February 19, 2008
The 19th-ranked Texas A&M women?â„¢s basketball team (18-7, 6-5) closes out a two-game homestand with Iowa State (16-8, 5-6) on Wednesday, Feb. 20 at Reed Arena. Tipoff between the Aggies and Cyclones is set for 7 p.m. A&M has won its last five out of six games in Big 12 Conference play and is currently tied for fifth in the latest league standings with Nebraska. Iowa State presents just one of the many obstacles for the Aggies in their final five-game stretch of the regular season with upcoming top 25 battles with Oklahoma State, Baylor and Oklahoma. Last season, A&M went 0-2 versus the Cyclones which cost the Aggies a share of the Big 12 title with Oklahoma and a higher seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Aggies will be looking to erase a two-game losing skid in the series by holding court at Reed Arena, where they have won their last 27 of 29 games over the last two seasons. Both teams rely on strong guard play and defense. A&M will have to defend a hot-shooting Iowa State squad that is shooting a league-leading 36.5 percent from three-point range including 10 treys in its last outing at Oklahoma State. The Aggie defense has held opponents to a 25.8 three-point shooting percentage which is second-best in the Big 12. Texas A&M head coach Gary Blair will also be seeking career win No. 500 versus the Cyclones.
GAME PROMOTIONS
A&M celebrates Girl Scout Day on Wednesday night versus Iowa State at Reed Arena. All Girl Scouts who pre-registered for the game will receive free admission and have a chance to perform with the Aggie Dance Team at halftime. Registration ends on Wednesday at noon. If you would like to register your child, please e-mail Stacie Wheiles at: swheiles@athletics.tamu.edu. Individual game tickets range from $11-$5 and can be purchased by calling the 12th Man Foundation Ticket Office at 1-888-99-AGGIE. Students who attend women?â„¢s Big 12 Conference games throughout the season will have a chance to win cool prizes like iTunes, iPods and even a $10,000 scholarship courtesy of Mac Resource Computers. Look for the Mac Resources T-Shirt throw during the game, catch the Gary Blair autographed shirt and bring it down to the scorers table for a chance to shoot for the scholarship.
THE SPIN ON THE CYCLONES
Iowa State has won three of its last four in league play including a 62-57 upset of No. 15 Oklahoma State on Feb. 17. A&M will be the third-straight ranked opponent the Cyclones will face in a four-game stretch which also includes a Feb. 23 date with No. 9 Baylor. Similar to the Aggies, ISU lost two players to season-ending torn ACL injuries in returning starters Toccara Ross and Nicky Wieben. The Cyclones are 2-5 away from the magical confines of Hilton Coliseum against Big 12 competition. Sophomore guard Alison Lacey is averaging a team-leading 14.7 points per game and ranks fourth in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.75). ISU is 2-5 against the top 25 this season. Iowa State head coach Bill Fennelly is the dean of Big 12 coaches having compiled a 275-127 record in 13 seasons in Ames, Iowa. He is the only Big 12 North coach to have coached in the Big Eight Conference prior to the formation of the Big 12 in 1996-97.
PROBABLE STARTING LINEUPS
TEXAS A&M
No. Name (2007-08 Stats)
#10 A?â„¢Quonesia Franklin, G, 5-3, Sr. (7.4 ppg, 4.9 apg)
#3 Takia Starks, G, 5-8, Jr. (17.7 ppg, 4.3 rpg)
#55 Danielle Gant, G/F, 5-11, Jr. (14.6 ppg, 7.4 rpg)
#24 Patrice Reado, F, 6-0, Sr. (8.6 ppg, 4.8 rpg)
#12 La Toya Micheaux, C, 6-3, Jr. (3.5 ppg, 5.6 rpg)
IOWA STATE
No. Name (2007-08 Stats)
#4 Alison Lacey, G, 6-0, So. (14.7 ppg, 4.2 apg)
#11 Kelsey Bolte, G, 6-1, Fr. (10.5 ppg, 5.4 rpg)
#15 Heather Ezell, G, 5-9, Jr. (9.5 ppg, 3.1 rpg)
#32 Amanda Nisleit, F, 6-0, Jr. (6.5 ppg, 4.6 rpg)
#44 Jocelyn Anderson, C, 6-4, Jr. (6.3 ppg, 5.1 rpg)
INSIDE THE SERIES
Iowa State leads 13-2 in the all-time series and has won the last two meetings between the two schools. Both were decided by seven points or less. Last season, the Cyclones knocked off A&M in regular season play with a 61-54 win in Ames, Iowa on Valentine?â„¢s Day and a 57-51 victory in the Big 12 Championship Semifinals in Oklahoma City on March 8, 2007. A&M?â„¢s two victories in the 15-game series have been won at home in College Station in 2006 (64-53) and 2002 (88-71).
SERIES FLASHBACK
Nicky Wieben scored 20 points and Toccara Ross added 12 points and 13 rebounds leading Iowa State to a 61-54 victory over No. 13 Texas A&M before a crowd of 9,300 at Hilton Coliseum on Feb. 14, 2007. ISU held A&M without a field goal for more than six minutes during a 14-1 game-clinching run that ended the Aggies?â„¢ six-game winning streak and dropped them to 0-6 at Hilton Coliseum. A&M tied the score at 46 when Patrice Reado scored inside with 8:25 left. But A&M didn?â„¢t get another basket until Reado scored at the 2:17 mark and the Cyclones went to Wieben inside to put it away. Wieben scored on a follow shot to give ISU a 54-46 lead. After A&M?â„¢s La Toya Micheaux sank a free throw, the Cyclones came back with two free throws by Wieben, two more by Heather Ezell and a turnaround shot in the lane by Ross to stretch their lead to 60-47 and finish off the Aggies. Takia Starks hit a career-high five 3-point shots and scored 23 points to lead A&M. Danielle Gant added 13 points for the Aggies who were outscored 21-2 at the free throw line and shot just 37 percent. Iowa State trailed only twice in the second half, each time by one point. There were five ties and three lead changes in the second half before ISU went on its decisive run. But, Starks kept getting open shots against ISU?â„¢s zone and brought her team back, hitting a 3-pointer and a jumper to tie it at 15. It went back and forth the rest of the half. Amanda Nisleit?â„¢s 3-pointer and Shellie Mosman?â„¢s two free throws gave the Cyclones a 28-25 lead before Starks?â„¢ fourth 3 of the half tied it at 28.
DID YOU KNOW?
?* Head coach Gary Blair is 2-4 all-time versus Iowa State in his 23 years as a Division I head coach and 1-4 against the Cyclones since his first season at A&M in 2003-04. He and Iowa State head coach Bill Fennelly are good friends and are known around the Big 12 and in the country as the friendliest and ultimate good guys in the coaching profession.
?* Iowa State is one of 10 opponents on this year?â„¢s A&M slate to advance to the NCAA Tournament last season. The Cyclones lost to Georgia (76-56) in the NCAA Second Round.
?* For the fifth time this season, Texas A&M associate head coach Vic Schaefer will reunite with a player on his U.S. Women?â„¢s Jones Cup Team that won a bronze medal this past summer in Taipen, Taiwan. Iowa State?â„¢s Heather Ezell was a member of Team USA which went 4-2 in tournament pool play with wins over Korea, Japan, Chinese Taipei and New Zealand. Texas A&M?â„¢s La Toya Micheaux and Katy Pounds also brought home bronze medals as a player and assistant coach on the Jones Cup squad.
THE BLAIR 500
Texas A&M head coach Gary Blair is closing in on his 500th career victory with 499 wins to date. He currently ranks second all-time among A&M women?â„¢s basketball coaches with 91 victories behind former head coach Lynn Hickey (154). Blair has compiled a 499-220 (.694) career record and would become the 36th all-time Division I coach in NCAA women?â„¢s basketball history to reach the milestone. Blair describes himself as a ?late bloomer? as he began his head coaching career at the age of 40 at Stephen F. Austin. In fact, 21 of the 25 active Division I coaches with 500-or-more career victories started their head coaching career at age 30 or younger. 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) in school history. Blair holds the distinction of being one of only five active Division I women?â„¢s basketball coaches to lead three different schools (SFA and Arkansas) to a top 25 ranking next to Rutgers?â„¢ C. Vivian Stringer, Ohio State?â„¢s Jim Foster, Mississippi State?â„¢s Sharon Fanning and Arkansas?â„¢ Tom Collen.
Win No. 100 ?- Stephen F. Austin 73, Washington 63 on March 18, 1989 (NCAA Second Round)
Win No. 200 ?- Stephen F. Austin 74, Texas State 67 on Feb. 4, 1993
Win No. 300 ?- Arkansas 80, Mississippi State 73 on Jan. 15, 1998
Win No. 400 ?- No. 11 Arkansas 67, No. 13 South Carolina 58 on Jan. 12, 2003
Win No. 500 ?- ??
THE DEAN OF ACTIVE DIVISION I COACHES WITH 500-OR-MORE CAREER WINS
Gary Blair, Texas A&M ?- Age 40*
Tony Cross, Belmont ?- Age 32*
Joe Foley, Arkansas-Little Rock ?- Age 32*
Geno Auriemma, Connecticut ?- Age 31*
Jim Foster, Ohio State ?- Age 30*
Lynne Agee, UNC Greensboro ?- Age 30*
Frank Bennett, Lipscomb ?- Age 30*
Joe McKeown, George Washington ?- Age 30*
*age reflects when each coach began their head coaching career
SHOOTING STAR
One of 31 finalists for the prestigious Naismith Trophy Award, Takia Starks scored a career-and season-high 29 points on 12-of-19 shooting (.632) from the floor and 4-of-7 shooting from three-point range versus Big 12 South rival Texas Tech on Feb. 17. It marked her 16th overall 20-point game of her career and sixth of the season. She tied a career-best with 12 field goals made and tied a season-best with four three-pointers made. Her 29 points, 12 field goals made and 63.2 percent field-goal percentage were tops in the league this past week. Starks averaged a team-leading 21.0 points and shot 53.3 percent from the floor (16-of-30), 50.0 percent (5-of-10) from beyond the three-point arc and 71.4 percent from the charity stripe (5-of-7) combined against No. 10 Oklahoma on Feb. 12 and Texas Tech. The preseason All-Big 12 selection extended her double-digit scoring streak to a career-best 30 consecutive games played which dates back to the last six games of the 2006-07 season. Starks moved into sixth among A&M all-time leading scorers with 1,260 career points to date. She surpassed former player Kera Alexander (1,239) in the A&M record books. Starks is averaging a team-leading 17.7 points per game which is only second-best among league scorers to Oklahoma State?â„¢s Andrea Riley.
BOARD OPERATORS
The Aggies currently rank tops in the Big 12 in offensive rebounds (407), but third by average with 16.28 per game. Senior forward Patrice Reado (Houston, Texas) is three boards away from becoming the 19th player in school history to gain entrance into A&M?â„¢s 500-Rebound Club with 497 to date. She has led the team in rebounds in three games this season including a season-high 10 at No. 22 George Washington on Dec. 20. Reado along with teammates Danielle Gant, La Toya Micheaux and Takia Starks account for 56 percent of the team?â„¢s board production this season. Gant is averaging a team-leading 7.4 rebounds per game followed by Micheaux (5.6 rpg), Reado (4.8 rpg) and Starks (4.3 rpg). Micheaux became the 18th player in school history to reach 500 career rebounds (534), while Gant surpassed the milestone earlier this season and ranks seventh all-time in the A&M record books (602). Gant is second to only Oklahoma All-American center Courtney Paris (124) in the offensive rebounds category with 96 on the season.
THE FANTASTIC FOUR
Danielle Gant looks to join teammates Takia Starks (1,260), Morenike Atunrase (1,165) and A?â„¢Quonesia Franklin (1,007) in A&M?â„¢s 1,000 Point Club. She is 30 points shy of the milestone with 970 career points to date. Her 351 overall points scored this year is a career best behind 347 points scored during her sophomore campaign in 2006-07. Starks and Atunrase currently sixth and eighth all-time in the A&M record books. Only 11 known teams in NCAA women?â„¢s basketball history have had four 1,000-point scorers on their roster in a single season. Franklin turned in her 1,000th career point against Texas Tech to give A&M its second-ever 1,000-point trio next to former players Lisa Langston, Michelle Tatum and Jenni Edgar during the 1984-85 season. Franklin also became only the third player in school history to record 1,000 career points and 500 career assists (577) next to All-American Lisa Branch (1992-96) and Toccara Williams (2000-04).
TEXAS TECH RECAP
Behind the strength of a career-high 29 points by Takia Starks, No. 19 Texas A&M rolled to a 70-56 victory over Texas Tech in front of a season-high crowd of 5,056 on ?Beat the Hell Outta Breast Cancer? day held at Reed Arena on Feb. 17. The victory was A&M?â„¢s fifth straight against the Lady Raiders, which extended the Aggies?â„¢ longest ever winning streak over Tech. Starks connected on 12-of-19 shots, including 4-of-7 from three-point range as she edged her previous career-best by a point against the Lady Raiders. Her previous career high was 28 versus Florida State on Dec. 6, 2007. Danielle Gant also hit double figures for the Aggies with 15 points and a game-high nine rebounds. Starks?â„¢ offensive outburst was complemented by a suffocating defensive effort by the Aggies, who forced the Lady Raiders into committing 24 turnovers and allowing just six assists. Senior point guard A?â„¢Quonesia Franklin scored eight points to become the 20th player in school history to reach the 1,000-career point plateau. She also posted a game-high three steals as three other Aggies chipped in a pair of steals. A&M did a good job of protecting the ball with a team season-low eight turnovers offset by 15 assists. The Aggies carried a 34-28 advantage into halftime, but extended their lead to double digits early in the second half when a three-pointer by freshman Sydney Colson put A&M up by 12 with just over 13 minutes to go. The Aggies?â„¢ biggest lead of the game was 16 points with 1:35 remaining in regulation.
AGGIES IN THE RPI
With Selection Monday and postseason play just around the corner, Texas A&M remains a factor with a No. 14 rating in the latest RPI index according to CollegeRPI.com as of Feb. 19. The Aggies have the nation?â„¢s eighth toughest schedule with 15 of their opponents advancing to postseason play a year ago and three of their final regular season contests against nationally-ranked opponents in Oklahoma State, Baylor and Oklahoma. Upcoming opponents Iowa State and Texas are rated No. 32 and No. 36 respectively showing the strength of the league from top-to-bottom. In addition, the Big 12 Conference is rated the No. 1 league in the country with eight member schools rated in the RPI Top 30 according to the Jeff Sagarin/CBN Women's College Basketball Ratings.
A LOOK AROUND THE BIG 12
With five games remaining in the Big 12 Conference race, Kansas State continues to lead the pack with a 10-1 record in league play. Four of the Wildcats?â„¢ final games of the regular season will come against Big 12 North foes. Meanwhile, the Big 12 South holds down four the top five spots in the latest league standings on the heels of second-place Baylor (10-2), tied for third-place Oklahoma State (8-3) and Oklahoma (8-3) and tied for fifth-place Texas A&M (6-5) and Nebraska (6-5). Iowa State is close behind in seventh with a 5-6 mark followed by Texas (4-7), Kansas (4-7), Colorado (3-9), Texas Tech (2-9) and Missouri (1-10).
BIG 12 CONFERENCE STANDINGS
1. Kansas State (18-6, 10-1)
2. Baylor (22-3, 10-2)
3T. Oklahoma State (20-4, 8-3)
3T. Oklahoma (18-5, 8-3)
5T. Texas A&M (18-7, 6-5)
5T. Nebraska (17-8, 6-5)
7. Iowa State (16-8, 5-6)
8T. Texas (16-9, 4-7)
8T. Kansas (15-9, 4-7)
10. Colorado (14-11, 3-9)
11. Texas Tech (14-11, 2-9)
12. Missouri (8-16, 1-10)
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.
ON THE NATIONAL FRONT
Texas A&M dropped one spot to No. 21 in the latest Associated Press Top 25 Poll released on Monday and remained at No. 19 in the latest USA TODAY/ESPN Coaches Top 25 Poll released on Tuesday. The Aggies have appeared a program-best 35-straight weeks in the Coaches Poll since the 2005-06 season. A&M is one of five Big 12 schools to be ranked in the national polls next to No. 9 Baylor, No. 11/10 Oklahoma, No. 15 Kansas State and No. 16/17 Oklahoma State. The Aggies will face three ranked opponents in their final five-game stretch in league play.
ASSOCIATED PRESS TOP 25 POLL
1. Connecticut (24-1)
2. North Carolina (24-2)
3. Tennessee (23-2)
4. Maryland (27-2)
5. Rutgers (20-4)
6. LSU (22-3)
7. Stanford (24-3)
8. California (23-3)
9. Baylor (22-3)
10. Old Dominion (22-3)
11. Oklahoma (18-5)
12. Duke (19-7)
13. West Virginia (20-4)
14. Notre Dame (20-5)
15. Kansas State (18-6)
16. Oklahoma State (20-4)
17. George Washington (20-5)
18. Utah (21-3)
19. UTEP (21-2)
20. Ohio State (18-6)
21. Texas A&M (18-7)
22. Syracuse (19-5)
23. Pittsburgh (18-7)
24. Georgia (19-7)
25. Vanderbilt (19-7)
USA TODAY/ESPN COACHES TOP 25 POLL
1. Connecticut (24-1)
2. North Carolina (24-2)
3. Tennessee (23-2)
4. Rutgers (20-4)
5. Maryland (27-2)
6. LSU (22-3)
7. Stanford (24-3)
8. California (23-3)
9. Baylor (22-3)
10. Oklahoma (18-5)
11. Duke (19-7)
12. Old Dominion (22-3)
13. West Virginia (20-4)
14. Notre Dame (20-5)
15. Kansas State (18-6)
16. George Washington (20-5)
17. Oklahoma State (20-4)
18. Utah (21-3)
19. Texas A&M (18-7)
20. Ohio State (19-6)
21. Pittsburgh (18-7)
22. Georgia (19-7)
23. Marist (25-2)
24. Syracuse (19-5)
25. UTEP (21-2)