Texas A&M
Houston Jaguars
Aggies Limit Houston Jaguars To Low-Scoring Second Half In 86-43 Exhibition Victory
Nov 07, 2008 | Women's Basketball
Nov. 7, 2008
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Five players scored in doubles figures to lead the No. 10-ranked Texas A&M women's basketball team to an 86-43 exhibition victory over the Houston Jaguars Friday night before a crowd of 2,787 fans at Reed Arena.
Freshman Danielle Gant (Oklahoma City, Okla.) and preseason Big 12 Conference Freshman of the Year Tyra White (Kansas City, Mo.) added 12 apiece.
Rounding out the double-figure scorers was senior All-America candidate Takia Starks (Houston, Texas) with 11 points and preseason Big 12 Conference Newcomer of the Year Tanisha Smith (Kansas City, Mo.) with 10.
After a steady first half with A&M shooting 52.9 percent (18-of-34) from the floor, the Aggies turned their focus on their signature defense and limited the Houston Jaguars to just 17 second-half points and 23.1 percent shooting. It was the first time in eight games that the Jaguars were held to under 60 points against a Division I opponent. UT Arlington previously held them to 60 points on Nov. 4.
A&M took care of the glass throughout the ballgame with all but one of the 14 players on the active roster contributing to the team's 58 total rebounds. Junior Damitria Buchanan (Houston, Texas) and senior La Toya Micheaux (Missouri City, Texas) led the way in the paint with a game-high seven boards each.
Former A&M player Tamea "Tweety" Scales (2003-06) turned in a team-high 11 points and five rebounds for the visiting Jaguars, while former player Brandy Jones (1998-00) followed behind with six points.
The Aggies will officially commence the 2008-09 season by hosting Mercer in their home opener on Friday, Nov. 14 at Reed Arena. Tipoff between the Aggies and Bears is scheduled for 8 p.m. Fans can purchase tickets by calling The 12th Man Foundation Ticket Center at: 979-845-2311 or 1-888-99-AGGIE.
POSTGAME NOTES
• Texas A&M used the starting lineup of Danielle Gant, Tanisha Smith, Damitria Buchanan.
• Smith, a junior, made her unofficial career start in an Aggie uniform as well as Elonu, a freshman, against the Jaguars. Smith and Elonu combined for 23 of the team's 86 total points in the ballgame.
• The win improved A&M to an undefeated 3-0 in the series versus the Houston Jaguars which first began during the 2001-02 exhibition season.
• The Aggies, who annually rank among the top 15 teams in the nation in scoring defense, held the Houston Jaguars to a season-low 43 points. In seven exhibition games prior to facing A&M, the Jaguars' previous low was 60 points versus UT Arlington on Nov. 4. Baylor allowed 70 points on Nov. 3 and Arizona State 61 points on Nov. 5.
• A&M's 58 total rebounds for the game was more than the team's season-high total of 49 against New Orleans during the 2007-08 NCAA Elite Eight campaign.
POSTGAME QUOTES
Houston Jaguars and Former A&M Player Tamea "Tweety" Scales
On her former teammates and coming back to play at Texas A&M ...
"It always feels great to come back and play. For an exhibition game, the crowd really came out tonight to support the team. It has been exciting to see my former teammates and the program grow, especially last year with the Elite Eight. This season, with the new players and getting the freshmen into the flow of things, the team is going to come out on top again and take that next step forward. Every year, they get closer and closer (to a national championship)."
Texas A&M Head Coach Gary Blair
On the exhibition game ...
"Our kids were unselfish with the basketball tonight, but I was not happy with our 24 turnovers. The difference in the ballgame was our board production. You can see the depth we have on our team and the options that we have this year."
On former players Tamea Scales and Brandy Jones coming back to Aggieland ...
"It was beautiful. I was not aware that they were both going to play tonight, but they were able to sign-up for the weekend games. Brandy (Jones) is a middle school coach and Tweety (Scales) is attending fashion school in Los Angeles. They are both classy young ladies. It is great to see two graduates come back and enjoy themselves while playing back home in Aggieland."
On the Houston Jaguars and the crowd ...
"This was the type of competition we needed, to get ready for the season. We did not play as well as we did in our closed scrimmage against North Texas. This was more of a wide-open ballgame and there were a lot of chances for both teams to score in transition. I was very pleased with the crowd. They were excited, particularly seeing our new kids on the block out there."
Texas A&M Senior Forward/Guard Danielle Gant
On the feeling of the first game of the season and the crowd ...
"Tonight was a great experience for not only us seniors, but for our freshmen, too. When we came out tonight, they did not look like freshmen at all out there. They had great chemistry on defense and the offense played together on every play. It was very exciting to come out of the lockerroom and see all of the fans in the crowd. It was such a great feeling to play out there tonight."
On learning from tonight's mistakes and looking forward to the Mercer game ...
"We have to take care of the ball. Like Coach Blair said, we had a lot of turnovers tonight. That is the first thing we will work on in practice tomorrow. We will also work on our defense and what to do after we score. We need to be a little more patient and reduce the turnovers."
