February 26, 2008
Winners of its last seven out of eight in Big 12 Conference play, the 18th-ranked Texas A&M women?â„¢s basketball team (20-7, 8-5) is on a roll and travels to No. 17 Oklahoma State (21-5, 9-4) for a midweek rematch on Wednesday, Feb. 27 at historic Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Okla. Tipoff between the Aggies and Cowgirls is set for 7 p.m. A&M will play three games in seven days including a recent 65-50 victory over rival Texas on Feb. 24. The final three-game stretch of the regular season will be a redemption tour of sorts for the Aggies as they lost to OSU and eighth-ranked Baylor by a mere three points in each of their last meetings in the month of January. Time has seemed to heal all wounds as the defending Big 12 champs currently boast a league-best three-game win streak which is a far cry from their 1-4 start last month. Its drastic turnaround is evident as A&M remains in the hunt for one of four coveted first-round byes in the upcoming Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship on March 11-15 in Kansas City. In fact, the Aggies are the only Big 12 team to have to finish out the season against three of the top four teams in the league and two of the top 10 teams in the nation in BU and No. 10 Oklahoma. A road win on Wednesday would lead to a tie with the Cowgirls in the league standings for fourth place. Both teams will rely on their guard play with two of the top point guards in the country in Texas A&M?â„¢s A?â„¢Quonesia Franklin who ranks 18th nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.06) and Oklahoma State?â„¢s Andrea Riley who ranks sixth nationally in points per game (22.7).
DOLLAR DAY AHEAD
Texas A&M Athletics has teamed up with David Gardner?â„¢s Jewelers to offer $1 admission for the Saturday, March 1 Battle of the Brazos rematch between the A&M women and rival Baylor at Reed Arena. The upcoming game will be televised nationally on Fox Sports Net at 1 p.m. Dollar Day specials will also include concession items such as hot dogs, soda and popcorn priced at $1 while supplies last. Dollar Day tickets must be purchased in person at the Kyle Field Ticket Office or Reed Arena Box Office in advance of the game or on game day. Both ticket offices are open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Dollar tickets will not be available by phone or online. Tickets purchased online or by phone will remain at regular price ranging from $16 (courtside), $14 (mezzanine) and $10 (gallery and loge).
SADDLING UP THE COWGIRLS
Oklahoma State continues on its magical journey having turned in its ninth 20-win campaign to position itself for postseason play for a second consecutive season. The Cowgirls are 4-2 at home against league competition with a pair of losses to Big 12 North foes in Kansas State (68-63) on Jan. 27 and Iowa State (62-57) on Feb. 17. Overall, OSU is 12-2 at historic Gallagher-Iba Arena and is one win short of recording its highest win total ever on its home court in school history. They are searching for their first 10-win mark in conference play since the 1997-98 season. OSU currently ranks eighth nationally in scoring offense (77.6), ninth in scoring margin (+18.3) and 11th in rebound margin (+7.8). Similar to A&M, the Cowgirls have been a Cinderella story over the last two years with the resurgence of the program on the national scene under third-year head coach Kurt Budke. They are coming off an 81-71 Bedlam Series loss to archrival Oklahoma on Feb. 23 in Norman.
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. (17.3 ppg, 4.4 rpg)
#21 Morenike Atunrase, G/F, 5-10, Sr. (8.5 ppg, 4.1 rpg)
#55 Danielle Gant, G/F, 5-11, Jr. (14.8 ppg, 7.3 rpg)
#12 La Toya Micheaux, C, 6-3, Jr. (3.6 ppg, 5.5 rpg)
OKLAHOMA STATE
No. Name (2007-08 Stats)
#10 Andrea Riley, G, 5-5, So. (22.7 ppg, 4.2 apg)
#31 Danielle Green, G, 5-8, Sr. (13.4 ppg, 7.1 rpg)
#13 Taylor Hardeman, G, 5-10, Jr. (7.2 ppg, 2.3 rpg)
#32 Shaunte Smith, F, 6-0, Jr. (8.5 ppg, 7.8 rpg)
#24 Maria Cordero, C, 6-3, Sr. (9.9 ppg, 6.1 rpg)
SERIES HISTORY
Oklahoma State leads 20-13 in the all-time series between the two schools. OSU snapped a seven-game losing skid in the series with a 61-58 win (+3) at Texas A&M on Jan. 19. It was previously A&M?â„¢s longest winning streak against any Big 12 opponent. The last four contests between the Aggies and Cowgirls have come down to the last possession or have been decided by nine points or less. However, A&M has won the last three-straight meetings at Gallagher-Iba Arena since 2005 and are 7-9 lifetime on the road in Stillwater.
SERIES FLASHBACK
A gutsy three-pointer by Andrea Riley with 6.6 seconds remaining in regulation kept No. 16 Texas A&M from its second Big 12 Conference win as No. 18 Oklahoma State converted its final 12 points to get past the Aggies, 61-58, before a crowd of 4,265 at Reed Arena on Jan. 19. OSU remained undefeated in league play behind its star point guard?â„¢s 29-point outburst on 5-of-12 shooting from long range including the game-winning shot. It continued a pattern of last-second heroics in the OSU versus A&M series. The Cowgirls avenged two losses that were decided by two points or less and not in their favor a year ago. After dropping their first two Big 12 outings, the Aggies looked recharged and there were signs of the defending Big 12 Champs of old against OSU. Four players scored in double figures including a team-high 16 points from Takia Starks who played limited minutes in the first half after being called for two quick fouls with under 15 minutes to go. She scored only six of her total points before the break and later shot the lights out going 4-of-6 in the opening minutes of the second half of play. Patrice Reado got the A&M offense rolling in the opening minutes of the game and finished with 13 points and two steals. A?â„¢Quonesia Franklin recorded her fourth career double-double with a career-high 12 assists and 14 points. Her three-point attempt at the buzzer fell short of sending the game into overtime. Meanwhile, Danielle Gant had a productive game across the board with 10 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots. Oklahoma State cut A&M?â„¢s nine-point lead, its largest of the game, in the last six minutes of play with a three-pointer by Danielle Green, jumper by Riley and four makes from the charity stripe. Green was the only other Cowgirl player to reach double figures with 14.
DID YOU KNOW?
?* Texas A&M head coach Gary Blair is 14-6 all-time versus Oklahoma State in his 23 years as a Division I head coach. He is 8-3 against the Cowgirls since his arrival in Aggieland in 2003-04. Blair and Oklahoma State head coach Kurt Budke are both disciples of legendary 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.
?* Oklahoma City native Danielle Gant returns home to the Sooner State for the second time this season and seventh time of her career. Last year, she lit OSU up with a pair of double-double performances with 16 points and 15 rebounds versus the Cowgirls on Jan. 30, 2007 and 14 points and 14 rebounds in Stillwater on Feb. 17, 2007.
?* Three of the league?â„¢s top 10 scorers will be on hand in Wednesday night?â„¢s contest including Texas A&M?â„¢s Takia Starks (4th, 17.3 ppg) and Danielle Gant (10th, 14.8) along with Oklahoma State?â„¢s Andrea Riley (1st, 22.7). Starks and Gant account for 48 percent of A&M?â„¢s scoring production this season, while Riley is one of only 11 players nationally to average more than 20 points a game.
ON THE DEFENSE
In its last two outings, the signature A&M defense has held rival Texas (50) and Iowa State (46) to its second-fewest points of the season. The Aggies currently rank second in the Big 12 and 19th nationally in scoring defense holding opponents to 55.6 points per game. A&M also ranks second-best in the league in three-point field goal percentage defense (.267) and tops in turnover margin (+6.0). They also rank second only to Oklahoma (16.5) in offensive rebounds per game (15.9).
GANT NAMED BIG 12 PLAYER OF THE WEEK
For the first time of her career, Texas A&M?â„¢s Danielle Gant was named the Phillips 66 Big 12 Conference Women?â„¢s Basketball Player of the Week on Monday by a media voting panel for games of Feb. 18-24. Gant, a 5-foot-11 junior combination guard/forward, led Texas A&M to a 2-0 week with milestone victories over Iowa State (60-46) on Feb. 20 and rival Texas (65-50) on Feb. 24. She averaged a team-leading 17.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.0 blocks and 2.0 steals per game against the Cyclones and Longhorns combined. For the week, she shot 55.2 percent from the floor (16-of-29) including a 10-of-18 performance versus ISU. Gant scored a game-high 22 points and seven rebounds with five on the offensive end in A&M?â„¢s third-ever win over Iowa State to give head coach Gary Blair his 500th career victory. It marked her 10th 20-point game of her career. She also recorded her 1,000th career point against UT with 12 points and a career-and season-high seven assists in A&M?â„¢s third-ever series sweep of the Longhorns and fourth-ever win in Austin. Gant became the 21st player in school history to reach the 1,000 career point plateau and now has 1,004 career points to date. She joined teammates Morenike Atunrase, Takia Starks and A?â„¢Quonesia Franklin in the elite group as A&M became one of 14 known teams in NCAA women?â„¢s basketball history to have four 1,000 point scorers on its roster in a single season. Gant is currently on an 11-game double-digit scoring streak and ranks 10th in the Big 12 in scoring, tied for ninth in rebounding, sixth in field-goal percentage (52.3), third in steals (2.4 avg) and second in offensive rebounds (4.0 avg).
TEXAS RECAP
Four players scored in double figures to lead No. 19 Texas A&M to a 15-point rout of rival Texas, 65-50, at the Frank Erwin Center on Feb. 24, which earned the Aggies another half point in the State Farm Lone Star Showdown. Junior Takia Starks scored 12 of her game-high 22 points in the first half shooting 8-of-14 from the floor and 3-of-6 from three-point range to give the Aggies?â„¢ their fourth-ever win in Austin and third-ever series sweep over the Longhorns. A&M sprinted out to an 18-4 run in the opening minutes of the contest behind long-range threes from Starks and senior Morenike Atunrase. The Aggies also turned up their signature defense forcing Texas to turn the ball over four times before the first timeout. Brittainey Raven ended UT?â„¢s scoring drought with a layup with 15:56 left on the clock. The Aggies continued to build on their lead, but Texas found a way to get back into the ballgame as reserve Crystal Boyd cut it to three with 50 seconds remaining in the half. A&M went into the lockerroom with a 29-24 lead at halftime. The second half started off much the same as the first. A&M kept on finding its scorers as its defensive pressure continued to wear on the Longhorns. Atunrase ended the night with 10 points, while A?â„¢Quonesia Franklin and Danielle Gant each had 12. For the game, A&M shot 48.0 percent (24-of-50) from the field which was its second-highest shooting percentage this season next to 49.0 percent at Baylor on Jan. 12. The Aggies led by as many as 19 points with 10:37 remaining in regulation. Raven led all UT scorers with 13.
CONFERENCE ROUNDUP
Baylor (11-2) has pulled back into the driver?â„¢s seat of the Big 12 Conference regular season title race with a one-game lead over Oklahoma (10-3) and Kansas State (10-3). Meanwhile, Oklahoma State (9-4) and Texas A&M (8-5) follow behind in fourth and fifth respectively in the latest league standings. Nebraska rounds out the top half of the field in sixth place with a 7-6 record. The Big 12 is one of only four conferences next to the ACC, Big East and SEC with at least four 20-win teams. Baylor (23), OSU (21), OU (20) and A&M (20) have all reached 20 with K-State (18) and Nebraska (18) only two wins away. Most notably, the Big 12 is one of only two leagues along with the 16-member Big East with 11 teams above .500 for the season. It is also the only conference with every team above .500 in non-conference games.
BIG 12 CONFERENCE STANDINGS
1. Baylor (23-3, 11-2)
2T. Oklahoma (20-5, 10-3)
2T. Kansas State (18-8, 10-3)
4. Oklahoma State (21-5, 9-4)
5. Texas A&M (20-7, 8-5)
6. Nebraska (18-9, 7-6)
7. Iowa State (16-10, 5-8)
8T. Texas (16-11, 4-9)
8T. Texas Tech (16-11, 4-9)
8T. Colorado (15-11, 4-9)
8T. Kansas (15-11, 4-9)
12. Missouri (9-17, 2-11)
LOOKING INTO THE GLASS BALL
Texas A&M is currently rated No. 13 in the latest ratings percentage index on CollegeRPI.com as of Feb. 26. The Aggies boast the nation?â„¢s eighth-toughest schedule behind Tennessee, Connecticut, Maryland, Rutgers, Oklahoma, Notre Dame and Duke. Upcoming opponents Oklahoma State and Baylor are rated No. 25 and No. 7 respectively and made the NCAA Tournament last year. The Big 12 is currently rated the No. 1 conference in the land with seven teams rated in the RPI top 35. ESPN.com bracketologist Charlie Creme recently predicted A&M to receive a No. 5 seed in the New Orleans Regional with the Big 12 and Big East Conferences getting an unprecedented eight teams into the field of 64 come March.
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 Gallagher-Iba Arena alongside Katy Pounds on KZNE 1150 AM. A live audio feed will also be available on www.AggieAthletics.com.
IN THE NATIONAL POLLS
Texas A&M moved up one spot to No. 20 in the latest Associated Press Top 25 Poll released on Monday and one spot to No. 18 in the latest USA TODAY/ESPN Coaches Top 25 Poll released on Tuesday. The Aggies have appeared a program-best 36-straight weeks in the Coaches Poll since the 2005-06 season. At least five Big 12 teams have been ranked in the AP Poll the last 12 weeks and 11-of-12 teams have either been ranked or received votes in 2007-08.
ASSOCIATED PRESS TOP 25 POLL
1. Connecticut (26-1)
2. North Carolina (25-2)
3. Tennessee (25-2)
4. Rutgers (22-4)
5. Maryland (28-2)
6. LSU (23-3)
7. Stanford (25-3)
8. Baylor (23-3)
9. California (23-4)
10. Oklahoma (20-5)
11. Old Dominion (24-3)
12. Duke (21-7)
13. West Virginia (22-4)
14. Notre Dame (21-6)
15. George Washington (22-5)
16. Utah (23-3)
17. Oklahoma State (21-5)
18. Ohio State (20-6)
19. UTEP (23-2)
20. Texas A&M (20-7)
21. Kansas State (18-8)
22. Georgia (20-7)
23. Vanderbilt (20-7)
24. Wyoming (22-4)
25. Marist (26-2)
USA TODAY/ESPN COACHES TOP 25 POLL
1. Connecticut (27-1)
2. North Carolina (26-2)
3. Tennessee (25-2)
4. Rutgers (22-4)
5. Maryland (28-2)
6. LSU (23-4)
7. Stanford (25-3)
8. Baylor (23-3)
9. California (23-4)
10. Oklahoma (20-5)
11. Old Dominion (24-3)
11. Duke (21-7)
13. West Virginia (22-4)
14. Notre Dame (21-6)
15. George Washington (22-5)
15. Utah (23-3)
17. Kansas State (18-8)
18. Texas A&M (20-7)
19. Oklahoma State (21-5)
20. Georgia (20-7)
21. Marist (26-2)
22. Ohio State (20-7)
23. UTEP (23-2)
24. Vanderbilt (20-7)
25. Wyoming (22-4)