January 18, 2008
After a two-game road swing up Highway 6 and over the Rocky Mountains, the 16th-ranked Texas A&M women?â„¢s basketball team (13-4, 1-2) returns home to the friendly confines of Reed Arena for a Saturday, Jan. 19 nationally-televised clash against No. 18 Oklahoma State (15-1, 3-0). Tipoff between the preseason favorite Aggies and up-and-coming Cowgirls is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Fox Sports Net. For Texas A&M head coach Gary Blair and Oklahoma State head coach Kurt Budke, this isn?â„¢t their first rodeo on the national scene. Both will rally up their squads for what is sure to be a barn burner as the last two meetings between the two schools have been decided in the final seconds. Since their arrival on the Big 12 Conference scene, Blair and Budke have made tremendous strides with their respective programs, turning them into annual NCAA Tournament-bound teams and a force to be reckoned with in the league. With an Oklahoma State squad looking to continue to make waves, A&M will have to be at the top of its game to stay in the Big 12 hunt. OSU is the last of three consecutive top 25 foes for A&M. The home-court advantage may play favorably for the Aggies as they have won 26 of their last 27 games at Reed Arena. The Cowgirls will also have the tough task of going up against an aggressive A&M defense which has held opponents to a league-best 23.2 percentage from beyond the arc and forced an average of 22.8 turnovers per game.
SCOUTING OKLAHOMA STATE
The Andrea Riley factor has boosted Oklahoma State in the spotlight as the sophomore guard is averaging 22.3 points per game which ranks seventh-best nationally. Her career-high 45 points, which led to a 82-63 upset of sixth-ranked Oklahoma on Jan. 13, earned her Big 12 Player of the Week honors. OSU and Baylor are one of only eight Division I schools who remain undefeated or have one notch in the loss column this season. The Cowgirls?â„¢ only setback was a staggering 34-point loss at TCU (97-63) on Dec. 18, the same squad in which the A&M beat 68-58 on Dec. 2 in Fort Worth. They have rebounded with a seven-game win streak ever since. OSU currently leads the Big 12 in scoring offense (82.6) and scoring margin (+28.8) which also ranks fourth and third nationally. A&M will mark only their second top 25 opponent of the season next to archrival OU.
GAME PROMOTIONS
Help the Aggie women pack Reed Arena for their first nationally-televised home game of the season on Saturday, Jan. 19 against No. 18 Oklahoma State. The Aggies will celebrate Local Heroes & Elementary School Day prior to their top 20 showdown with the Cowgirls. There will be fire trucks, police cars and motorcycles set up in the North parking lot of Reed Arena beginning at 11 a.m. All Bryan-College Station police and fire department employees along with their immediate family members will receive free admission to the game by showing their badge or nametag at any Reed Arena ticket window. All elementary school students from the Bryan-College Station area will also receive free admission for two with the flyer that was distributed to each school. Last year, A&M drew its third-largest crowd (7,191) of the season against OSU which helped the Aggies gain an edge on the Cowgirls and pull out a 64-63 victory at home.
ON THE TUBE
A&M will appear on television a school-record eight times during the 2007-08 season including Saturday?â„¢s matchup against OSU which will mark the first of five upcoming broadcasts on FSN. Mark Neely (play-by-play) and Debbie Antonelli (color analyst) will call the action live from Reed Arena on FSN Arizona, FSN Bay Area, FSN Detroit, FSN Florida, FSN Midwest, FSN New York, FSN North, FSN Northwest, FSN Ohio, FSN Rocky Mountain, FSN South, FSN Southwest, FSN West and FSN Wisconsin. Check your local listings. The Aggies also have two nationally-televised dates on ESPN2 versus Texas Tech on Feb. 17 in College Station and at rival Texas on Feb. 24 in Austin.
PROBABLE STARTING LINEUPS
TEXAS A&M
No. Name (2007-08 Stats)
#10 A?â„¢Quonesia Franklin, G, 5-3, Sr. (8.1 ppg, 4.5 apg)
#3 Takia Starks, G, 5-8, Jr. (17.4 ppg, 4.6 rpg)
#55 Danielle Gant, G/F, 5-11, Jr. (14.5 ppg, 7.1 rpg)
#24 Patrice Reado, F, 6-0, Sr. (8.1 ppg, 5.1 rpg)
#12 La Toya Micheaux, C, 6-3, Jr. (4.4 ppg, 5.1 rpg)
OKLAHOMA STATE
No. Name (2007-08 Stats)
#10 Andrea Riley, G, 5-5, So. (22.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg)
#31 Danielle Green, G, 5-8, Sr. (14.1 ppg, 7.3 rpg)
#13 Taylor Hardeman, G, 5-10, Jr. (6.7 ppg, 2.1 rpg)
#32 Shaunt?© Smith, F, 6-0, Jr. (7.6 ppg, 7.0 rpg)
#24 Maria Cordero, C, 6-3, Sr. (10.9 ppg, 5.7 rpg)
SERIES NOTES
Oklahoma State leads 19-13 in the all-time series between the two schools. Next to the Colorado series where they have won five in a row, the Aggies hold a seven-game win streak over OSU which is the longest against any Big 12 opponent. A&M has won four-straight in that winning stretch at Reed Arena. More than half of the Aggies?â„¢ victories in the series and the streak have occurred in the last four seasons. The seven-straight wins are the most by either school in the series which dates back to the 1974-75 season. The Cowgirls will be looking to end their drought as they last defeated A&M in a 67-65 victory in Stillwater on Jan. 7, 2004. The last three contests between the Aggies and Cowgirls have come down to the last possession or have been decided by nine points or less.
A LOOK BACK
Takia Starks hit a jumper with 0.3 seconds remaining to help No. 13 Texas A&M survive another scare from Oklahoma State with a 62-60 win on Feb. 17, 2007. The Cowgirls, who lost on a free throw with the same amount of time remaining in the teams?â„¢ previous meeting of the season, rallied from six points down in the final three minutes to tie the game on Maria Cordero?â„¢s layup with 23 seconds left. After a timeout, point guard A?â„¢Quonesia Franklin dribbled down most of the remaining time before the Aggies had to scramble to get the ball to Starks near the foul line. Oklahoma State coach Kurt Budke then called a timeout to set up a play, but Starks stole a long inbounds pass near the Cowgirls?â„¢ 3-point line. Danielle Gant, who hit the winning free throw in the Aggies?â„¢ 64-63 win over Oklahoma State on Jan. 30, 2007, finished with 14 points and 14 rebounds for her sixth double-double. Starks scored 13 and Morenike Atunrase had 10 for Texas A&M. Andrea Riley matched her career high with 21 points, Danielle Chism scored 11 and Rashidat Sadiq added 10 for OSU. Gant?â„¢s free throw with 5:36 remaining gave the Aggies a 49-48 lead, and she added a three-point play off an offensive rebound on A&M?â„¢s next possession to stretch the lead to four. She made it 56-50 by banking in a right-handed shot from the right side. The Cowgirls closed to within 57-56 on Riley?â„¢s two free throws with 1:36 to play, with Budke flapping both arms in the air to encourage the crowd to stand and cheer, which he also did during Atunrase?â„¢s missed free throw that gave his team a chance to tie. Riley?â„¢s driving layup tied it at 58 with just over a minute to play, but Atunrase answered with a jumper in the key for the Aggies with 44.4 seconds left. Riley set up Cordero?â„¢s layup on the other end, but the Aggies had another stunner in store for the Cowgirls. OSU held the Aggies without a basket for more than six minutes in the first half, scoring nine straight points to take a 15-9 lead on Sadiq?â„¢s 3-pointer from the right wing. A&M scored seven points in a row to claim a 26-23 lead on a basket by La Toya Micheaux. The game was tied at 28 at halftime.
THE EVOLUTION OF A TOP 25 PROGRAM
To imagine where both the Texas A&M and Oklahoma State women?â„¢s basketball programs have come in so little time. Gary Blair and Kurt Budke have turned their programs into nationally-ranked powers in just their third and second year at each school respectively. Both programs have come from the depths of the conference and emerged to the top. Prior to the 2005-06 season, A&M had never finished higher than ninth in the Big 12 and turned in a 20-win season since 1995-96. A crop of talented in-state players along with highly-rated out-of-state recruits have helped Blair continue to build A&M into a national contender.
TEXAS A&M
Architect: Gary Blair (Fifth Season)
Turnaround Season: 2005-06 (23-9 and NCAA First Round)
Projected Big 12 Finish: First
First-Year Big 12 Finish: Tied for 11th (2-14)
Overall Wins In Blair?â„¢s First Season: 9
First Big 12 Season Over .500: 11-5 (.688) in 2005-06
Current National Ranking: 19 (AP), 16 (Coaches)
Highest National Ranking: No. 10 (Nov. 27, 2006 and Dec. 17, 2007)
Homegrown Players From The State Of Texas: 10
OKLAHOMA STATE
Architect: Kurt Budke (Third Season)
Turnaround Season: 2006-07 (20-11 and NCAA First Round)
Projected Big 12 Finish: Fifth
First-Year Big 12 Finish: 12th (0-16)
Overall Wins In Budke?â„¢s First Season: 6
First Big 12 Season Over .500: 8-8 (.500) in 2006-07
Current National Ranking: 18 (AP), 19 (Coaches)
Highest National Ranking: No. 18 (Jan. 14, 2007)
Homegrown Players From The State Of Oklahoma: 6
OFF THE TOP 10 CHARTS
Saturday?â„¢s game will feature three of the Big 12?â„¢s top 10 scorers in Texas A&M?â„¢s Takia Starks (17.4 ppg) and Danielle Gant (14.5 ppg) and Oklahoma State?â„¢s Andrea Riley (22.3 ppg). A&M is one of only two league schools to boast two top 10 performers next to Colorado?â„¢s scoring duo of Jackie McFarland and Brittany Spears. Starks and Gant account for 45 percent of A&M?â„¢s scoring production this season shooting 43.0 and 51.8 percent from the floor for the Aggies. Starks currently ranks ninth all-time in career scoring (1,114) and is on a 22-game double-digit scoring streak. Meanwhile, Gant is averaging a career-best in scoring with five 20-point games to her credit this year including a 24-point performance at No. 25 Colorado on Jan. 16.
DID YOU KNOW?
?* Texas A&M head coach Gary Blair is 14-5 all-time versus Oklahoma State in his 23 years as a Division I head coach. He is 8-2 against the Cowgirls since his arrival in Aggieland in 2003-04. Blair and Oklahoma State head coach Kurt Budke are both disciples of former Louisiana Tech head coach Leon Barmore. Blair served as a La. Tech assistant coach from 1980-85, while Budke was an associate head coach from 2000-02 and took over the storied Lady Techster program from 2002-05 after Barmore?â„¢s retirement.
?* Of A&M?â„¢s current winning streaks against all-time opponents, the Oklahoma State seven-game streak ranks as the fourth longest behind Sam Houston State (12 straight), Prairie View A&M (11 straight) and UT Arlington (nine straight).
?* Texas A&M associate head coach Vic Schaefer (Class of ?â„¢84) is one of seven league coaches who graduated from a Big 12 member school and is one of only three along with Kansas State assistant coaches Kelly Moylan (?â„¢94) and Andria Jones (?â„¢97) to have the honor of coaching at their alma mater. Texas A&M head coach Gary Blair is a 1972 and 1974 graduate of Texas Tech, Oklahoma State assistant coach Kenya Larkin is a 2002 graduate of Texas, Texas Tech assistant coach Kelly Curry is a Class of ?â„¢90 graduate of Texas A&M and Kansas State associate head coach Kamie Ethridge is a 1987 graduate of Texas.
?* The Aggies will have played five out of their six Big 12 North foes in the month of January with an upcoming road swing at Nebraska on Jan. 23 in Lincoln, Neb., and Kansas on Jan. 26 in Lawrence, Kan. A&M will close out the month with a home date scheduled versus Missouri on Jan. 29. Last season, A&M went 4-2 against the Big 12 North and 9-1 in the Big 12 South.
CROSSING OF THE GUARDS
Two of the conference?â„¢s top point guards will cross paths in Saturday?â„¢s contest. Texas A&M?â„¢s A?â„¢Quonesia Franklin (4.5 apg) and Oklahoma State?â„¢s Andrea Riley (4.3 apg) are closing in on 100-assist seasons with 76 and 68 respectively. Both rank sixth and seventh among Big 12 assists leaders. Franklin has led the league in assist-to-turnover ratio over the last three seasons and has used her veteran leadership to keep the Aggies within reach of its quest to repeat as Big 12 Champions. In her last outing at No. 25 Colorado, Franklin dished out four assists with zero turnovers to mark her third contest this year to go without a mishap on the court. She currently ranks 10th all-time in career assists (530) in the Big 12 and third all-time in the A&M record books. Franklin is also nearing the 1,000 career-point plateau as she is 41 points shy of the accomplishment with 959 career points to date.
COLORADO RECAP
Junior Danielle Gant scored 18 of her game-high 24 points in a late second-half rally by the Aggies to lead No. 16 Texas A&M to its first Big 12 Conference victory of the season over No. 25 Colorado, 72-68, on Jan. 16 at the Coors Events Center in Boulder, Colo. In the final stretch, senior A?â„¢Quonesia Franklin calmly made 6-of-6 attempts from the charity stripe with under two and a half minutes left in regulation to give the Aggies the edge over the Buffaloes. She ended the night with 14 points which included two three-pointers to get A&M within four points of CU at halftime, 32-28. The momentum shifted late in the second half as junior Takia Starks took advantage of a wide-open look and drained a three-pointer with 4:24 to go to give the Aggies their first lead of the contest, 58-57. On the opposite end of the court, Starks grabbed a missed Colorado field-goal attempt which led to a fast break layup to push the lead out to three, 60-57. The final three minutes would be crucial as the Big 12?â„¢s second-leading scorer Jackie McFarland put away both of her free throw makes to give CU a 61-60 lead. Gant later countered by making both of her charity attempts as she was fouled under the basket to put A&M out front once again, 62-61. Sophomore Ashlaa Horton came in relief of A&M?â„¢s three post players who tallied five fouls apiece and knocked down a crucial jumper to give the Aggies a 64-62 edge with 1:35 to go. Starks grabbed the loose ball on a missed CU field-goal attempt to stretch the A&M lead to four points, 66-62. Franklin?â„¢s six free throws later followed to seal A&M?â„¢s fifth-straight win over the Buffaloes in the all-time series and only its second-ever win in Boulder in league play. Starks turned in a near double-double performance with 18 points and nine rebounds for the Aggies, while Gant boarded nine of A&M?â„¢s 39 rebounds. CU was paced by McFarland?â„¢s 24 points and Brittany Spears?â„¢ double-double of 11 points and 12 rebounds. A&M rebounded from a stagnant first-half as the Aggies struggled offensively. Colorado opened the game on a 9-2 run with A&M converting only 1-of-6 attempts from the floor. The Buffaloes also got a break as the foul count had A&M in the bonus with 13:32 still remaining on the clock as 14 of their season-high 30 fouls were called in the first half of play. CU converted 9-of-15 from the charity stripe prior to halftime and 23-of-26 for the game.
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.
CONFERENCE GO-AROUND
It is no wonder why the Big 12 is rated the No. 1 conference in the country in the latest CBN, Jeff Sagarin and CollegeRPI.com ratings percentage indexes. From top-to-bottom, each team will play a vital role in who will be crowned as league champions at the end of the grueling 16-game season. With the influx of new and veteran talent, the conference is enjoying one of its most successful seasons in its 12 years of existence with six schools ranked among the top 25 nationally. Baylor, OSU and Kansas State are the early front runners of the league with an undefeated 3-0 mark against Big 12 competition, while A&M is in a five-way tie for sixth and fighting its way back up to the top half of the ladder. Only four Big 12 teams have five or more overall losses for the season with just two schools without a win in the opening two weeks of league play.
BIG 12 CONFERENCE STANDINGS
1T. Baylor (15-1, 3-0)
1T. Oklahoma State (15-1, 3-0)
1T. Kansas State (11-5, 3-0)
4T. Oklahoma (11-3, 2-1)
4T. Nebraska (13-4, 2-1)
6T. Texas (13-4, 1-2)
6T. Texas A&M (13-4, 1-2)
6T. Colorado (12-4, 1-2)
6T. Iowa State (12-4, 1-2)
6T. Missouri (8-8, 1-2)
11T. Texas Tech (12-5, 0-3)
11T. Kansas (11-5, 0-3)