Texas A&M
7-1
Florida State
6-3
Texas A&M 81, Florida State 67
Dec 06, 2007 | Women's Basketball
December 06, 2007
A combined 53-point outburst by juniors Takia Starks (Houston, Texas) and Danielle Gant (Oklahoma City, Okla.) contributed to No. 12/11 Texas A&M?™s 81-67 win over 2007 NCAA Sweet 16 participant Florida State Thursday night at Reed Arena.
Starks tied a career-best with her third consecutive 20-point output of the season against the Seminoles (6-3). She scored 17 of her game-high 28 points in the first seven and a half minutes of play as A&M (7-1) jumped out to an early 17-6 run with 15:04 to go in the first period.
Meanwhile, Gant followed suit with 19 of her career-high 26 points produced in the first half. She returned to the A&M lineup after sitting out the TCU game with concussion symptoms she suffered from a knee to the head against Michigan on Nov. 29.
Starks and Gant accounted for 36 of the team?™s season-best 50 first-half points as A&M took a 12-point lead into halftime, 50-38.
FSU started the second half on a 14-8 run to cut the lead down to six as Mara Freshour hit a jumper with 14:59 remaining in regulation, 58-52. It was the closest the Seminoles would get as A&M kept up its defensive pressure which resulted in 24 FSU turnovers in the ballgame.
Three players scored in double figures for FSU including a team-high 18 from Shante Williams and 14 from Britany Miller.
For the game, A&M shot 47.1 percent (33-of-70) from the floor including a season-high tying six threes. Senior A?™Quonesia Franklin (Tyler, Texas) also contributed 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting from three-point range in A&M?™s fourth-straight victory. The Seminoles dropped out of the top 25 last week with a 85-75 loss at Oakland on Dec. 2.
A&M continues its three-game homestand at Reed Arena with a Sunday tilt versus New Orleans (5-3) on Dec. 9 at 5 p.m.
Postgame Notes?...For the fourth time this year, A&M used the starting lineup of A?™Quonesia Franklin, Takia Starks, Danielle Gant, Ashlaa Horton and La Toya Micheaux?...The starting five improved to 3-1 on the season?...Starks, Franklin and Gant combined for 65 of the team?™s 81 points against Florida State?...It marked the second-straight game in which A&M had three players account for a combined 60-or-more points of the team?™s overall scoring next to Starks, Franklin and Patrice Reado combining for 60 of the team?™s 68 total points at TCU on Dec. 2?...A&M scored 50 first-half points which was the most points scored in a half this season?...It marked the first time since the Aggies registered 50-point halves against Mercer (51 second-half points) and McNeese State (52 first-half points and 57 second-half points) during the 2006-07 season?...The Aggies?™ 81 total points versus the Seminoles was also a team season-high?...Starks scored 17 of her career-high tying 28 points in the first seven and a half minutes of play in the first period?...She ended with 19 first-half points which was one short of tying a career-best half as she scored 20 of her career-high 28 points in 19 second-half minutes against Sam Houston State on Dec. 29, 2006?...Starks extended her double-digit scoring streak to 14 consecutive games?...She has recorded 20-point performances in her last three consecutive outings against Michigan (23), TCU (24) and Florida State (28)?...FSU became the seventh opponent this season to turn over the ball 20-or-more times (23) in a contest?...Gant?™s 17 first-half points was also one shy of tying a career-best half as she scored 18 of 22 points in 20 second-half minutes at Baylor on Feb. 25, 2007?...She ended the night with a career-high 25 on 10-of-16 shooting from the floor...With the win, A&M takes a 1-0 lead in the all-time series versus Florida State?...For the second-straight contest, the Aggies shot better than 40 percent from the floor (47.1) which marked their second-highest shooting percentage of the season.
POSTGAME QUOTES
TEXAS A&M HEAD COACH GARY BLAIR
On the game and the career-high performances by Takia Starks and Danielle Gant ?...
?This is the best team we?™ve played all year. They (Florida State) are a very good ballclub advancing to the Sweet 16 last year. We were hitting on all cylinders on offense in the first half. Getting 50 points (in the first half) has been hard for us this year. Everything was working and our transition game was good. We were doing a good job on the boards. Transition will get better as we get healthier. (Danielle) Gant has really improved her mid-range game and Takia (Starks) is becoming one of the best two-guards in the country. In our last three-straight ballgames against Michigan, TCU and Florida State, we have really played at the level that is going to keep us in the top 20 and we have more good ballclubs coming up in Auburn and George Washington.?
On Florida State and the depth on the A&M roster ?...
?This was the most up-tempo game we have played all year. We felt that Florida State didn?™t have as much depth as we had. We frustrated them early when they tried to lob-pass. That was frustrating to their post players and was the key to the ballgame. We were getting into transition in there. Games like these give us an opportunity to develop our talent while we are waiting for Morenike (Atunrase) to come back. That?™s what November and December is all about, to give kids opportunities.?
JUNIOR GUARD TAKIA STARKS
On her 28-point outburst against Florida State and the team?™s defensive pressure ?...
?I was watching Allen Iverson on television last night and I was shocked at how well he played. He just hit from everywhere on the court. He?™s my favorite player and I tried to emulate him tonight. I came out confident and took the shot when I had it. I even had some driving layups in there. We wanted to take them (Florida State) off of their sets and put some pressure on them. We made them throw it away also, because of our ball pressure. I asked to come out of the game (in the first half), because I felt fatigued. But, I learned that when you are hot, you need do stay in there.?
SENIOR POINT GUARD A?™QUONESIA FRANKLIN
On the team?™s fourth-straight win ?...
?In our first few games of the season, we were a second-half team. Tonight, we really tried to come out and play good defense to get us going. T-Kay and D.G. did an outstanding job with both of them stepping up to the plate. Their outside shooting frees up the inside and helps out (La Toya) Micheaux and the rest of our post players. Florida State is a great team. We tried to play our defense and take them out of their game, which we were successful in doing."
