
12. California (8-2)
13. West Virginia (9-1)
14. Duke (7-3)
15. DePaul (8-0)
16. Auburn (9-1)
17. Notre Dame (9-1)
18. Ohio State (7-2)
19. Texas (8-2)
20. Oklahoma State (8-0)
21. Vanderbilt (8-3)
22. Arizona State (5-4)
23. Michigan State (7-3)
24. Wyoming (9-1)
25. Old Dominion (6-3)
ESPN/USA TODAY COACHES TOP 25 POLL
1. Tennessee (9-0)
2. Connecticut (8-0)
3. North Carolina (11-1)
4. Stanford (8-1)
5. Maryland (13-1)
6. Rutgers (8-2)
7. Georgia (9-0)
8. LSU (7-2)
9. Oklahoma (7-2)
10. Texas A&M (9-1)
11. Baylor (7-1)
12. California (8-2)
13. West Virginia (10-1)
14. DePaul (9-0)
15. Duke (7-3)
16. Auburn (10-1)
17. Notre Dame (9-1)
18. Ohio State (7-2)
19. Vanderbilt (8-3)
20. Texas (8-2)
21. Arizona State (6-4)
22. George Washington (7-3)
23. Oklahoma State (8-0)
24. Michigan State (7-3)
25. Wyoming (10-1)