Texas A&M
9-0
Texas State
4-5
Aggie Depth Overpowers Texas State In 94-45 Victory
Dec 13, 2008 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 13, 2008
Texas State Box Score in PDF Format 
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - The depth of No. 3 Texas A&M showed as six players scored in double figures to contribute to the team's 49-point victory over Texas State, 94-45, Saturday night before a season-high crowd of 3,602 at Reed Arena.
The Aggies improved to an undefeated 9-0 start to the season as preseason Big 12 Conference Freshman of the Year Takia Starks (Houston, Texas) and preseason Big 12 Newcomer of the Year Tanisha Smith (Kansas City, Mo.) each added 14 points to the winning cause.
A&M broke out to a 23-2 run and held Texas State to just two points for the first 11 minutes of the contest. Twelve of the Aggies' first 17 points of the game came in the paint behind the post presence of senior center La Toya Micheaux (Missouri City, Texas) who ended the night with her fourth career double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. In the final tally, 58 of A&M's 94 total points was credited to their inside game.
Sophomore point guard Danielle Gant (Oklahoma City, Okla.) was the sixth double-digit scorer for the Aggies with an impressive stat line of 12 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals.
Gabriell Mattox, a transfer from Big 12 rival Texas, led the Bobcats with 16 points, while Kim Cessna had 15 including the team's first nine points of the ballgame. A&M led by as many as 54 with 3:22 left in regulation and tied a Reed Arena record with 59 total rebounds.
Up next, the Aggies will face their second top 25 opponent of the season with a much-anticipated matchup with No. 19/22 TCU on Sunday, Dec. 21 at 1 p.m. (CT) at Reed Arena, prior to taking some time off to celebrate the holidays over the Christmas break.
POSTGAME NOTES
• For the fifth time this year, Texas A&M used the starting five of Takia Starks, La Toya Micheaux (5-0).
• With the win, the Aggies claimed their eight-straight win in the all-time series versus Texas State and now lead 12-2. It also marked their ninth-straight win at Reed Arena and 35th-straight home court victory over a non-conference opponent.
• Six players reached double figures for the first time since Takia Starks, La Toya Micheaux, Morenike Atunrase, Ashlaa Horton and Adrian McGowen did so in a 109-26 blowout of McNeese State on Nov. 21, 2006.
• La Toya Micheaux turned in her fourth career double-double with a season-high 10 points and 11 rebounds. Colson's 11 assists were the most since former A&M standout A'Quonesia Franklin dished out 10 versus Texas on Feb. 9, 2008.
• A&M tied a Reed Arena record with 59 rebounds against the Bobcats which matched 59 boards versus Saint Peter's on Nov. 21, 2005. It marked the most rebounds by the Aggies since bringing down 50 versus McNeese State on Nov. 21, 2006.
• Tyra White scored a career-high 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the floor, 2-of-3 shooting from beyond the arc and 3-of-4 makes from the charity stripe. It marked her fifth double-digit game this season.
• A&M's 49-point margin of victory was the 13th largest in school history over an opponent and its 94 total points the most overall points scored during the season.
POSTGAME QUOTES
Texas A&M Head Coach Gary Blair
On the game ...
"We had six kids in double figures tonight. (Danielle) Gant and (Takia) Starks played 16 and 18 minutes and still filled up the stat sheet. It was good to be able to play them less minutes, because this will be the fewest they will be in from now on. If you have a bench, you play your bench and trust it. The last three ballgames, our transition game has been so good and you just have to keep pushing it. We have not needed to run a lot of set plays, because we are getting a lot of points off of the break, off steals or off turnovers. Our kids are having fun right now. They are starting to make the simple pass. It is nice to have more assists than turnovers for once."
On the team's intensity against Texas State ...
"The score got out of hand, but I am not going to slow my kids down. I wanted them to work on their execution. Coach Schaefer's defense was outstanding as usual. The kids were in the passing lanes and were doing a good job. I am pleased with this basketball team. Now, it gets a little tougher. It was a good ballgame and we are going to take it. Give (Gabriell) Mattox and (Kim) Cessna a lot of credit. They both played very well. That team is a lot stronger than they looked. We just played very well tonight."
Texas A&M Senior Center La Toya Micheaux
On the team's intensity on the court tonight ...
"Our practices are much harder than our games. Down the road, we are going to face some really tough opponents. It doesn't matter what opponent we are playing. We just play with lot of intensity and play hard. We are going to go out there everyday and put our hearts on the line."
Texas A&M Sophomore Point Guard Sydney Colson
On her first career double-double and the passing lanes against Texas State ...
"We have been doing a better job in our transition game lately over the past few games. Today, we were making steals on the other end and they (my teammates) happened to give it to me to push it up the court."
On the margin of victory and the team's intensity ...
"It really does not matter to us what amount of points we are up by. We still have to execute on offense and do a good job on defense. We know our points will come on the offensive end. We are just getting better defensively, which is helping us get more points on the offensive end. I am proud of how everyone played today. Our bench did a good job of coming in and taking care of business later on in the game. I was very proud of our effort."
Texas State Head Coach Suzanne Fox
On the game ...
"I thought we did some things better tonight. They (Texas A&M) are a great defensive team and they showed that again tonight. We struggled on the offensive end with their pressure. But, I was proud of our team. I thought we competed and we had some kids who really stepped up and played well. It is a great learning experience for us and we will keep getting ready for our league."
On Texas A&M's pressure defense ...
"They are very physical. There is a lot of contact on the ball. It makes it hard for you to run an offense, because there is so much contact and you cannot go where you normally want to be able to go. They are athletic. They work well at it, communicate and are coached well."
