Season Of Destiny Continues For Second-Seeded Texas A&M With Oklahoma City Regional Ahead

March 28, 2008

With three more spots left to be penciled into its dance card, the second-seeded Texas A&M women?™s basketball team (28-7) has been courted by destiny and there?™s no stopping the Aggies. Has the belle of the ball finally arrived among the nation?™s elite? It?™s been 14 years since the Sweet 16-bound Aggies last appeared in the regional semifinals with the program?™s first-ever Elite Eight appearance within reach. Third-seeded and tournament-tested Duke (25-9) could stand in the way of A&M?™s coming out party as one of the two ballclubs will have to settle for the last dance of the night on Sunday, March 30 at the Ford Center. The Aggies and Blue Devils will two-step before a national audience in the first semifinal game of the Oklahoma City Regional with tipoff scheduled for 6 p.m. (CT) on ESPN2. The Aggies have paid their four-year membership dues and are now in the company of the ?been-there, done-that? programs that have made household names for themselves over the years. A&M continues to make a deep run in March winning 15 of its last 16 which is somewhat of an encore performance to compliment its record-breaking season. The eighth-ranked Aggies have won a program-best 11-straight contests doing quite a dance number on UTSA (91-52) and Hartford (63-39) in the NCAA First and Second Rounds in Baton Rouge, La., last weekend. They will be in the presence of three programs who have either won a national championship or have appeared in the national championship game over the last seven years in top-seeded Tennessee (32-2), fifth-seeded Notre Dame (25-8) and Duke. The winner of the first regional semifinal game will face either the Lady Vols or Fighting Irish in the regional finals on Tuesday, April 1 at a time to be determined by ESPN.

THEN THERE WERE TWO ?...

After a record-setting 8-0 start in first-round action of the tournament, the Big 12 Conference is now strongly represented in the Sweet 16 by Texas A&M and Oklahoma State who both appeared in the Big 12 Tournament championship game on March 15. The Aggies were crowned as conference champions for the second-straight year with a regular-season title in 2007 along with its first-ever postseason title in league history in 2008. Fittingly enough, the two former league wallflowers have blossomed into annual national and conference contenders and have now replaced their glass slippers with fancy Manolo Blahnik?™s or Jimmy Choo?™s to dance in. The third-seeded Cowgirls will dosey, doe with second-seeded LSU in the semifinals of the New Orleans Regional beginning on Saturday. A&M and OSU are both making their second all-time Sweet 16 appearance next to 1994 and 1991 respectively. Historically, three Big 12-member schools have gone on to win a national championship title (Texas in 1986, Texas Tech in 1993 and Baylor in 2005) and three have reached the Final Four (Oklahoma in 2002, Texas in 2003 and Baylor in 2005) since the league?™s formation in 1996-97.

DANCING WITH THE STARS

The Oklahoma City Regional not only boasts the third-ranked Lady Vols but a slew of top 25 dance partners in No. 9 Duke and No. 15 Notre Dame. The three schools have combined for eight national championships in 57 all-time NCAA Tournament appearances. Tennessee (6) and Duke (3) have reached the Final Four on several occasions since 2000. All four teams feature players who were on numerous awards lists throughout the season including Texas A&M?™s Takia Starks and Danielle Gant who were named regional finalists for the prestigious State Farm All-America Team. Both were All-Big 12 First Team performers this season as Starks moved on to the final All-America ballot and is averaging a team-leading 16.5 points per game. She was voted as Big 12 Tournament Most Outstanding Player and is a member of one of the most experienced backcourts in the nation. They may be dancing with the stars, but don?™t count the Aggies out of the mix. As Texas A&M head coach Gary Blair puts it, ?we want to get to that next level, but we?™re in this thing to win now.?

TEXAS A&M IN NCAA TOURNAMENT PLAY

The Aggies are making their fifth all-time NCAA Tournament appearance next to 2007 (NCAA Second Round), 2006 (NCAA First Round), 1996 (NCAA First Round) and 1994 (NCAA Sweet 16). The Big 12 Tournament champions are now 5-4 in postseason play and earned an automatic bid for the second time in school history next to winning the final Southwest Conference Tournament title in 1996. A&M?™s No. 2 seed is its highest to date and eclipsed a previous program-best No. 4 seed in last year?™s Dallas Regional. Historically, six No. 2 seeds have gone on to win a national championship including Tennessee in 1987, Louisiana Tech in 1988, Texas Tech in 1993, Connecticut in 2004, Baylor in 2005 and Maryland in 2006. The Aggies have tasted the Sweet 16 once before as former women?™s basketball head coach Lynn Hickey led A&M to its first regional semifinal appearance in 1994. The Aggies became the first No. 13 seed in NCAA Tournament history to advance past the first and second rounds. They eventually lost to top-seeded Purdue (82-56) in the regional semifinals on March 24, 1994 in Palo Alto, Calif. The 1994 A&M squad, 2005 Liberty squad and 2007 Marist squad remain the only three Cinderella teams in tournament history to reach the regional semifinals as a No. 13 seed. Since the first 1982 NCAA Championship, both programs still remain the lowest-seeded teams to ever advance past the second round.

GAINING NATIONAL EXPOSURE

Texas A&M can?™t get enough of the camera and vice versa. For a school-record 15th time this season, the Aggies will appear on national television as all 63 games of the 2008 NCAA Division I Women?™s Basketball Championship will be aired exclusively on the ESPN Networks. The Aggies are getting used to gaining national exposure as they are 11-3 when playing on the tube this season and have won their last nine nationally-televised contests on either ESPN2 or FSN. A&M will make its 10th all-time appearance on ESPN and its sister network ESPN2 on Sunday. Pam Ward (play-by-play), Basketball Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman (color analyst) and Holly Rowe (sideline reporter) will call A&M?™s regional semifinal game live on ESPN2. Check your local listings. Call them a pair of lucky charms, the Aggies have won 11-straight since Ward and Lieberman last called A&M?™s ?Think Pink? Breast Cancer Awareness game against Texas Tech on Feb. 17 on the deuce.

TRUE BLUE DEVILS

Duke continues to thrive under new coaching leadership and has won four of its last five games including a 74-63 victory over fourth-ranked Maryland in the ACC Tournament semifinals on March 8. The Blue Devils have been one of the most successful programs in the last decade and owns a 39-14 all-time record (73.6%) in NCAA Tournament play which ranks fourth-best in winning percentage behind traditional powers Tennessee (84.0%), Connecticut (81.8%) and Louisiana Tech (73.9%). One native Texan graces the Duke roster in freshman Karima Christmas who is a product of Houston?™s J. Frank Dobie High School and is averaging 4.1 points in 30 games played this season. The Blue Devils currently rank seventh nationally in both blocks per game (6.1) and steals per game (12.8) and have outscored opponents by an average margin of 12.3 points per game. Historically, the Dukies have appeared in the national championship game twice in 1999 (lost to Purdue) and 2006 (lost to Maryland) and will be vying for their eighth all-time trip to the Elite Eight.

TENNESSEE, PARKER AND CO.

Considered the standard in women?™s college basketball, defending national champion Tennessee looks to add more hardware to its stocked-up trophy case which already includes seven prized beauties. The Lady Vols reached their 27th consecutive Sweet 16 appearance by way of a 78-52 second-round rout of ninth-seeded Purdue on March 25 which gave Hall of Fame coach Pat Summitt her 100th NCAA Tournament victory. She became the first coach to do so in either the men?™s and women?™s game. UT boasts the nation?™s fourth-best scoring offense averaging 78.8 points per game and has outscored opponents by a margin of 19.2 points per game. The Lady Vols are one of only three teams in the country with fewer than two losses on the season next to UConn (34-1) and North Carolina (32-2). They are led by two-time All-American Candace Parker who is averaging a team-leading 21.1 points and 8.2 rebounds per game and is best known for being the first woman to dunk in an NCAA Tournament game and the first woman to dunk twice in a college game. She set both milestones as a redshirt freshman on March 19, 2006 and is engaged to former Duke All-American and current NBA player Shelden Williams who hails from Oklahoma City.

THE LUCK OF THE IRISH

Notre Dame advanced to the Sweet 16 with a 79-75 overtime victory over Oklahoma in the second round, which broke the hearts of loyal OU supporters who were looking to root on the hometown Sooners in the Oklahoma City Regional. The Irish also defeated A&M common opponent and Conference USA champion SMU in the first round, 75-62. With the nation?™s eighth-best scoring offense (76.6), they are led by the triple scoring threat of two-time All-Big East first team selection Charel Allen (15.1 ppg), Ashley Barlow (12.1 ppg) and Lindsay Schrader (10.2 ppg). Notre Dame is 2-6 this season against nationally-ranked opponents including victories over No. 21 Syracuse (79-67) and No. 15 Pittsburgh (81-66) in conference regular-season play. The Irish have reached the regional semifinals seven times in the past 12 years under 21st-year head coach Muffet McGraw. Fourteen of their regular-season opponents made the Big Dance including three of the top four seeds of the tournament in UConn, Tennessee and Maryland.

PROBABLE STARTING LINEUPS

TEXAS A&M

No. Name (2007-08 Stats)

#10 A?™Quonesia Franklin, G, 5-3, Sr. (7.7 ppg, 4.7 apg)

#3 Takia Starks, G, 5-8, Jr. (16.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg)

#55 Danielle Gant, G/F, 5-11, Jr. (15.0 ppg, 7.2 rpg)

#24 Patrice Reado, F, 6-0, Sr. (8.1 ppg, 4.7 rpg)

#12 La Toya Micheaux, C, 6-3, Jr. (3.6 ppg, 5.2 rpg)

DUKE

No. Name (2007-08 Stats)

#5 Jasmine Thomas, G, 5-9, Fr. (8.1 ppg, 2.4 apg)

#4 Abby Waner, G, 5-10, Jr. (10.1 ppg, 3.5 rpg)

#23 Wanisha Smith, G, 5-11, Sr. (9.4 ppg, 3.2 rpg)

#21 Joy Cheek, F, 6-1, So. (9.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg)

#11 Chante Black, C/F, 6-5, Jr. (14.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg)

TENNESSEE

No. Name (2007-08 Stats)

#00 Shannon Bobbitt, G, 5-2, Sr. (9.8 ppg, 3.5 apg)

#14 Alexis Hornbuckle, G, 5-11, Sr. (10.2 ppg, 5.6 rpg)

#33 Alberta Auguste, F, 5-11, Sr. (5.2 ppg, 2.6 rpg)

#3 Candace Parker, F/C/G, 6-4, Jr. (21.1 ppg, 8.2 rpg)

#55 Nicky Anosike, C, 6-4, Sr. (8.9 ppg, 7.2 rpg)

NOTRE DAME

No. Name (2007-08 Stats)

#1 Tulyah Gaines, G, 5-7, Sr. (7.1 ppg, 3.8 apg)

#2 Charel Allen, G, 5-11, Sr. (15.1 ppg, 5.6 rpg)

#20 Ashley Barlow, G, 5-9, So. (12.1 ppg, 4.6 rpg)

#24 Lindsay Schrader, G, 6-0, Jr. (10.2 ppg, 6.1 rpg)

#52 Erica Williamson, C, 6-4, So. (6.6 ppg, 4.5 rpg)

INSIDE THE SERIES

Texas A&M leads 1-0 in the all-time series with Duke. Both teams will meet for only the second time in program history, but this time on a neutral floor. Under former Duke head coach Gail Goestenkors, who recently completed her first season at in-state rival Texas, the then No. 16-ranked Blue Devils suffered an 83-73 setback to the Candi-Harvey-coached Aggies on Nov. 17, 1995, in the second round of the Preseason Women?™s National Invitation Tournament. A&M, eight months removed from winning its 1995 NWIT Championship title, hosted Duke at G. Rollie White Coliseum in College Station, Texas. It was Goestenkors?™ fourth year in Durham as she led the Blue Devils to an NCAA Second Round appearance and Harvey?™s second year in Aggieland which resulted in an NCAA First Round appearance. The Aggies are 1-1 versus ACC schools this season with an 81-67 win over NCAA Tournament participant Florida State on Dec. 6 and a 53-46 loss to Wake Forest on Nov. 23.

SERIES HISTORY WITH NOTRE DAME AND TENNESSEE

Aside from Duke, the Aggies also met Notre Dame during the 1995-96 season in the Kona Classic held in Kailua-Kona, Hawai?™i. A&M beat the Irish in an overtime thriller (88-84) on neutral ground on Dec. 3, 1995. Meanwhile, the A&M versus Tennessee series is limited to one prior meeting during the 1997-98 season under former head coach Candi Harvey. The Aggies lost in the semifinals of the Northern Lights Invitational to the top-ranked Lady Vols in Anchorage, Alaska. In fact, the 1997-98 Tennessee squad is considered as one of the greatest teams in women?™s college basketball history as they went 39-0 en route to their third consecutive national championship. UT is still one of only 14 A&M opponents all-time to score more than 100 points in a single game (105-81) against the Aggies. However, A&M?™s 81 points would end up being the most an opponent would score on the Lady Vols during their undefeated run to the national title.

GREAT FINISHES

Gary Blair-led teams have always been involved in great games associated with the likes of Duke. His Lady Razorbacks went 1-2 against the Blue Devils during his time in Fayetteville. Most notably, his 1998 Arkansas squad upset the second-seeded Blue Devils (77-72) in the NCAA West Regional finals to advance to its first-ever Final Four appearance in a classic Cinderella tale. Tabbed as ?Good Morning America?™s Team,? the ninth-seeded Lady Razorbacks remain the lowest-ever seeded team to advance to the Final Four. Arkansas?™ string of upsets was later halted by eventual national champion Tennessee in the national championship semifinals in Kansas City, Mo. Three years later, Blair?™s 2001 Arkansas squad lost to the top-seeded Blue Devils in the second round (75-54) of the NCAA Tournament held in Durham, N.C. Ironically, Notre Dame won the national championship that same season. Blair?™s last meeting with the Blue Devils came in the St. John Division championship game of the 2002 Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Top-ranked Duke prevailed 74-72 as the game was decided in the last seconds of overtime with former Duke All-American Alana Beard sinking two key free throws with 1.1 seconds remaining in regulation.

AGGIE LONGEVITY

March has definitely come in like a lion for A&M. The Aggies are an undefeated 7-0 in the third calendar month. In fact, A&M has won seven or more games in the month of March on one prior occasion during the inaugural 1974-75 season (7-4). The ferocious Aggies will play in its 36th overall game of the year against Duke on March 30 which will be two days later than any other season in 34 years of Aggie Basketball. The inaugural 1974-75 squad played its final game of the season on March 28, while the 1993-94 Sweet 16 squad had its magical run ended on March 24 by top-seeded Purdue. In years past, the Aggies have also celebrated the month by hoisting a NWIT Championship trophy on March 25 during the 1994-95 season. A&M?™s 36-game stretch is the third longest behind a school-record 44 games played during the 1978-79 season and 37 games played in the 1977-78 season. Additionally, A&M is one of only 13 Division I schools that has won 28-or-more games this season next to second-round opponent Hartford (28), Connecticut (34), Tennessee (32), North Carolina (32), Marist (32), Stanford (32), Maryland (32), Old Dominion (31), Chattanooga (29), UTEP (28), Liberty (28) and LSU (29). The Aggies currently rank 18th nationally in win-loss percentage (80.0) with a program-best 28-7 record which marks the most victories in school history.

THE CANDYMAN DELIVERS

Texas A&M head coach Gary Blair, nicknamed the Candyman for his pregame ritual of throwing candy to fans in the stands at home games, continues to deliver sweetness on-and-off-the-court. Blair has now led six teams to the Sweet 16 and still holds the distinction of being one of only four coaches in NCAA women?™s basketball history to take three schools to the NCAA Tournament including Rutgers?™ C. Vivian Stringer, Ohio State?™s Jim Foster and Marianne Stanley who is now an assistant coach at Rutgers after leading Old Dominion to three national championships. He is one of the top 30 all-time winningest active Division I women?™s basketball coaches and has led 14 different teams to a combined 17-13 record in the Big Dance during his illustrious 23-year coaching career which included stops at Stephen F. Austin (1985-93) and Arkansas (1993-03). Blair currently ranks second all-time among A&M women?™s basketball coaches in victories (101) behind former head coach Lynn Hickey (154). He has compiled a 509-220 (.698) career record and became the 36th all-time Division I coach in NCAA women?™s basketball history to reach the milestone. Blair describes himself as a ?late bloomer? as he began his head coaching career just shy of the age of 40 at Stephen F. Austin. In a special video tribute played after his 500th career victory in a 60-46 win over Iowa State on Feb. 20, LSU head coach Van Chancellor said Blair has been ?so good for women?™s basketball? and his ?passion for the game is unbelievable.?

BLAIR?™S NCAA TOURNAMENT RESUME

1: NCAA Final Four Appearances (1998)

6: NCAA Sweet 16 Appearances (1989, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1998, 2008)

14: NCAA Tournament Appearances (17-13)

17: 20-Win Seasons

8: 10-Win Conference Seasons

19: Postseason Appearances

22: Winning Seasons In 23 Years

THREE DIFFERENT SCHOOLS IN NCAAs

*Gary Blair (Stephen F. Austin, Arkansas, Texas A&M)

*C. Vivian Stringer (Cheyney State, Iowa, Rutgers)

*Jim Foster (Saint Joseph?™s, Vanderbilt, Ohio State)

Marianne Stanley (Old Dominion, USC, Stanford)

*denotes current active head coach

THE SHREVEPORT CONNECTION

One of the main storylines of the season was getting Morenike Atunrase back ready and healthy after she underwent surgery in October to correct a non-healing stress fracture in her right tibia (shin bone). A steel rod was placed in her right leg and she missed the first nine games of the season while in recovery. Atunrase, formerly an All-Big 12 First Team performer in 2006 and Big 12 Freshman of the Year in 2005, has been hampered by injuries as a junior (missed five games of the season due to a left foot fracture) and senior. However, she has returned to the Morenike of old and has been hitting on all cylinders ever since, averaging 14.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.3 steals per game over the last nine contests for the Aggies. Atunrase is also knocking down three-pointers at a 41.0 percent clip including a season-high four treys versus Oklahoma State in the Big 12 Championship finals on March 15 and UTSA in the NCAA First Round on March 22. Originally from Shreveport, Louisiana, Atunrase led Southwood High School to two state championships in 2002 and 2003. She attended the same alma mater as former Duke All-American and National Player of the Year Alana Beard. Atunrase wears No. 21 which is one number higher than Beard?™s No. 20 jersey at Southwood HS.

DID YOU KNOW?

?* Head coach Gary Blair is 1-2 all-time versus Duke and 1-11 against Tennessee in his 23 years as a Division I head coach. All of his previous meetings with the Blue Devils and Lady Vols occurred when he served as head coach at Arkansas. He has never faced Notre Dame in his career, but has guided teams to a 10-2 record versus schools hailing from the Big East Conference. His one notch in the win column against Duke came in the 1998 West Regional finals which sent Arkansas to its first and only Final Four. Blair?™s first and only victory against the SEC powerhouse was a 77-75 home win over the sixth-ranked Lady Vols at the Barn on Dec. 29, 1996. It still remains the Arkansas?™ women?™s basketball program?™s only win over UT in 20 tries.

?* Both Texas A&M and Duke were among the eight teams who participated in the 2007 Paradise Jam hosted by Basketball Travelers in the U.S. Virgin Islands over the Thanksgiving holiday break and served as a precursor to this year?™s NCAA Sweet 16 field. The Aggies finished as runner-ups in the St. John Division, while the Blue Devils finished second to UConn in the St. Thomas Division which also included regional semifinalists Stanford and Old Dominion. Texas A&M?™s Takia Starks and Danielle Gant along with Duke?™s Chante Black were named to the all-tournament teams in their respective division.

?* Each of the four No. 1 and No. 2 seeds advanced to the Sweet 16 in this year?™s 64-team field. A&M won two NCAA Tournament games in a row for only the second time in school history next to the 1994 Sweet 16 squad. No. 2 seeds have gone 45-44 lifetime (.506) in the regional semifinals, while the No. 3 seed has gone 31-29 (.517).

CAN I GET THE PLAYER-COACH COMBO?

For the second-straight contest, the Aggies will go up against a team led by a head coach who has played and coached in an NCAA Tournament game. First-year Duke head coach Joanne P. McCallie played at Northwestern from 1984-87 prior to successful heading coaching stints at Maine, Michigan State and now at the Durham, N.C.-based school. She is one of 20 player-coach combos all-time in the NCAA record books. A&M most recently defeated former UConn All-American Jennifer Rizzotti?™s Hartford squad in the second round. The Aggies are 3-1 against teams coached by a player-coach combo next to regular-season meetings with Prairie View A&M led by Cynthia Cooper-Dyke (USC) and Big 12 rival Baylor led by Kim Mulkey (Louisiana Tech).

THE GOLDEN ARCHES OF WOMEN?™S BASKETBALL

Coach Blair was once memorably quoted as saying that he may not have any McDonald?™s High School All-Americans, but he sure did have a lot of Burger Kings on his roster while at Arkansas from 1993-2003. With the emergence of the Texas A&M women?™s basketball program on the national level, the Aggies have signed some of the nation?™s and state?™s top recruits since his arrival in College Station. In fact, the Oklahoma City Regional will feature seven players who starred in the McDonald?™s High School All-American Game last summer in Louisville, Ky. Texas A&M?™s Tyra White, a product of Kansas City?™s Hickman Mills High School, played for the West Team along with Tennessee?™s Vicki Baugh, Tennessee?™s Angie Bjorklund and Notre Dame?™s Devereaux Peters. Meanwhile, the East Team was comprised of Tennessee?™s Kelley Cain, Duke?™s Jasmine Thomas and Duke?™s Krystal Thomas. White, rated the No. 17 overall prospect in the Class of 2007, suffered a season-ending torn ACL injury in four minutes of play at SMU in the team?™s opener on Nov. 9. Fellow McDonald?™s High School All-Americans Peters (Notre Dame) and Cain (UT) were also lost for the season with a torn ACL and knee surgery. White was tabbed as preseason Big 12 Freshman of the Year and showed off her skills with an 18-point outburst against the Chinese National Team in exhibition play six days prior to her injury. A&M?™s incoming freshman class was ranked 12th in the country by the All-Star Girls Basketball Report this past fall.

WNBA DRAFT AHEAD

With the 2008 WNBA Draft just a couple of weeks away, two Aggies are hoping to the fill the roster for one of the 14 league teams. Seniors Morenike Atunrase, a 5-foot-10 combination guard/forward, and A?™Quonesia Franklin, a 5-foot-3 point guard, are listed as potential prospects on www.WNBA.com. Atunrase is the school?™s all-time leader in career blocked shots (174), while Franklin currently ranks 16th nationally with a 2.01 assist-to-turnover ratio. Former player Toccara Williams (2000-04) was selected in the third round of the 2004 WNBA Draft by the San Antonio Silver Stars and played one season in the league. This year?™s draft will be held in conjunction with the NCAA Women?™s Final Four on Wednesday, April 9 in Tampa, Fla.

DANCE EXPERIENCE

With no previous lessons three years ago, A&M now has the postseason experience to back up its Big Dance moves. The sky?™s the limit as five current Aggies, including four of the starting five, have played in five all-time NCAA Tournament games which is the most by any A&M player in program history. A?™Quonesia Franklin, Patrice Reado, Takia Starks and La Toya Micheaux are 5-of-5 in career starts in NCAA Tournament games played in 2006 (1), 2007 (2) and now 2008 (2). Morenike Atunrase is the fifth player among the Fab Five who has played in a school-record five NCAA Tournament games, while Danielle Gant has played in four all-time tourney games. Gant is averaging a team-leading 19.5 points in this year?™s NCAA run followed by Atunrase (16.0 ppg) and Starks (10.0 ppg). Micheaux has also brought down a team-best 4.5 rebounds per game through two games played.

THE BEST TEAM EVER ASSEMBLED?

Seniors Morenike Atunrase, A?™Quonesia Franklin, Patrice Reado, Katy Pounds and LaToya Gulley will be making every game and moment count in postseason play. Franklin and Reado make up the starting five, while the duo and Atunrase are among the team?™s top five leading scorers. As members of Coach Blair and his staff?™s first recruiting class at A&M, they have laid the foundation for many future Aggies who aspire to achieve the same greatness in years to come. This year?™s senior class has contributed to 92 victories over a four-year span in comparison to just 44 victories in the four-year span (+48) prior to their arrival on campus. Pounds (degenerative knees) and Gulley (torn ACL) both suffered career-ending injuries and will be cheering on their Class of ?'08 teammates from the sidelines of the tourney. The five-member senior class has led A&M to back-to-back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances and back-to-back conference titles. They will finish out their Aggie careers as one of the greatest senior classes of all-time. No other senior class comes close except for the Class of ?™96 who compiled 79 victories, Class of ?™80 (78) and Class of ?™79 (77).

AGGIES KEEP ON ROLLING

A&M?™s current season-best 11-game win streak ties as the longest in school history. Only Tennessee (10-straight), Connecticut (13-straight), North Carolina (15-straight) and Stanford (20-straight) can rival the Aggies?™ hot streak. A&M previously won a school-record 11 straight from Feb. 14 through March 6 during the program?™s inaugural season in 1974-75. In addition, A&M?™s 15-of-16 stretch in a span of two months is the best-ever run in program history.

OKLAHOMA HOMECOMING X2

Oklahoma City native Danielle Gant returns home to the Sooner State for the eighth time of her three-year A&M career including last year?™s Big 12 Championship played over at the Cox Convention Center. This will be her second return trip to the OKC area next to playing at Big 12 rival Oklahoma on Feb. 12. The All-Big 12 First Team selection is second on the team in scoring (15.0 ppg) and tops in rebounding (7.2 rpg). She currently ranks 36th nationally and fifth-best in the league in field goal percentage with a 53.4 shooting accuracy from the floor. Gant scored 18 points and grabbed nine rebounds in her last outing on Oklahoma soil at Oklahoma State on Feb. 27. One of the most versatile players in the Big 12, she also leads the Aggies in blocks (35) and steals (77).

A DEFENSIVE-STATE OF MIND

Texas A&M annually ranks among the top teams in the Big 12 and nation in scoring defense. This season is no different as the Aggies have held opponents to a stingy 54.7 points per game which ranks 13th nationally and tops in the league as of March 25. Historically, A&M has held the opposition to under 58 points in a season in 2007 (53.6), 2006 (57.5) and 1981 (45.8). Led by one of the top defensive minds in the women?™s game in A&M associate head coach Vic Schaefer, the Aggies have held all but one opponent of the season under 68 points. Only Nebraska (73), Oklahoma (68) and Colorado (68) have scored 68 points or more against the Aggie defense. In fact, A&M has held opponents to under 60 points on 25 occasions this season including its last 11. Wichita State fell victim to the Aggies with an opponent season-low 36 points on Nov. 22 as did NCAA second round opponent Hartford with 39 points on March 24.

NCAA DIVISION I TOP 15 LEADERS IN SCORING DEFENSE

1. LSU (50.0)

2. Connecticut (51.1)

3. Rutgers (51.2)

4. Arkansas-Little Rock (52.0)

5. Lehigh (52.9)

6. New Mexico (53.1)

7. Wyoming (53.4)

8. Delaware State (53.4)

9. Hartford (53.9)

10. Utah (54.0)

11. California (54.3)

12. Drexel (54.6)

13. Texas A&M (54.7)

14. Long Island (54.8)

15. Liberty (54.9)

AGGIES ON THE RADIO

All Texas A&M women?™s basketball NCAA Tournament 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 the Ford Center alongside Steve Miller on KZNE 1150 AM. A live audio feed will also be available on www.AggieAthletics.com.