January 02, 2008
The 12th-ranked Texas A&M women?â„¢s basketball team (11-2) closes out non-conference play by ringing in the New Year with Stephen F. Austin (3-8) on Thursday, Jan. 3 at Reed Arena. Tipoff between the Aggies and Ladyjacks is slated for 7 p.m. A&M looks to wrap-up its non-conference slate strong after defeating UT Arlington (69-55) and North Carolina A&T (74-65) in its last two outings by an average margin of 11.5 points per game. The Ladyjacks will provide one last tune-up for A&M prior to Big 12 Conference play. Despite the two-hour and 30-minute proximity between Nacogdoches and College Station, both teams have not met each other on the hardwood for a little over 10 years. Texas A&M head coach Gary Blair previously coached Stephen F. Austin from 1985-93 and compiled a 210-43 (.830) record with the Ladyjacks who are now coached by his former SFA assistant Lee Ann Riley. The Aggies remain an undefeated 7-0 this season at Reed Arena and currently hold the nation?â„¢s longest home-court win streak with 25 consecutive victories at the venue.
GAME PROMOTIONS
The Stephen F. Austin game will mark the last of the Half-Price Holiday Hoops promotion as tickets will be available for purchase for as low as $2 (general admission and gallery), $4.50 (mezzanine) and $5.50 (courtside). Fans can purchase tickets by calling the 12th Man Foundation Ticket Office at 1-888-99-AGGIE. The A&M women will also celebrate Junior Aggie Club Day against SFA.
THE BIOGRAPHY OF STEPHEN F. AUSTIN
Last season, Stephen F. Austin posted a 21-12 overall record and made a Postseason WNIT appearance where they lost to Southern Illinois in the first round. With loss of eight letterwinners from last year?â„¢s squad, SFA is relying on its youth with just three upperclassmen on the 10-player roster including senior point guard Nikki Carr who is averaging a team-leading 14.5 points and 4.1 assists per game. One of the nation?â„¢s most storied women?â„¢s basketball programs next to Old Dominion, Louisiana Tech and Western Kentucky, SFA is three wins shy of its 800th program win. A&M will be its second top 25 opponent of the season next to a 61-49 loss to No. 14 Auburn on Dec. 17. The Ladyjacks?â„¢ three wins of the season include an overtime win over Big 12 foe Missouri (84-81) on Dec. 8, Grambling State (95-57) on Nov. 13 and Alcorn State (71-54) on Dec. 7. Historically, SFA has won 15 of the last 20 Southland Conference Tournament titles and is picked to finish first in the SLC West Division by the league?â„¢s sports information directors. The Ladyjacks?â„¢ bid to repeat as conference champions begins next week against Nicholls State on Jan. 10.
PROBABLE STARTING LINEUPS
TEXAS A&M
No. Name (2007-08 Stats)
#10 A?â„¢Quonesia Franklin, G, 5-3, Sr. (8.2 ppg, 4.8 apg)
#3 Takia Starks, G, 5-8, Jr. (17.5 ppg, 4.2 rpg)
#21 Morenike Atunrase, G/F, 5-10, Sr. (6.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg)
#55 Danielle Gant, G/F, 5-11, Jr. (14.4 ppg, 7.0 rpg)
#12 La Toya Micheaux, C, 6-3, Jr. (4.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg)
STEPHEN F. AUSTIN
No. Name (2007-08 Stats)
#23 Nikki Carr, G, 5-6, Sr. (14.5 ppg, 4.1 apg)
#20 Whitney Cormier, G, 5-9, So. (10.5 ppg, 5.7 rpg)
#11 Jessica Gaines, G, 5-10, Jr. (6.4 ppg, 4.0 rpg)
#32 Jordan Ford, F, 5-10, Fr. (9.7 ppg, 5.9 rpg)
#30 Antoinette Davis, F, 5-11, Fr. (4.9 ppg, 6.0 rpg)
SERIES HISTORY
Stephen F. Austin leads 13-2 in the all-time series against Texas A&M. Both teams last met in the Shreveport Shootout with SFA topping the Aggies (82-73) on Nov. 28, 1997 in Shreveport, La. The SFA victory snapped a two-game A&M win streak in the series which includes a 77-66 victory on Dec. 5, 1984 and 83-59 victory on Nov. 22, 1985. However, both of those wins erased a 12-game losing skid to SFA. The Aggies are 2-4 all-time when playing the Ladyjacks at G. Rollie White Coliseum in College Station. Thursday?â„¢s contest will mark their first meeting in Reed Arena which opened its doors to basketball fans during the 1998-99 season.
DID YOU KNOW?
?* Texas A&M head coach Gary Blair has faced his former school, Stephen F. Austin, only twice in his 23 years as a Division I head coach. He went an undefeated 2-0 versus the Ladyjacks by leading Arkansas to an 81-60 win in 1995-96 and an 85-76 (OT) win in 1996-97. A&M will make a return trip to Nacogdoches next season as part of the home-and-home series. Blair and his first Stephen F. Austin squad suffered an 83-59 loss to A&M on Nov. 22, 1985 which was ironically the Aggies?â„¢ last win against SFA in the all-time series.
?* Coach Blair followed in the footsteps of the late Hall of Fame coach Sue Gunter who is best known for her coaching legacy at LSU. Gunter and Blair are the school?â„¢s all-time winningest coaches with 266 and 210 victories respectively. In fact, the list of Ladyjack Legends also includes current Texas Tech head coach Kristy Curry, NCAA Vice President For Division I Women?â„¢s Basketball Sue Donahoe, Auburn head coach Nell Fortner, Marshall head coach Royce Chadwick and former Texas A&M head coach Candi Harvey. Donahoe, Fortner and Harvey served as assistant coaches to Blair at SFA.
?* While at Stephen F. Austin, Blair won seven-straight conference championships and led the Ladyjacks to six NCAA Tournament berths including four Sweet 16 appearances. He was named Southland Conference Coach of the Year on five occasions in 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992 and 1993. Blair led SFA to a program-best No. 4 national ranking on Feb. 9, 1992 in his second to last season in Nacogdoches.
?* Current Stephen F. Austin assistant coach Taqueta Braxton (formerly Taqueta Roberson) spent her college days at Arkansas as a player for Texas A&M head coach Gary Blair. Braxton was a four-year letterwinner for the Lady Razorbacks guiding them to an NCAA Tournament appearance. As a senior, Braxton was selected as the team captain and named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll. Braxton received her bachelor?â„¢s degree in kinesiology from Arkansas in 1997.
?* Coach Blair?â„¢s 21-year-old son Matt was born in Nacogdoches, Texas, and is currently a sophomore midfielder/defender on the men?â„¢s soccer team at Texas Lutheran University.
SCHOOL TIES
Freshman guard Maryann Baker (Dallas, Texas) will reunite with fellow Bishop Lynch High School teammate Jordan Ford who is a freshman forward at Stephen F. Austin. Last November, Baker and Ford held their signing day party together and were the only two girls basketball players from their high school team to sign with a Division I school. Baker was rated the No. 25 best shooting guard in the nation by the All-Star Girls Basketball Report and was selected as a TABC All-Star as a senior. She has played in eight games this season for the Aggies after recovering from ACL surgery in March.
COUNTDOWN TO 500
Fittingly enough, Texas A&M head coach is closing in on his 500th career victory with 492 wins to date. This season?â„¢s schedule has been a reunion of sorts with former teams such as Stephen F. Austin and former assistant coaches and players from both of his former schools on the opposite sideline. He currently ranks second all-time among A&M women?â„¢s basketball coaches with 84 victories behind former head coach Lynn Hickey (154). The 2007 Big 12 Coach of the Year has led the Aggies to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances, their first-ever conference title and the program?â„¢s highest national ranking (No. 10).
BIG 12 CONFERENCE PLAY ON THE HORIZON
The Aggies will open up Big 12 Conference play next week against Kansas State on Wednesday, Jan. 9 at 7 p.m. Last season, A&M posted a program-best 13-3 record against league foes and will look to capture its second-consecutive Big 12 Championship title. The Aggies were picked to win the conference crown by the league?â„¢s head coaches in the Big 12 preseason polls.
PURE PERFECTION
A&M shot a school-record 96.0 percent from the free throw line behind a perfect 10-of-10 performance by junior combination guard/forward Danielle Gant against North Carolina A&T on Dec. 30. Last week, Gant averaged a team-best 21.0 points and 8.5 rebounds against UT Arlington and N.C. A&T combined. She also averaged 3.0 assists, 0.5 blocks and 2.0 steals in both games. Gant shot 51.9 percent from the floor and went a perfect 14-of-14 from the charity stripe. She became only the third Aggie to ever go perfect on 10-or-more attempts from the free throw line next to a 12-of-12 performance by Lisa Branch vs. Notre Dame on Dec. 3, 1995 and 10-of-10 performances by Branch vs. Oklahoma State on Jan. 3, 1994 and Janet Duckham vs. Stephen F. Austin on Dec. 4, 1982. Gant is currently on a career-best eight-game double-digit scoring streak having turned in back-to-back 20-point games versus UTA (22 points) and N.C. A&T (20 points). She has made 18 consecutive free throws dating back to a 4-of-4 performance from the charity stripe in the second half of play at No. 22 George Washington on Dec. 20. Senior point guard A?â„¢Quonesia Franklin has gone 9-of-9 from the free throw line over the last three games including a 5-of-5 performance versus N.C. A&T.
AGGIES IN THE RPI
Texas A&M is currently rated No. 5 in the latest RPI index according to CollegeRPI.com as of Jan. 1. The Aggies boast the nation?â„¢s sixth strongest schedule with 15 of their opponents advancing to postseason play a year ago including upcoming opponents Stephen F. Austin (No. 251) and Kansas State (No. 88). SFA lost in the Postseason WNIT First Round, while K-State fell in the WNIT Semifinals to 2007 WNIT champion Wyoming in a triple overtime thriller. A&M remains the highest-rated Big 12 school in the RPI and is among the likes of defending national champion Tennessee, Connecticut, Stanford, Rutgers, Georgia, Maryland, Old Dominion, Oklahoma and Wyoming to round out the top 10.
NORTH CAROLINA A&T RECAP
Junior Takia Starks registered her third career double-double with a game-high 23 points and career-high tying 11 rebounds to lead No. 12 Texas A&M to a 74-65 victory over North Carolina A&T Sunday afternoon at Reed Arena. Junior Danielle Gant also scored in double figures with 20 points as did senior A?â„¢Quonesia Franklin who had 14. Gant reached two milestones in the contest as she became the 17th player in school history to record 500 career rebounds with nine boards against the Lady Aggies. A&M also shot a school-record 96.0 percent from the free throw line (24-of-25) behind Gant?â„¢s perfect 10-of-10 performance. For much of the contest, A&M had its nation-leading home court winning streak in jeopardy as the North Carolina A&T pressure defense gave the Aggies trouble all night. The lead changed 12 times and the score was tied on 13 occasions. A&M went into the lockerroom with a 42-32 advantage on a three-pointer by Starks with seven seconds left to increase the Aggies?â„¢ lead to double digits for the first and only time in the ballgame. North Carolina A&T began the second half on an 11-3 run and a jumper by Lonise Coulter put the Lady Aggies within two of A&M with 12:11 to go in regulation. Coulter followed up with a jumper in the lane to tie the game up at 45 at the 10:59 minute mark. A&M hit their first basket with 9:51 remaining on a layup in traffic by Gant. It was A&M?â„¢s first since a three-point play by Franklin in the opening seconds (19:26) of the half. With under seven and a half minutes to go, Starks drained back-to-back threes to build on A&M?â„¢s late second-half rally. Missed free throw opportunities by N.C. A&T put A&M in the driver?â„¢s seat for the rest of the way. The Lady Aggies had four players score in double figures including a team-high 23 points from Amber Bland and 15 from Ta?â„¢Wuana Cook.
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.
IN THE NATIONAL POLLS
A&M moved up one spot to No. 13 in the latest Associated Press Top 25 Poll released on Monday and remained at No. 12 in the latest USA TODAY/ESPN Coaches Top 25 Poll released on Wednesday. The Aggies have now appeared a program-best 34-straight weeks in the AP Poll and 29-straight weeks in the Coaches Poll since the 2005-06 season. A&M is one of six Big 12 schools to be ranked in the national polls next to No. 8 Oklahoma, No. 9 Baylor, No. 16/17 Texas, No. 23 Colorado and No. 24/25 Oklahoma State. Texas Tech is also knocking on the door of the top 25 as the Lady Raiders (No. 26) are receiving votes in both polls.
ASSOCIATED PRESS TOP 25 POLL
1. Connecticut (11-0)
2. Stanford (12-1)
3. Tennessee (10-1)
4. North Carolina (13-1)
5. Maryland (16-1)
6. Rutgers (9-2)
7. Georgia (12-0)
8. Oklahoma (9-2)
9. Baylor (10-1)
10. California (11-2)
11. LSU (10-3)
12. Duke (10-3)
13. Texas A&M (11-2)
14. Notre Dame (11-1)
15. DePaul (11-1)
16. Texas (11-2)
17. West Virginia (10-2)
18. Auburn (12-2)
19. Old Dominion (9-3)
20. George Washington (10-3)
21. Ohio State (9-3)
22. Wyoming (11-1)
23. Colorado (10-2)
24. Oklahoma State (12-1)
25. Arkansas (14-0)
USA TODAY/ESPN COACHES TOP 25 POLL
1. Connecticut (11-0)
2. Stanford (12-1)
3. Tennessee (10-1)
4. North Carolina (13-1)
5. Maryland (16-1)
6. Rutgers (9-2)
7. Georgia (12-0)
8. Oklahoma (9-2)
9. Baylor (10-1)
10. California (11-2)
11. LSU (10-3)
12. Texas A&M (11-2)
13. Duke (10-3)
14. Notre Dame (11-1)
15. DePaul (11-1)
16. West Virginia (10-2)
17. Texas (11-2)
18. Auburn (12-2)
19. George Washington
20. Ohio State (9-3)
21. Arkansas (14-0)
22. Wyoming (11-1)
23. Old Dominion (9-3)
24. Arizona State (8-5)
25. Oklahoma State (12-1)