Pepperdine Timeout 4 HIV/AIDS Tourney Up Next For No. 5 Aggies
Nov 27, 2008 | Women's Basketball
Nov. 27, 2008
Penn State Game Notes in PDF Format 
#8/5 TEXAS A&M (4-0) vs. PENN STATE (3-1)
Game #5
November 28, 2008 • 3:00 p.m. (CT)
Firestone Fieldhouse (3,104)
at Malibu, Calif.
Television: None
Radio: Texas A&M Sports Network (KZNE 1150 AM)
Series History: First Meeting
Internet: None
#8/5 TEXAS A&M (4-0) vs. PEPPERDINE (2-2) or COPPIN STATE (0-2)
Game #6
November 29, 2008 • 3:00 or 5:30 p.m. (CT)
Firestone Fieldhouse (3,104)
at Malibu, Calif.
Television: None
Radio: Texas A&M Sports Network (KZNE 1150 AM)
Series History: Texas A&M Leads 2-1 vs. Pepperdine, First Meeting vs. Coppin State
Internet: None
TOURNAMENT PREVIEW
Off to one of its best starts in school history, the undefeated No. 8/5-ranked Texas A&M women's basketball team (4-0) continues a seven-day West Coast road swing by taking part in the four-team Timeout 4 HIV/AIDS Tournament hosted by Pepperdine over the Thanksgiving holiday break on Nov. 28-29 at Firestone Fieldhouse in picturesque Malibu, Calif. The Aggies will take on their second Big Ten Conference opponent of the season in a first-time meeting with Penn State (3-1) on Friday, Nov. 28 at 3 p.m. (CT). A&M will then meet either host Pepperdine (2-2) or Coppin State (0-2) in the consolation or championship game on Saturday, Nov. 29 at 3 or 5:30 p.m. (CT). With one of the nation's top defenses, the Aggies recently held Arizona to a season-low 24.5 percent (12-of-49) and zero percent (0-of-5) shooting from the floor and downtown respectively in a 54-44 win on Nov. 25 in Tucson. The Aggies are three games into a six-game stretch away from the friendly confines of Reed Arena and look to continue their winning ways on the road.
TRACKING THE LADY LIONS
Penn State is looking to rebound from an 80-59 road loss at Pittsburgh on Nov. 24, a team Texas A&M beat 56-50 in the State Farm Tip-Off Classic on Nov. 16. A&M is one of two non-conference opponents ranked among the top 5 in the nation that the Lady Lions will face this season next to a Dec. 14 meeting with No. 1 Connecticut. Led by second-year head coach Coquese Washington, the first female African-American head coach in school history, PSU was on a three-game winning streak prior to its setback at Pitt. They defeated South Carolina (56-42) in their season opener on Nov. 16 followed by victories versus Stony Brook (97-58) on Nov. 19 and Prairie View A&M (80-49) on Nov. 21.
CATCHING UP ON THE WAVES
Pepperdine is 2-2 on the season with two losses against tough Pac-10 competition in UCLA (66-55) on Nov. 18 and USC (69-55) on Nov. 24. The Waves have three players currently averaging double figures in scoring including senior center Miranda Ayim (13.5 ppg), freshman guard Jasmine Jackson (11.5 ppg) and sophomore guard Katie Menton (11.0 ppg). Ayim, an All-West Coast Conference First Team selection, is one of four returning starters from last year's 10-18 squad. The Waves are two years removed from their last NCAA Tournament appearance in 2006, but look to make a return with five newcomers added to the fold under fifth-year head coach Julie Rousseau, who previously coached the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks in 1997 and 1998.
A LOOK AT COPPIN STATE
Coppin State is the only other school in the four-team tournament field to reach the 2008 NCAA Tournament. Last year, the Eagles earned an automatic bid to the field of 64 as the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament champions, but fell in the first round to top-seeded Maryland (80-66). They are still searching for their first win of the season after road losses at South Florida (97-43) on Nov. 23 and George Washington (77-36) on Nov. 17. Coppin State head coach Derek Brown is in his 10th season and led the Eagles to a 22-12 campaign in 2007-08. Senior center Whitney Cunningham, the team's leading rebounder at 8.0 boards per game, was named to the preseason All-MEAC First Team as well as senior teammate Danielle Anders to the All-MEAC Second Team.
PROBABLE STARTING LINEUPS
TEXAS A&M
No. Name (2008-09 Stats)
#51 Sydney Colson, G, 5-8, So. (5.5 ppg, 3.3 apg)
#3 Takia Starks, G, 5-8, Sr. (10.3 ppg, 4.5 rpg)
#55 Danielle Gant, G/F, 5-11, Sr. (12.3 ppg, 8.8 rpg)
#21 Adaora Elonu, F, 6-1, Fr. (7.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg)
#12 La Toya Micheaux, C, 6-3, Sr. (3.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg)
PENN STATE
No. Name (2008-09 Stats)
#3 Brianne O'Rourke, G, 5-6, Sr. (9.5 ppg, 4.3 apg)
#1 Tyra Grant, G, 5-11, Jr. (19.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg)
#23 Meggan Quinn, G, 5-8, Jr. (5.5 ppg, 2.0 rpg)
#11 Julia Trogele, G/F, 6-1, So. (7.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg)
#34 Evelyn Lewis, F, 6-3, So. (5.3 ppg, 4.5 rpg)
PEPPERDINE
No. Name (2008-09 Stats)
#3 Nakeya Isabell, G, 5-4, Sr. (5.8 ppg, 5.5 apg)
#31 Jessica Ross, G, 5-10, Jr. (5.3 ppg, 2.8 rpg)
#11 Taylor Smith, G/F, 5-11, Jr. (2.0 ppg, 0.8 rpg)
#14 Alisha Bryant, F, 6-0, Jr. (3.5 ppg, 1.3 rpg)
#21 Miranda Ayim, F/C, 6-3, So. (13.5 ppg, 6.3 rpg)
COPPIN STATE
No. Name (2008-09 Stats)
#11 Shante Cummings, G, 5-9, So. (5.0 ppg, 2.0 apg)
#30 Danielle Anders, F, 5-11, Sr. (7.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg)
#20 Lakeytah Irving, F, 5-11, Jr. (3.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg)
#32 Jennifer Martin, F, 6-0, Sr. (7.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg)
#34 Whitney Cunningham, C, 6-3, Sr. (3.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg)
SERIES HISTORY
Texas A&M has never faced Penn State or Coppin State in 35 seasons of Aggie Basketball. However, the Aggies lead 2-1 in the all-time series versus Pepperdine having last defeated the Waves, 72-48, in the team's season opener on Nov. 10, 2006, and 74-65 on Dec. 20, 2000, in College Station. Pepperdine's only win in the series was a 101-91 victory on Dec. 8, 1980 in Malibu, Calif.
AGAINST THE BIG TEN
Texas A&M is 6-7 all-time against schools hailing from the 11-member Big Ten Conference including Indiana (1-0), Michigan (2-0), Michigan State (0-1), Minnesota (2-3), Northwestern (0-1), Purdue (0-2) and Wisconsin (1-0). The Aggies are 3-1 versus Big Ten opponents in the Gary Blair Era.
BREAK OUT THE WELCOME MAT
Both Texas A&M and Penn State found success on the recruiting trail this year after signing two of the nation's top 10 recruiting classes in the country in the early signing period. The Aggies' four-member 2009 signing class was ranked as high as No. 4 in the country by Dan Olson's Collegiate Girls Basketball Report and No. 5 by the All-Star Girls Basketball Report, while the Lady Lions' four-member class ranked No. 8 nationally by Blue Star Basketball.
FUN IN THE SUN
This will be the second time in the last three years that the Aggies will spend the Thanksgiving holiday in the Los Angeles area. A&M previously competed in the Loyola Marymount Thanksgiving Classic on Nov. 24-25, 2006. The Aggie women have enjoyed numerous Thanksgiving holiday tournaments in sunny locales including the Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands in 2007, the Hawaiian Airlines Rainbow Wahine Classic in Honolulu, Hawai'i in 2005 and the Junkanoo Jam in the Bahamas in 2003. A&M is 8-4 in Thanksgiving tournaments in the Gary Blair Era (2003-Present).
MR. CLEAN WOULD BE PROUD
A&M did not need Windex to clean the glass against Arizona in its last outing. Behind the glass work of Takia Starks (7), La Toya Micheaux (5), Damitria Buchanan (5) and Adaora Elonu (4), the Aggies turned in a season-high 48 rebounds versus the Wildcats on Nov. 25. Last year, A&M brought down 40-or-more rebounds a game on 14 occasions. The Arizona game marked the third time in the last four contests that the Aggies have surpassed the 40-rebound mark. They are outrebounding opponents by a margin of 6.3 per game.
HIGH SCHOOL MINI-REUNIONS
Texas A&M's Takia Starks, a senior, and Coppin State's Sesalie Johnson, a junior, played together at Houston's Westfield High School under head coach Susan Smith. Both led Westfield High to the state 5A championship title in 2003-04 with Starks playing at shooting guard and Johnson at point guard. One of the top prospects in the state of Texas, Starks garnered state Gatorade Player of the Year honors in 2005. Meanwhile, Texas A&M associate head coach Kelly Bond and Pepperdine sophomore forward Taylor Snider are both alumnae of Whitney Young High School in Chicago which also produced Michelle Obama, wife of current U.S. President-elect Barack Obama.
BLAIR TO BE INDUCTED INTO SFA HALL OF FAME
Texas A&M head coach Gary Blair will be inducted into the Stephen F. Austin Athletics Hall of Fame on Dec. 2 when the Aggies wrap-up their current six-game road slate versus the Ladyjacks in Nacogdoches, Texas. Blair coached SFA to a 210-43 record (.830) from 1985-93 and will be honored at halftime of the contest. Tipoff between A&M and SFA is slated for 7:30 p.m. (CT) at the William R. Johnson Coliseum.
AGGIE SIDEBARS
• During the early signing period, A&M inked its first Californian in nearly two decades. With the emergence of the program on the national scene, more and more out-of-state players have be in-tune to Aggie Basketball. Cierra Windham, a six-foot combination guard/forward out of West Coast powerhouse Norco High School, joins a short list of Aggies hailing from the Golden State including former players Lisa "L.J." Jordon (1986-89) of Ukiah, Calif., Diane DeCree (1989-90) of Pacoima, Calif., and Debbie Lorenzen (1986-88) of Gridley, Calif. Windham, a Corona, Calif., native, was rated the No. 20 overall prospect in the Class of 2009 by Michael White's All-Star Girls Basketball Report. Last year, she averaged 17.4 points per game and set the school single-season record for rebounds with 356 as a junior.
• Texas A&M head coach Gary Blair previously lived in Los Angeles area in the 60's when he was pursuing a career in the restaurant and advertising business. Blair ran a restaurant in Costa Mesa and Culver City after a tour in the U.S. Marine Corps. The restaurant business made him realize he needed to go back and finish school at Texas Tech. Using his G.I. Bill, Blair went on to earn his bachelor's degree in 1972 and later a master's degree in 1974, which eventually propelled his basketball coaching career first in the high school ranks and then on to the college ranks.
• Three distinguished Aggies, Bob Walker '58, Jerry Cox '72 and Jimmy Porter '58, are currently members of Pepperdine University's Board of Regents. Walker and Porter joined the board in 1993 and Cox, past president of the 12th Man Foundation, joined in 1997. Cox holds an honorary doctorate of laws degree from Pepperdine and was recently inducted into the Hall of Honor for his outstanding contributions to Texas A&M Athletics over his lifetime including major contributions and fundraising efforts toward the completion of the new $26 million Cox-McFerrin Center For Aggie Basketball.
ARIZONA RECAP
Texas A&M 54, Arizona 44
• For the first time this season, Texas A&M used the starting lineup of Takia Starks, Danielle Gant, La Toya Micheaux.
• With the victory, A&M evened the all-time series with Arizona to 2-2 and picked up its first-ever victory on the road in Tucson.
• For the third-straight game, Danielle Gant led the Aggies on the boards with 10 of the team's season-high 48 for the game. It marked the second time that A&M boarded more than 40 in a game this season next to 45 versus Mercer in its opener on Nov. 14. Gant registered her 13th career double-double with a game-high 12 points.
• Freshman reserve point guard Sydney Carter (DeSoto, Texas) scored her first career points as an Aggie on a three-pointer at the 9:05 minute mark of the first half. Carter ended the night with six points in just nine minutes of action with a 3-for-4 performance from the charity stripe.
• A&M is off to a 4-0 start for only the sixth time in school history next to the beginning of the 1977-78, 1989-90, 1993-94, 1994-95 and 2006-07 seasons.
• Freshman forward Kelsey Assarian (Naples, Fla.) recorded a career-high five points in a career-high 17 minutes of action versus the Wildcats.
• The Aggies totaled 10 blocked shots against the Wildcats, which marked the first time since making 10 stops versus Kansas on Feb. 3, 2007.
AGGIE NOTABLE QUOTABLES
"Penn State is another team under a new coaching system in second-year head coach Coquese Washington, who was a great player at Notre Dame. She is one of the new, young coaches in the women's game today and is an excellent recruiter. Coquese just signed a top 10 recruiting class nationally and thank heavens they will not be playing against us this year. We expect it to be a great ballgame against the Lady Lions. They have the size and quickness to match up with us well. It will be our first game at the Pepperdine tournament and hopefully, we will be ready. To get ready, we need to win our game at Arizona first and then we will start thinking about Penn State. We are looking forward to competing in the tournament. To be in Malibu on the beach for Thanksgiving is not a bad deal at all and very good scheduling." - Texas A&M Head Coach Gary Blair on Penn State
"The schedule is good and bad for us. The bad part is, I am not able to get our young kids in and get their feet wet. Every possession has been a game in itself. We have to do a better job of trying to work in some of our freshmen to give them more experience before conference play. It is hard to do play everyone when you are on the road and each game has been close. We played well enough to win against Pitt, Michigan and Arizona on the road, because we made the plays down the stretch and that comes with experience with (Takia) Starks and (Danielle) Gant." - Texas A&M Head Coach Gary Blair on the team's tough six-game road schedule
AGGIES ON THE RADIO
All Texas A&M women's basketball games can be heard via a radio broadcast on the Texas A&M Sports Network. First-year play-by-play announcer Mike Wright will call the action live from Firestone Fieldhouse alongside color analyst and former player Katy Pounds on KZNE 1150 AM. A live audio feed will also be available on www.AggieAthletics.com.
