March 13, 2008
For the fourth time in postseason play and the second year in a row, the fourth-seeded and 11th-ranked Texas A&M women?â„¢s basketball team (24-7) will face eighth-seeded Iowa State (20-11) in the semifinals of the 2008 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship on Thursday, March 13 at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City. Opening tip between the Aggies and Cyclones is set for 6 p.m. as the game will be televised live on Fox Sports Net. A&M will have its hands full with a traditionally tournament savvy ISU squad who has now upset two top-seeded teams in back-to-back years. The red-hot Aggies have won a league-best seven straight and 11 of its last 12 which is identical to an 11-of-12 winning stretch after beating eighth-seeded Colorado (62-45) in last year?â„¢s Big 12 quarterfinals in Oklahoma City prior to falling to the fifth-seeded Cyclones in the semis (57-51). The winner will guarantee their spot in the championship game to be held on Saturday, March 15 at 6 p.m. The Aggies are vying for their first-ever trip to the title game and looking to live up to the expectations set before them as the preseason favorite to win their second-consecutive league title prior to the 2007-08 season by the Big 12 coaches. Perhaps, this time around, it will be in the form of the league?â„¢s tournament title and automatic bid to the upcoming NCAA Division I Women?â„¢s Basketball Championship which they should be a lock for. Advancement in the postseason conference tournament will only help build A&M?â„¢s resume when it comes to seeding and regional placing. The Aggies advanced to the semifinals for the second-straight year with a 26-point rout of 12th-seeded and tournament Cinderella Missouri, 65-39, in quarterfinal action Wednesday.
A LITTLE SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY
A&M is one of two top seeds remaining among the Big 12 Championship field next to third-seeded Oklahoma State (24-6). Big 12 South schools account for three of the four teams left standing. It has been two tournament days filled with upsets as the No. 1, No. 2, No. 5 and No. 6 seeds all got knocked off by lower seeds. Iowa State advanced to the semifinals with a 66-65 overtime victory over top-seeded and Big 12 regular-season champion Kansas State (21-9), while seventh-seeded Texas (21-11) upset second-seeded Baylor (24-6) in a 76-61 stunner. Both ISU and UT were NCAA Tournament bubble teams heading into postseason play and have played with a sense of urgency and ?must-win? mentality. In fact, only one team in Big 12 history, Missouri in 2004, has received an at-large bid with a 7-9 league mark. The Cyclones and Longhorns both posted 7-9 records in the regular season to tie for seventh place, but with two tournament victories, have boosted their overall records over the 20-win threshold complimented by solid RPIs.
ON THE UP AND UP
Texas A&M claimed its fourth all-time win in the Big 12 Tournament and is now 4-11 since the inaugural tournament in 1997. The Aggies may have the fewest wins among all 12 schools in postseason play, but are on the up and up having received one of four top seeds and first-round byes in each of the last three years. A&M has beaten the No. 6, No. 7, No. 8 and No. 12 seeds all-time in the tournament with victories over sixth-seeded Nebraska in the quarterfinals in 2005 and seventh-seeded Texas in the first round in 1998. Historically, the No. 4 seed has gone 0-5 in the semifinals and never reached the championship game in 11 all-time tourneys. Only the No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, No. 5 and No. 6 seeds have moved on to the finals. Either way, the fourth-seeded Aggies or eighth-seeded Cyclones will rewrite Big 12 history with the winner earning the first spot in Saturday?â„¢s championship game.
DOUBLE DOSE OF AGGIE BASKETBALL
Ironically, the Texas A&M men?â„¢s and women?â„¢s basketball teams will go head-to-head with the Iowa State men?â„¢s and women?â„¢s basketball teams in their respective tournaments on Thursday night in Kansas City. With the close proximity between Municipal Auditorium and the new Sprint Center, there should be plenty of Maroon and White in the stands to catch the women?â„¢s semifinal game at 6 p.m. and the men?â„¢s first-round game later at 8:30 p.m. A&M and ISU are the only two league schools to have both their men?â„¢s and women?â„¢s teams playing each other on the same day.
MORE AIRTIME
For a school-record 11th time this season, Texas A&M will appear on television as the Big 12 Championship semifinals will be broadcast live on Fox Sports Net. The Aggies are 7-3 when playing on the tube this season and have won their last five nationally-televised contests on ESPN2 and FSN. Kevin Eschenfelder (play-by-play), Debbie Antonelli (color analyst) and Brenda VanLengen (sideline) will call A&M?â„¢s semifinal game live from Municipal Auditorium on FSN Midwest, FSN Rocky Mountain, FSN Southwest and SportSouth. Check your local listings. Delayed broadcasts can also be seen on FSN Arizona (11 a.m.), FSN Bay Area (12 p.m.), FSN Northwest (2 a.m.), FSN Pittsburgh (2 a.m.), FSN South (12 p.m.) and Comcast Chicago (1 a.m.).
THE 4-1-1 ON THE CYCLONES
Iowa State?â„¢s Big 12 Tournament resume is rather impressive and is always a squad that most teams fear to match up against in postseason play. The Cyclones have played in the most games (29) with the most wins (20) of any Big 12 school since the league?â„¢s inaugural tournament in 1997. They have won a league-leading 69 percent of their games and are only trailed by Oklahoma?â„¢s 68 percent. Over the course of two games in the tournament, ISU has made a combined 26 three-pointers on 15-of-24 shooting from long range by junior guard Heather Ezell. She is hitting the three on a 62.5 percent clip and averaging a team-leading 25.5 points per game in the tourney which is 15 more than her season scoring average of 10.5 ppg. Iowa State has annually been known for its deadly three-point accuracy and currently leads the league in three-pointers made (243). The Cyclones have won four of their last five and are 3-8 this season against the top 25 with upsets of then-No. 23 ranked Colorado (84-77) on Jan. 13 and then-No. 15 ranked Oklahoma State (62-57) on Feb. 17. Iowa State will play in its 1,000th game in program history against A&M, a milestone the Aggies set against Missouri on Jan. 29.
PROBABLE STARTING LINEUPS
TEXAS A&M
No. Name (2007-08 Stats)
#10 A?â„¢Quonesia Franklin, G, 5-3, Sr. (7.4 ppg, 4.8 apg)
#3 Takia Starks, G, 5-8, Jr. (17.2 ppg, 4.5 rpg)
#55 Danielle Gant, G/F, 5-11, Jr. (15.0 ppg, 7.7 rpg)
#24 Patrice Reado, F, 6-0, Sr. (8.3 ppg, 4.7 rpg)
#12 La Toya Micheaux, C, 6-3, Jr. (3.6 ppg, 5.2 rpg)
IOWA STATE
No. Name (2007-08 Stats)
#4 Alison Lacey, G, 6-0, So. (14.5 ppg, 4.2 apg)
#11 Kelsey Bolte, G, 6-1, Fr. (10.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg)
#15 Heather Ezell, G, 5-9, Jr. (10.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg)
#32 Amanda Nisleit, F, 6-0, Jr. (6.0 ppg, 4.7 rpg)
#44 Jocelyn Anderson, C, 6-4, Jr. (6.7 ppg, 5.4 rpg)
A LOOK INTO THE SERIES
Iowa State leads 13-3 in the all-time series and has won two of the last three meetings between the two schools. Two of the last three contests between the Aggies and Cyclones were decided by seven points or less including last year?â„¢s six-point loss in the Big 12 Semifinals. A&M?â„¢s three all-time victories in the 16-game series have been won at home in College Station in 2008 (60-46), 2006 (64-53) and 2002 (88-71). The Aggies are 0-3 versus ISU in Big 12 Tournament games having met in the 1997 first round, 1998 quarterfinals and 2007 semifinals. A&M has met every league school except for Kansas, Kansas State and Texas Tech in the postseason tournament. The Aggies have faced Baylor (0-2), Colorado (1-0), Iowa State (0-3), Missouri (1-1), Nebraska (1-1), Oklahoma (0-2), Oklahoma State (0-1) and Texas (1-1).
BIG 12 NORTH vs. BIG 12 SOUTH
A&M posted a 4-2 record against Big 12 North opponents this season in comparison to a 7-3 record against the always competitive Big 12 South. The Aggies have faced a North opponent on eight occasions and will for the fourth-straight time in postseason tournament play. Last year, A&M beat Colorado and lost to Iowa State, while they defeated Missouri and will face ISU in this year?â„¢s semifinals. In an interesting side note, the A&M defense held Big 12 North opponents to 58.0 points per game and Big 12 South opponents to 56.6 points per game in regular-season competition. Nebraska was the only A&M opponent to score more than 68 points this season (73).
DID YOU KNOW?
?* Head coach Gary Blair is 3-4 all-time versus Iowa State in his 23 years as a Division I head coach and 2-4 against the Cyclones since his arrival in Aggieland in 2003-04. He is now 3-4 in Big 12 Championship games and has led the Aggies to three of their four all-time wins in the postseason tournament. Ironically, Blair picked up his 500th career victory in a 60-46 win over Iowa State on Feb. 20.
?* Blair holds Kansas City near and dear to his heart as he previously led Arkansas to the 1998 NCAA Final Four held at Kemper Arena. The ninth-seeded Lady Razorbacks upset second-seeded Duke (77-72) in the West Regional, but later lost to the eventual national champion Tennessee in the semifinals. In addition, his wife, Dr. Nan Smith-Blair, completed her Ph.D. studies in 2000 at the University of Kansas School of Nursing in Kansas City. She is currently an associate professor of nursing at the University of Arkansas.
?* Freshman Tyra White returns home to the Kansas City area where she starred at Hickman Hills High School and was named Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of Missouri. White, the second McDonald?â„¢s High School All-American to ever sign with A&M, was tabbed as Big 12 Preseason Freshman of the Year. She was also rated the No. 17 overall prospect in the nation by HoopGurlz.com and the fourth-best shooting guard by the All-Star Girls Basketball Report. A&M practiced at White?â„¢s old high school gym on Tuesday.
?* Once again, 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.
OVERCOMING ADVERSITY
Texas A&M and Iowa State have both turned in successful years despite being bitten by the injury bug this season. The Aggies lost preseason Big 12 Freshman of the Year and Kansas City native Tyra White to a season-ending torn ACL injury in their season opener at SMU on Nov. 9 as did the Cyclones with senior forward Toccara Ross against Minnesota on Dec. 21 and junior combination forward/center Nicky Wieben at Texas in league play on Jan. 16. Texas A&M senior reserve guard LaToya Gulley (Fayetteville, Ark.) also suffered a torn ACL at Nebraska on Jan. 23, while senior Morenike Atunrase (Shreveport, La.) missed the first nine games of the season after recovering from surgery in October to correct a non-healing stress fracture in her right tibia.
24 AND COUNTING ?...
A&M (24-7) is one of three Big 12 schools to reach a league-leading 24 victories this season next to Baylor (24-6) and OSU (24-6). The Aggies are one win away from tying last year?â„¢s 25-win season (25-7) which marked the second-most victories in school history. A&M is two wins away from tying the school-record of 26 set during the 1978-79 campaign. None of the current Aggie players were even born when A&M last notched 26 victories in a single season. Their current 24 wins ties for third-best in the A&M record books next to a 24-9 season in 1974-75.
TEXAS A&M HOLD?â„¢EM
In its last five games, A&M?â„¢s in-your-face defense has held rival Texas (50), Iowa State (46), Baylor (53), Oklahoma (59) and Missouri (39) to either its fewest or second-fewest points of the season. In fact, the Aggies and Cyclones boast the top scoring defenses in the Big 12 which rank among the best in the nation. A&M has limited opponents to a conference-leading 55.2 points per game, while ISU is second at 55.3. The Aggies have held opponents to 52.1 points per game in its current 11-of-12 winning stretch in comparison to 65.6 points per game in their 1-4 Big 12 start. Defensively speaking, A&M also ranks tops in the league in three-point field goal percentage defense (.264) and turnover margin (+5.90).
Last Five Opponents (Points Allowed) and Points Below Scoring Average
Texas (50) - 19.7
Iowa State (46) - 16.1
Baylor (53) - 19.7
Oklahoma (59) - 14.2
Missouri (39) - 19.4
MISSOURI RECAP
Fourth-seeded Texas A&M was too much for 12th-seeded Missouri as the red-hot Aggies rolled past the Tigers, 65-39, in the quarterfinals of the 2008 Phillips 66 Big 12 Women?â„¢s Basketball Championship on March 12 at Municipal Auditorium. Junior Takia Starks led the way with a game-high 18 points and nine rebounds as the Aggies picked up their fourth-straight in the all-time series with Mizzou. Junior La Toya Micheaux scored seven of A&M?â„¢s first 11 points of the game on 3-of-5 shooting from the floor. Micheaux found her niche in the paint as she registered her point tally in a two and a half minute span to give A&M an 11-6 lead with 14:34 to go. She finished with a league season-high 11 points which also marked a career-best in a Big 12 Tournament game for the 6-foot-3 center. Missouri?â„¢s Amanda Hanneman later tied things up 13-13 on two makes from the charity stripe at the 10:54 minute mark. Senior Morenike Atunrase came off the bench and drained a three-pointer with 8:02 left on the clock to give A&M the edge for the remainder of the half. For the game, Atunrase scored nine points on 2-of-3 shooting from long range. The Aggies led 29-22 at halftime. A&M carried its first-half momentum into the second half as it built an 11-point lead on a jumper by Starks and lay-in by junior Danielle Gant, 33-22. Gant turned in nine points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals. Defensively, A&M caused the Tigers to turn over the ball 20 times in the ballgame and held them to their second-fewest points of the season (39). The Aggies held MU without a basket for the first three and a half minutes of the second half with quick back-to-back jumpers by Starks and Gant before the upset-minded Tigers called a timeout to recompose. Hanneman finally ended Missouri?â„¢s scoring drought at the 16:48 minute mark, but it wasn?â„¢t enough to hold off A&M. Just a day removed from becoming the first 12th seed (men?â„¢s or women?â„¢s) to advance in tournament history, MU shot only 34.1 percent from the floor against the Aggies and had one player in double figures with an 11-point effort from leading scorer Alyssa Hollins.
POSTGAME NOTES
?* A?â„¢Quonesia Franklin dished out four assists with two turnovers to record her 600th career assist to become only the third player in school history and seventh player in league history to do so. She moved into sixth all-time among Big 12 career assists leaders with 603 career assists to date.
?* A&M turned over the ball only 10 times against Missouri, while the Tigers (20) became the 21st opponent this season to commit 20-or-more turnovers in a ballgame. The Aggies have made 10 turnovers or less in five contests this year including a school-record four against Iowa State on Feb. 20.
?* La Toya Micheaux scored nine of her season league-best 11 points in the first half alone. It marked a career-best point total for Micheaux in a Big 12 Tournament game which bettered her previous career-high of four points versus Nebraska in the quarterfinals of the 2006 Tournament as a freshman. It was also her first double-digit game since scoring 11 against New Orleans on Dec. 9.
?* Takia Starks brought down five of the team?â„¢s 17 first-half rebounds. She ended the night with a game-high 18 points and game-high nine rebounds. It tied her second-best rebound total of the season. Starks has scored in double figures in 30-of-31 contests played this season.
?* The Aggies turned in its fourth-highest field-goal percentage of the season shooting 47.3 percent (26-of-55) versus the Tigers.
?* A&M?â„¢s 26-point margin of victory was the largest all-time in a Big 12 Tournament game and largest over Mizzou in the all-time series. The Aggies previously defeated rival Texas in the first round of the 1998 Tournament by 24 points (98-74).
?* For the fifth-straight game, the A&M defense held their opponent to either their fewest or second fewest points of the season. The Aggies held Mizzou to just 39 total points which was its second fewest behind 37 total points at Texas on Jan. 26.
?* Texas A&M head coach Gary Blair claimed his first-ever victory in Kansas City as his 1998 Arkansas squad lost in the national semifinals to eventual champion Tennessee at the NCAA Final Four held at Kemper Arena. Blair and his 2005 A&M squad also lost to seventh-seeded Oklahoma in the first round of the 2005 Championship at Municipal Auditorium.
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 Municipal Auditorium alongside Katy Pounds on KZNE 1150 AM. A live audio feed will also be available on www.AggieAthletics.com.