December 27, 2007
Fresh off a five-day holiday break, the No. 14/12-ranked Texas A&M women?â„¢s basketball team (9-2) begins a two-game stretch in a span of three days as the Aggies play host to 2007 NCAA First Round opponent UT Arlington (5-4) on Friday, Dec. 28 at Reed Arena. Tipoff between the Aggies and Mavericks is scheduled for 7 p.m. With the nation?â„¢s longest home-court win streak, A&M has won its last 23 consecutive home games at Reed Arena and will look to keep that streak intact against UTA. Both teams last met each other in first-round action of the NCAA Dallas Regional with the Aggies prevailing with a 58-50 victory over the Mavs in Los Angeles, Calif. Nearly nine months later, both squads return their top two scorers from a year ago in Texas A&M?â„¢s Takia Starks and Danielle Gant and UTA?â„¢s Tiffeny Riles and Maryann Abanobi. This time around, A&M and UTA will have a chance to battle it out at home in the Lone Star State.
GAME PROMOTIONS
The Half-Price Holiday Hoops promotion continues as tickets will be available for purchase for as low as $2 (general admission and gallery), $4.50 (mezzanine) and $5.50 (courtside) for the UT Arlington, North Carolina A&T and Stephen F. Austin women?â„¢s games. Fans can purchase tickets by calling the 12th Man Foundation Ticket Office at 1-888-99-AGGIE. Sunday?â„¢s contest versus North Carolina A&T will feature the ?Have a Little Faith? promotion as fans who attend church in the Bryan-College Station area will receive free admission to the game by presenting a program or bulletin from their morning services at the ticket window. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Sunday.
A LOOK AT THE MAVERICKS
UT Arlington was picked to finish fourth by the league?â„¢s head coaches in the Southland Conference preseason poll. Three of UTA?â„¢s four losses of the season have occurred on the road including a season-opening loss at Northern Arizona (64-50) and against common opponents in Texas (76-60) and SMU (97-66). The Mavericks are 0-1 this season against top 25 opponents after suffering a 16-point loss to the No. 24-ranked Longhorns. First-year head coach Samantha Morrow, a former high school coach in the Mansfield School District, replaced Donna Capps who led the Mavs to an undefeated 16-0 mark in Southland Conference play and the program?â„¢s second-ever NCAA Tournament berth last season. They are led in scoring by preseason All-SLC First Teamer Maryann Abanobi who is averaging 16.4 points per game. All but two players on the UTA roster hail from outside of the Lone Star State. The Mavs are currently on a two-game winning streak with victories over Charlotte (68-60) and Elon (80-58) prior to the holiday break.
PROBABLE STARTING LINEUPS
TEXAS A&M
No. Name (2007-08 Stats)
#10 A?â„¢Quonesia Franklin, G, 5-3, Sr. (7.6 ppg, 4.7 apg)
#3 Takia Starks, G, 5-8, Jr. (17.4 ppg, 3.5 rpg)
#55 Danielle Gant, G/F, 5-11, Jr. (13.1 ppg, 6.7 rpg)
#24 Patrice Reado, F, 6-0, Sr. (8.4 ppg, 6.0 rpg)
#2 Damitria Buchanan, F, 6-2, So. (5.1 ppg, 4.1 rpg)
UT ARLINGTON
No. Name (2007-08 Stats)
#20 Tamara Simmons, G, 5-7, Fr. (8.6 ppg, 3.1 apg)
#10 Maryann Abanobi, G, 5-8, Sr. (16.4 ppg, 4.0 rpg)
#50 Erin Dixon, F, 5-11, Jr. (3.7 ppg, 5.7 rpg)
#32 Shalyn Martin, F, 5-11, Fr. (8.7 ppg, 4.2 rpg)
#24 Tiffeny Riles, C, 6-2, Sr. (5.8 ppg, 6.2 rpg)
LAST TIME OUT vs. UTA
Texas A&M avoided another first-round upset to an intrastate opponent in the NCAA Tournament. Danielle Gant scored 20 of her 24 points in the second half and grabbed 14 rebounds to lead the fourth-seeded Aggies to a 58-50 win over 13th-seeded UT Arlington in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament on March 17. The previous year, the sixth-seeded Aggies lost to 11th-seeded TCU in the tournament?â„¢s first round in Trenton, N.J. Gant went 8-for-10 from the field and 8-for-11 from the line and her 24 points matched a career high. It was also the most points scored by an A&M player in an NCAA Tournament game in school history. A&M trailed for most of the first half and was down by two at halftime, but Gant scored the first eight points of the second half to put A&M up 32-26, a lead the Aggies wouldn?â„¢t give up. Gant scored her team?â„¢s first 13 points of the second half. Terra Wallace had 18 points and Ashley Bobb had 10 points and 15 rebounds for the Mavericks who had a 19-game winning streak snapped and lost for the first time since December. Takia Starks added 10 points for Texas A&M and made a jumper with 2:09 that gave the Aggies a double-digit lead, 53-43. The two Texas schools, which hadn?â„¢t met since 2002, are just a three-hour drive apart, but played 1,400 miles away at USC?â„¢s Galen Center in Los Angeles. UT Arlington was just 14-for-66 (21.2 percent) from the floor, while A&M went 22-for-46 for 47.8 percent.
SERIES NOTES
A&M extended its lead to 8-1 in the all-time series versus UT Arlington with its 58-50 first-round victory over the Mavericks in last year?â„¢s NCAA Tournament. The Aggies have won the last eight-straight meetings between the two schools since 1977. They are 4-0 when playing the Mavs in College Station and last met at Reed Arena with a 72-70 win in favor of the Aggies on Dec. 14, 2002. A&M?â„¢s only setback in the series was a 79-69 loss to UTA at the Baylor Invitational on Feb. 5, 1976.
AGAINST THE SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE
Texas A&M is 81-37 (.686) all-time against schools hailing from the Southland Conference. A&M has faced Lamar (13-9), Southeastern Louisiana (3-1), Northwestern State (4-2), McNeese State (6-2), UTSA (9-4), Texas State (11-2), Stephen F. Austin (2-13), Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (3-0) and Sam Houston State (22-3). The Aggies will play two Southland teams in their next three contests by ringing in the New Year with SFA on Jan. 3 at Reed Arena. They have yet to face SLC schools, Central Arkansas and Nicholls State, in the 34-year history of the program at A&M. The Aggies are 9-0 versus Southland Conference schools in the Gary Blair Era.
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 an undefeated 19-0 all-time versus UT Arlington in his 23 years as a Division I head coach. He previously coached in the Southland Conference while the head coach at Stephen F. Austin from 1985-93. Blair is a five-time SLC Coach of the Year selection having won the honor in 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992 and 1993. Texas A&M associate head coach Vic Schaefer also served as the head coach at Sam Houston State from 1990-97 and was honored as SLC Coach of the Year in 1996.
?* A&M is 3-0 against schools hailing from the Lone Star State this season with victories over SMU (62-57) on Nov. 9, Prairie View A&M (73-54) on Nov. 15 and TCU (68-58) on Dec. 2. Matchups with UT Arlington, Stephen F. Austin, Baylor, Texas and Texas Tech are ahead for the Aggies.
?* Texas A&M sophomore forward Ashlaa Horton played high school basketball alongside UTA sophomores Kiarra Shofner and Meghan Nelson at Cedar Hill High School in her hometown of Cedar Hill, Texas. Horton was rated No. 145 nationally and the No. 33 power forward in the Class of 2005 by the All-Star Girls Basketball Report. She has started in nine games of the season averaging 2.6 points and 3.5 rebounds per game for the Aggies.
?* First-year UT Arlington assistant coach Erin Grant starred at Big 12 rival Texas Tech from 2002-06 and is the conference?â„¢s all-time leader in career assists (844) followed by Oklahoma?â„¢s Stacey Dales (764) and Texas A&M?â„¢s Toccara Williams (724). Grant recently completed her first season with the WNBA?â„¢s Houston Comets after originally being drafted by the Seattle Storm in 2006. Texas A&M senior point guard A?â„¢Quonesia Franklin (Tyler, Texas) looks to join that elite group as she currently ranks 11th all-time among Big 12 career assist leaders with 506. Franklin needs 12 more assists to move into the top 10 ahead of Texas standout Edwina Brown (517).
GLASS CLEANERS
Junior Danielle Gant (Oklahoma City, Okla.) is nine rebounds away from gaining entrance into the 500-Rebound Club at A&M with 491 to date. Only 16 women?â„¢s basketball players in school history have accomplished that feat. Gant is currently the team?â„¢s top rebounder averaging 6.7 boards per game which ranks 18th in the Big 12. In fact, the Aggies currently have three players who are closing in on 500 career rebounds including junior center La Toya Micheaux (452) and senior forward Patrice Reado (449). The trio account for 48 percent of the team?â„¢s offensive rebounds which ranks tops in the Big 12 in front of Texas Tech and Oklahoma.
AGGIES IN THE RPI
Texas A&M is currently rated No. 7 in the latest RPI index according to CollegeRPI.com. The Aggies boast the nation?â„¢s seventh strongest schedule with 15 of their opponents advancing to postseason play a year ago including upcoming opponents UT Arlington (No. 128) and Stephen F. Austin (No. 237). UTA lost in the NCAA First Round, while SFA lost in the Postseason WNIT First Round in 2007. A&M remains the highest-rated Big 12 school in the RPI and is among the likes of Stanford, Connecticut, Tennessee, Rutgers, Maryland, Georgia, Old Dominion, Notre Dame and Wyoming to round out the top 10.
GEORGE WASHINGTON RECAP
Patrice Reado scored a career-high 21 points as No. 10 Texas A&M was edged by No. 22 George Washington in an overtime thriller, 66-65, at the Charles E. Smith Athletic Center on Dec. 20. Reado recorded her third career double-double adding 10 rebounds in 42 minutes of play for the Aggies. Both teams traded baskets throughout the ballgame as the lead changed 16 times with the score tied on 13 occasions. Down by four points to the Colonials with 2:18 to go, Takia Starks was fouled on a made three-pointer and later converted the four-point play which tied the game up at 57-57. Starks played with four fouls, but managed to contribute 13 points. Danielle Gant added 10 points and nine rebounds including a three-pointer in the final seconds of overtime, but it wasn?â„¢t enough as GW prevailed with four of its six points produced from the charity stripe. George Washington was paced by Sarah-Jo Lawrence who scored 15 of her career-high 29 points in the first half including a crucial three-pointer with four seconds remaining in regulation to send the game into overtime at 60. It was A&M?â„¢s first overtime game since 2004. While in the nation?â„¢s capital, the Aggies visited the Pentagon, White House and Capitol Building and met with former university president and current U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, President George W. Bush, Congressman Chet Edwards and Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee.
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 Tap Bentz on KZNE 1150 AM. A live audio feed will also be available on www.AggieAthletics.com.
NO, NOT IN OUR HOUSE!
The Aggies remain an undefeated 5-0 this season at Reed Arena which extended their home-court winning streak to a school-record 23 consecutive games which dates back to two home victories at the conclusion of the 2005-06 season. A&M currently holds the nation?â„¢s longest active home-court winning streak as fourth-ranked Maryland ended James Madison?â„¢s 30-game home court streak on Dec. 20. Duke is second with 21-straight home wins at Cameron Indoor Stadium and Jacksonville and Hartford tied for third-best with 15.
NCAA DIVISION I HOME COURT WINNING STREAK LEADERS
1. Texas A&M (23)
2. Duke (21)
3T. Jacksonville (15)
3T. Hartford (15)
5. Wyoming (14)
AGGIES IN THE TOP 25
A&M dropped four spots to No. 14 in the latest Associated Press Top 25 Poll released on Monday and two spots to No. 12 in the latest USA TODAY/ESPN Coaches Top 25 Poll released on Tuesday. The Aggie women fell in the rankings after a one-point overtime loss at No. 22 George Washington on Dec. 20. They have now appeared a program-best 33-straight weeks in the AP Poll and 28-straight weeks in the Coaches Poll since the 2005-06 season. For the first time this season, six schools representing the Big 12 were ranked in the national polls with No. 9 Oklahoma, No. 10 Baylor, No. 19 Texas, No. 24/25 Oklahoma State and No. 25 Colorado.
ASSOCIATED PRESS TOP 25 POLL
1. Connecticut (9-0)
2. Stanford (10-1)
3. Tennessee (10-1)
4. North Carolina (12-1)
5. Maryland (14-1)
6. Rutgers (8-2)
7. Georgia (10-0)
8. LSU (9-2)
9. Oklahoma (8-2)
10. Baylor (9-1)
11. California (9-2)
12. DePaul (10-0)
13. Duke (9-3)
14. Texas A&M (9-2)
15. Auburn (11-1)
16. Notre Dame (10-1)
17. Ohio State (9-2)
18. West Virginia (10-2)
19. Texas (9-2)
20. Vanderbilt (9-3)
21. Wyoming (11-1)
22. George Washington (9-3)
23. Old Dominion (7-3)
24. Oklahoma State (10-1)
25. Colorado (8-2)
ESPN/USA TODAY COACHES TOP 25 POLL
1. Connecticut (9-0)
2. Stanford (10-1)
3. Tennessee (10-1)
4. North Carolina (12-1)
5. Maryland (14-1)
6. Rutgers (8-2)
7. Georgia (10-0)
8. LSU (9-2)
9. Oklahoma (8-2)
10. Baylor (9-1)
11. California (9-2)
12. Texas A&M (9-2)
13. DePaul (10-0)
14. Duke (9-3)
15. Auburn (11-1)
16. Notre Dame (10-1)
17. West Virginia (10-2)
18. Ohio State (9-2)
19. Texas (9-2)
20. George Washington (9-3)
21. Vanderbilt (9-3)
22. Wyoming (11-1)
23. Arkansas (12-0)
24. Arizona State (6-5)
25. Oklahoma State (10-1)