March 14, 2008
Who would have thought in mid-January that the 11th-ranked Texas A&M women?â„¢s basketball team (25-7) would bounce back from a 1-4 start to the Big 12 Conference season to having a chance at their first-ever league tournament title two months later? Fast forward to the month of March where the Aggies are an undefeated 4-0 and have won 12 of their last 13. When people had counted them out, A&M found a way to win and went back to the fundamentals. Now, the fourth-seeded Aggies are primed for their date in the Big 12 championship game with third-seeded and No. 17-ranked Oklahoma State (25-6) on Saturday, March 15 at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City. Both teams will vie for a trophy and the league?â„¢s automatic bid to the 2008 NCAA Division I Women?â„¢s Basketball Championship at 6 p.m. The Aggies and Cowgirls have made the biggest turnarounds in the league over the last couple of years and have emerged from underdog to V.I.P. status in the nation?â„¢s top conference with eight teams looking to dance in March. Both programs are making their first appearance in the league?â„¢s title tilt. In their current conference-leading eight-game stretch, the Aggies have upped their defense to stun some of the nation?â„¢s and league?â„¢s top teams to keep their dream alive of winning a conference championship as the league coaches had predicted for the preseason favorites. They have dominated the competition since their four setbacks in January by beating opponents by an average margin of 12.3 points and holding them to just 52.2 points per game. A&M advanced to the finals with a 12-point win over eighth-seeded Iowa State, 65-53, in semifinal action Thursday.
IN UNFAMILIAR TERRITORY
A&M became the first No. 4 seed in tournament history to reach Saturday?â„¢s championship game, while Oklahoma State became the sixth No. 3 seed to do so. Both schools should be a lock for the NCAA Tournament which is just around the corner. Historically, the Aggies (5) and Cowgirls (8) have won the fewest games and played in the fewest games next to Missouri (6) in the 12-year history of the postseason conference tournament. They are both stepping into unfamiliar territory although A&M did win the final Southwest Conference tournament title in 1996 with an upset of seventh-ranked Texas Tech (72-68) in the finals, prior to the formation of the Big 12. Two Big 12 South schools have now reached the Big 12 championship game on five occasions and in five of the last seven years. Saturday?â„¢s tilt will mark the first No. 3 versus No. 4 meeting. Only two No. 3 seeds have ever won the title ?- Colorado in the inaugural 1997 Tournament and Iowa State in the 2001 Tournament. Ironically, the Buffaloes and Cyclones both won it all in Kansas City. A&M had never won a Big 12 Tournament game in KC prior to its current 2-0 record in this year?â„¢s postseason tournament.
WE?â„¢RE MOVIN?â„¢ ON UP
Texas A&M has become a mainstay in the upper echelon of the Big 12 over the last three years. They have turned in three-straight 10-win seasons in conference play, received three-straight first-round byes and made three-straight semifinal appearances along with their first spot in the championship game on Saturday. A&M also made back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 2006 and 2007. The Aggies are now 5-11 since the inaugural tournament in 1997 and have beaten the No. 6, No. 7, No. 8 (twice) and No. 12 seeds all-time in the tournament with victories over eighth-seeded Colorado in the quarterfinals in 2007, sixth-seeded Nebraska in the quarterfinals in 2005 and seventh-seeded Texas in the first round in 1998. Only four Big 12 South schools have won the Big 12 Tournament title in Kansas City including No. 1 Texas Tech in 1998, No. 1 Texas Tech in 1999, No. 1 Oklahoma in 2002 and No. 1 Baylor in 2005. Municipal Auditorium has hosted eight Big 12 Championships all-time in tournament history.
MAKING ?AIR? WAVES
For a school-record 12th time this season, Texas A&M will appear on television as the Big 12 championship game will be broadcast live on Fox Sports Net. The Aggies are an impressive 8-3 when playing on the tube this season and have won their last six 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 championship game live from Municipal Auditorium on FSN Arizona, FSN Bay Area, FSN Florida, FSN Midwest, FSN Northwest, FSN Ohio, FSN Pittsburgh, FSN Rocky Mountain, FSN South, FSN Southwest and Comcast New England. Check your local listings. Delayed broadcasts can also be seen on FSN Detroit (4 a.m.), FSN North (2 a.m.), FSN Wisconsin (2 a.m.), Comcast Mid-Atlantic (11 p.m.), Comcast Philadelphia (11 p.m.) and SportSouth (5 p.m.).
SCOUTING OKLAHOMA STATE
Oklahoma State is currently on a four-game winning streak having closed out the regular season with victories over Texas Tech (73-54) on Feb. 27 and No. 8 Baylor (72-68) on March 6. Two of its last four games have been decided by four points or less including a close 75-72 victory over seventh-seeded Texas in the Big 12 semifinals on March 13. Leading scorers Andrea Riley (22.8 ppg) and Danielle Green (13.5 ppg) combined for 61 percent of OSU?â„¢s 75 points against the Longhorns with a game-high 23 points apiece. The Cowgirls?â„¢ journey to the championship game included a 20-point rout of 11th-seeded Kansas (82-62) in the quarterfinals on March 12. Riley was named to the All-Big 12 First Team, while starters Green, Maria Cordero and Taylor Hardeman were selected on the honorable mention list. OSU boasts the top scoring offense (76.6) and scoring margin (+16.6) in the league and is averaging 78.5 points per game in tournament play. The Cowgirls are 4-3 against the top 25 this season.
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. (17.1 ppg, 4.5 rpg)
#55 Danielle Gant, G/F, 5-11, Jr. (14.9 ppg, 7.6 rpg)
#24 Patrice Reado, F, 6-0, Sr. (8.4 ppg, 4.7 rpg)
#12 La Toya Micheaux, C, 6-3, Jr. (3.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg)
OKLAHOMA STATE
No. Name (2007-08 Stats)
#10 Andrea Riley, G, 5-5, So. (22.8 ppg, 4.2 apg)
#31 Danielle Green, G, 5-8, Sr. (13.5 ppg, 7.4 rpg)
#13 Taylor Hardeman, G, 5-10, Jr. (7.3 ppg, 2.3 rpg)
#32 Shaunte Smith, F, 6-0, Jr. (9.3 ppg, 8.6 rpg)
#24 Maria Cordero, C, 6-3, Sr. (9.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg)
SERIES NOTES
The annual Texas A&M and Oklahoma State series has led to many memorable last-second finishes over the last four consecutive contests between the two schools. All four meetings have been decided by six points or less including A&M?â„¢s 63-57 victory over OSU in Stillwater on Feb. 27. Both teams split the regular-season series as the Cowgirls defeated the Aggies by three on a last-second three-pointer by Andrea Riley (61-58) with 6.6 seconds remaining in regulation on Jan. 19. OSU leads 20-14 in the all-time series, but A&M has won three of the last four. OSU snapped a seven-game losing skid in the series with a 61-58 win (+3) at A&M on Jan. 19. It was previously A&M?â„¢s longest winning streak against any Big 12 opponent. OSU and A&M have only met once in postseason play (0-1). The eighth-seeded Cowgirls defeated the ninth-seeded Aggies in the first round of the 2002 Tournament in Kansas City, 92-76. A&M has met every league school except for Kansas, Kansas State and Texas Tech in the postseason conference tournament. The Aggies have faced Baylor (0-2), Colorado (1-0), Iowa State (1-3), Missouri (1-1), Nebraska (1-1), Oklahoma (0-2) and Texas (1-1).
LAST FOUR GAMES IN SERIES
Jan. 30, 2007 H W 64-63 (+1)
Feb. 17, 2007 A W 62-60 (+2)
Jan. 19, 2008 H L 61-58 (-3)
Feb. 27, 2008 A W 63-57 (+6)
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 South opponent on seven occasions in Big 12 Tournament play (1-6) and have only beaten rival Texas in the first round (98-74) in the 1998 Tournament. Last year, A&M beat Colorado and lost to Iowa State, while they defeated Missouri in this year?â„¢s quarterfinals and ISU in the semis. 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?
?* Texas A&M head coach Gary Blair is 15-6 all-time versus Oklahoma State in his 23 years as a Division I head coach. He is 9-3 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 always plays well against a Sooner State school including Oklahoma State. Last season, she lit OSU up with a pair of double-double performances with 16 points and 15 rebounds versus the Cowgirl in College Station on Jan. 30, 2007 and 14 points and 14 rebounds in Stillwater on Feb. 17, 2007. This year was no different as Gant was short of a double-double with 10 points and eight rebounds in College Station on Jan. 19 and 18 points and nine rebounds in Stillwater on Feb. 27.
?* 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.
JUST A MILESTONE MINUTE
Senior point guard A?â„¢Quonesia Franklin (Tyler, Texas) is two assists away from registering a career-best single-season total in assists. She currently has distributed 154 which ranks third-most among Big 12 statistical leaders this season. Franklin dished out 155 assists during her freshman campaign in 2004-05. She has led the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio in each of her four-years at A&M and currently holds a league-leading 2.14 assist-to-turnover ratio. Meanwhile, senior forward Patrice Reado (Houston, Texas) is four points shy of her 900th career point with 896 to date. Senior Morenike Atunrase (Shreveport, La.) is nine blocks away from moving into fifth all-time in the Big 12 record books with 173 career blocked shots to date and is the school?â„¢s all-time leader in the category. Atunrase and her teammates have combined for a total of 140 blocks for the season which ranks third-most in a single season in the A&M annals.
AGAINST THE TOP 25
A&M will face its 10th nationally-ranked opponent this season and is 5-4 against the top 25 with victories over then-No. 14 Auburn on Dec. 15, then-No. 25 Colorado on Jan. 16, then-No. 17 Oklahoma State on Feb. 27, No. Baylor on March 1 and No. 10 Oklahoma on March 6. The Aggies are an even 11-11 in all-time meetings where both teams are ranked in the national polls. Both A&M and OSU own a pair of top 10 wins against Big 12 South foes in Oklahoma and Baylor.
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 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
2007-08 Big 12 Finish: Tied For Third (11-5)
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: 11 (AP), 12 (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
2007-08 Big 12 Finish: Tied For Third (11-5)
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), 17 (Coaches)
Highest National Ranking: No. 14 (Jan. 21, 2008)
Homegrown Players From The State Of Oklahoma: 6
SHOOTING STARS
Three of the league?â„¢s top 10 scorers will be on hand in Saturday?â„¢s championship game including Texas A&M?â„¢s Takia Starks (4th, 17.2 ppg) and Danielle Gant (10th, 14.9) along with Oklahoma State?â„¢s Andrea Riley (1st, 22.8). Starks and Gant account for 47 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. Starks ranked 55th nationally in scoring, while Gant ranked 38th in field-goal percentage (52.6) as of March 9. Starks is averaging a team-leading 16.5 points per game in tournament play.
25 AND COUNTING ?...
A&M (25-7) is one of two Big 12 schools to reach a league-leading 25 victories this season next to OSU (25-6). The Aggies have matched last year?â„¢s 25-win season (25-7) which ties as the second-most victories in school history. A&M is one win away from tying the school-record of 26 set during the 1978-79 campaign (26-18). None of the current Aggie players were even born when A&M last notched 26 victories in a single season. Their 32 overall games played this season ties for the third-most in school history.
IOWA STATE RECAP
After being the underdog for the first nine years of existence of the Big 12 Conference, the fourth-seeded and No. 11-ranked Texas A&M women?â„¢s basketball team continued to reach new heights with its first-ever appearance in the Big 12 championship game with a 65-53 semifinal victory over eighth-seeded Iowa State on March 13 at Municipal Auditorium. A&M became the first No. 4 seed in league history to advance to the championship game. A&M started things off with intense pressure on Iowa State (20-12) which caused the Cyclones to be called for a five-second call. With the game becoming physical in the opening minutes of the game, a technical foul was called on Iowa State head coach Bill Fennelly at the 17:20 minute mark after a quick 5-0 run by the Aggies. Junior Danielle Gant converted both free throw attempts to keep the momentum going. Gant finished the night with 10 points and six rebounds. Jocelyn Anderson hit Iowa State?â„¢s first basket with under 17 minutes to go in the half, but A&M?â„¢s defense caused six turnovers by the Cyclones in the first eight minutes of play which created several offensive opportunities. Senior A?â„¢Quonesia Franklin drained two big three-pointers to increase the lead to 10-2. Franklin played flawless at the point as the Aggies had zero miscues in their early first-half stretch. For the game, she turned in eight points along with five assists with no turnovers. Senior Morenike Atunrase came off the bench and immediately drained a three-pointer with 14:05 remaining in the half to push the lead out to 17-4. She scored a game-high 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the floor and 4-of-6 makes from the charity stripe. A&M played Iowa State?â„¢s game from the perimeter going 6-of-16 in the contest. The Aggies who rank tops in the Big 12 in three-point field-goal percentage defense (26.2) held the hot-shooting Cyclones to just 23.1 percent from long range (6-of-26) after they went 44.1 percent for the tournament. Fouls plagued both squad?â„¢s top go-to players with A&M?â„¢s Gant, Franklin, Atunrase, junior La Toya Micheaux and senior Patrice Reado with three or more fouls apiece. Iowa State was in the same position with Alison Lacey and Heather Ezell both called with four. Lacey led the Cyclones with a team-high 15 points. A&M led by 12 points at halftime, 37-25. The Cyclones got within 10 points on back-to-back buckets by Anderson to start the second half on a 4-0 run. A three-pointer by Ezell at the 16:54 minute mark cut the lead to 39-32. The Cyclones went 11-of-15 from the free throw line in the second half to stay in the game. They would not get any closer as the Aggies prevailed with their fourth-ever win over the Cyclones. ISU never led in the ballgame.
POSTGAME NOTES
?* Senior Morenike Atunrase came off the bench and scored 10 of her game-high 19 points in the first half of play and shot 7-of-11 from the floor for the game. It marked her third time to score in double figures in the last four contests. Her 19 points was two shy of her career-best in a Big 12 Tournament game (21 points versus Nebraska in the 2006 quarterfinals).
?* With the win, A&M matched its 25-7 overall record a year ago which tied for the second-most victories (25) in school history. The Aggies are one win away from tying a school-record for most wins in a season (26).
?* A?â„¢Quonesia Franklin dished out five assists with zero turnovers to move into fifth all-time among Big 12 career assists leaders with 608 to date. She surpassed Oklahoma?â„¢s Dionnah Jackson (606) and joined former player Toccara Williams (724) on the elite list. A&M is now the only Big 12 school to have two players ranked among the top five all-time career leaders in assists in the conference record books. Franklin turned in her fifth game of the season with zero turnovers.
?* The Aggies made six three-pointers versus the Cyclones which tied as the second-most this season in a single game.
?* A&M went 43.3 percent from the floor to mark their 21st game this season to shoot better then 40 percent.
?* Takia Starks registered 15 points and has now scored in double figures in 30 of 31 games this season. She is averaging a team-leading 17.1 points per game.
?* The Aggies picked up only their fifth all-time Big 12 Tournament win. They have now won two-straight in the all-time series with Iowa State and claimed only their fourth all-time win against the Cyclones in 17 tries.
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.