Jan. 17, 2009
Oklahoma Game Notes in PDF Format 
#8/6 TEXAS A&M (14-1, 2-0) vs. #3/3 OKLAHOMA (13-2, 2-0)
Game #16
January 18, 2009 • 3:00 p.m. (CT)
Lloyd Noble Center (12,000)
at Norman, Okla.
Television: Fox Sports Net
Radio: Texas A&M Sports Network (KZNE 1150 AM)
Series History: Oklahoma Leads 24-11
Internet: Live Audio and Statistics available on www.AggieAthletics.com
GAME PREVIEW
One of the must-see, early marquee matchups of the Big 12 Conference season gets underway this weekend as the No. 8/6 Texas A&M women's basketball team (14-1, 2-0) awaits a top 10 showdown with No. 3/3 Oklahoma (13-2, 2-0) on Sunday, Jan. 18 at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Okla. Tipoff between the Aggies and Sooners is slated for 3 p.m. (CT) and will be televised nationally on Fox Sports Net. Both teams are off to 2-0 starts, A&M's first in the 13-year history of the Big 12, with the chance of gaining some early ground in the conference race. Playing on the road for most of the month of January, the Aggies will undoubtedly begin their toughest stretch of the season on Sunday with four-straight meetings penciled in against a top 25 opponent over the next week and a half of competition with the likes of No. 5/5 Baylor, No. 22/22 Oklahoma State and No. 16/17 Texas on their agenda. The Aggies have had the last five days to prepare for OU after a 67-56 victory over Texas Tech on Jan. 13 in College Station. A&M has been successful on the road this season with a 5-1 record and will try for just their third-ever win in 16 all-time trips to Norman. Each of A&M's last two away contests in the OU series have been played in front of record-setting crowds over the 11,000+ mark presenting one of the toughest home courts in America.
ON THE TUBE
The Aggies will appear on television for the fifth time this season as play-by-play announcer Kevin Eschenfelder and color analyst Brenda VanLengen call the action live from the Lloyd Noble Center on Fox Sports Net. The game will be carried live throughout the country on FSN Detroit, FSN Florida, FSN Midwest, FSN North, FSN Northwest, FSN Ohio (Kentucky), FSN Pittsburgh, FSN Rocky Mountain, FSN Southwest, FSN Houston, FSN West, FSN Wisconsin, Comcast Bay Area, Comcast Chicago, Comcast Philadelphia, MSG Plus and SportSouth.
SCOUTING OKLAHOMA
Oklahoma is on a roll having won nine of their last 10 games including their current eight-game win streak. The Sooners played one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the country for a No. 2 overall rating in the RPI indexes. Their two notches in the loss column have come against two of the three remaining unbeatens in the nation in No. 1 Connecticut (106-78) on Nov. 30 and No. 2 North Carolina (80-79) in the Preseason Women's NIT on Nov. 23. OU is 3-2 versus the top 25 this season including a recent 64-48 win over previously undefeated and No. 17/14-ranked Kansas State on Jan. 14. The Sooners were tabbed the favorite to win the regular-season crown receiving seven first-place votes in the preseason Big 12 coaches poll behind the presence of three-time unanimous All-America and two-time conference player of the year Courtney Paris who is averaging her usual double-double with a team-best 15.7 points and 13.2 rebounds per game.
PROBABLE STARTING LINEUPS
TEXAS A&M
No. Name (2008-09 Stats)
#51 Sydney Colson, G, 5-8, So. (5.7 ppg, 3.9 apg)
#3 Takia Starks, G, 5-8, Sr. (14.9 ppg, 4.3 rpg)
#55 Danielle Gant, G/F, 5-11, Sr. (14.5 ppg, 7.3 rpg)
#21 Adaora Elonu, F, 6-1, Fr. (7.1 ppg, 5.0 rpg)
#12 La Toya Micheaux, C, 6-3, Sr. (3.1 ppg, 7.1 rpg)
OKLAHOMA
No. Name (2008-09 Stats)
#13 Danielle Robinson, G, 5-9, So. (11.9 ppg, 5.9 apg)
#25 Whitney Hand, G, 6-1, Fr. (9.3 ppg, 2.2 rpg)
#21 Amanda Thompson, F, 6-0, Jr. (7.5 ppg, 4.7 rpg)
#5 Ashley Paris, F, 6-3, Sr. (14.5 ppg, 10.1 rpg)
#3 Courtney Paris, C, 6-4, Sr. (15.7 ppg, 13.2 rpg)
SERIES NOTES
Oklahoma holds a 24-11 series advantage over A&M, but the Aggies have won three of the last four meetings between the two Big 12 South rivals including a 73-59 (+14) victory to close out the Big 12 regular season on March 6, 2008 in College Station. Last season, both teams split the series as the Sooners claimed a 68-56 (+12) win before a Lloyd Noble Center-record crowd of 12,168 on Feb. 12, 2008. A&M is 2-13 when playing on the road in Norman, while OU is 19-10 overall in league regular-season games versus the Aggies.
OU REWIND (AP)
Takia Starks in that span. Starks added 19 points and Morenike Atunrase had 10. Oklahoma outscored A&M 7-2 the rest of the half to get within 33-26 at halftime.
AGGIE-SOONER TALENT SHOW
When you are at the top, you are at the top, and for good reason. The Texas A&M and Oklahoma rosters boasts a wealth of talent with national player of the year and All-America candidates as well as rising stars in the making. When the Big 12 awards were announced in October, A&M and OU were the big winners. Preseason All-Big 12 Team members Takia Starks and Courtney Paris led the way for the Aggies and Sooners respectively along with preseason honorable mention Danielle Gant. Tanisha Smith, a junior college All-American for the Aggies, was tabbed Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, while A&M's Tyra White and OU's Whitney Hand shared Big 12 Freshman of the Year honors. Both team's veteran and youthful depth has shown as this week's league player of the week awards went to A&M's Gant and OU's Hand. A total of 11 weekly awards have been won by an Aggie or Sooner this season including seven out of the 10 freshman of the week honorees that have included White, Hand and A&M's Adaora Elonu and Sydney Carter.
THE BIGGEST GAIN
Three A&M and OU seniors combined have made a commitment in the weight room and seen recent gains in their quest to prepare for next-level play after graduation. Texas A&M senior center Danielle Gant, an under-sized post player and a potential WNBA first-round pick, dropped close to 10 pounds. Overall, Texas A&M strength and conditioning coach Jennifer Jones along with director of performance nutrition Amy Bragg have helped the Aggies to their fittest year of competition this season with the team averaging less than 20.5 percent of body fat in comparison to 26.9 percent in 2006-07. Another notable gain was A&M sophomore point guard Sydney Colson's ability to gain muscle and lose body fat while still recovering from her ACL injury in June.
MISS OKLAHOMA
If pageants were won on the basketball court and in the classroom, then senior All-America candidate Danielle Gant would definitely be up for the title of Miss Oklahoma. The Oklahoma City native out of Putnam City West High School is playing some of her best basketball of the season and her career having scored in double figures over the last five ballgames including a perfect 10-for-10 performance at Missouri in the Big 12 opener on Jan. 10 to gain national headlines. She recently posted her third double-double of the season with 18 points and 10 rebounds against Texas Tech on Jan. 13. Gant is also a perfect 12-for-12 from the charity stripe over the last three contests including 2-for-2 at Florida State on Jan. 5, 2-for-2 at Missouri on Jan. 10 and a career-best 8-for-8 versus the Lady Raiders. Earlier this year, she was honored for her academic progress toward her degree in leadership as the recipient of the Academic Momentum Award presented to student-athletes who have demonstrated significant academic improvement throughout their collegiate careers with the ability to balance textbooks with playbooks.
A NEW PLACE TO CALL HOME
The Cox-McFerrin Center for Aggie Basketball was formally dedicated on Saturday morning ushering a new era for the men's and women's program in Aggieland. The $23 million, 68,000-square-foot state-of-the art center houses practice courts and training rooms for both teams, along with an array of related facilities and offices. It is regarded as one of the premier facilities of its kind in the nation. The facility is named for Kay `02 and Jerry '72 Cox of Houston and Dorothy and Artie `65 McFerrin of Kingwood, major donors for the project.
AGGIE SIDEBARS
• Head coach Gary Blair is 5-10 all-time versus Oklahoma in his 24 years as a Division I head coach. Three of his five lifetime wins against the Sooners have come within the last two years.
• The last time Texas A&M beat Oklahoma in Norman, a 54-52 victory on Jan. 27, 2007, it snapped OU's 24-game winning streak versus the Big 12 in one of the most memorable games in Aggie Basketball history. The upset over the then-No. 6-ranked Sooners was a key turning point in A&M's rise on the national scene and as a serious contender in the Big 12. The Aggies would eventually tie OU with a 13-3 league mark to claim to their first-ever regular-season championship title in 2006-07.
• Both the men's and women's basketball programs at A&M and OU have flourished over the last five years on the national and Big 12 landscape. The Aggies and Sooners will play each other in both men's and women's hoops this weekend with the A&M and (15-2) OU men (16-1) first up on Saturday and the OU (13-2) and A&M (14-1) women on Sunday. All four teams are a combined 58-6 overall with two losses or less on the season.
• The Aggies will face all of their Big 12 South counterparts in five of its first six league games of the season. A&M's tough five-game stretch began with Texas Tech on Jan. 13 and is followed up by an assortment of top 25 foes (even on their hostile home courts) in No. 3 Oklahoma on Jan. 18 in Norman, Okla., No. 5 Baylor on Jan. 21 in College Station, No. 22 Oklahoma State on Jan. 24 in Stillwater, Okla., and No. 16 Texas on Jan. 28 in Austin, Texas. By far, the Aggies have the toughest go-around of any league team to open up the Big 12 season. Baylor is the next closest to a head-to-head combat with four of its next five against nationally-ranked competition in No. 20 Iowa State, OSU, A&M, Tech and OU.
TEXAS TECH RECAP
Texas A&M 67, Texas Tech 56
• For the ninth time this year, Texas A&M used the starting five of Takia Starks, Danielle Gant, La Toya Micheaux (8-1).
• With the victory, A&M picks up its 14th all-time victory in the Texas Tech series. The Aggies have won the last six-straight meetings between the two Big 12 South rivals dating back to a 65-48 win on Feb. 5, 2006 in College Station.
• For the first time in school history, A&M opens up the Big 12 Conference season at 2-0 since the league's inception in 1996-97.
• Takia Starks has now scored 20-points or more in three consecutive outings with the Lady Raiders including a career-high 29 vs. Tech on Feb. 17, 2008 in College Station and 22 on Feb. 2, 2008 in Lubbock. It marked her 22nd career 20-point game. She also turned in her best shooting percentage of the season from the floor going 8-of-13 (.615) versus Tech.
• Danielle Gant moved into third all-time in career rebounds (791) on her second rebound in the opening minutes of the game against Tech. She surpassed former player Susan Kimbro who compiled 782 from 1977-80. Gant turned in her third double-double of the season and 15th of her career with 18 points and 10 rebounds.
• Sydney Colson scored a career-high 11 points in a Big 12 game versus Tech. Her previous league-high was eight points versus Iowa State on Feb. 20, 2008 during her rookie campaign.
AGGIE NOTABLE QUOTABLES
"Oklahoma is playing at the top of its game right now. They get very good bench play. When you get into the Big 12, you end up settling with an eight-to-nine player rotation. Oklahoma has found its chemistry, like all of us are trying to find. (Oklahoma head coach) Sherri Coale has done a good job. Who do you put in the starting five out there when all of your kids know the offense and defense well? The reason their team is better, is because there is more balance. It's not just the Courtney Paris show. You have to worry about the others. As soon as you put more attention on her, Ashley (Paris), (Amanda) Thompson and (Danielle) Robinson will kill you, while Whitney Hand will drill you with threes. Robinson reminds me of (A&M's) Donald Sloan and how he goes to the hole so well. She is by far the quickest point guards in the league and in the country. She had a great matchup with Kansas State's Shalee Lehning in their last ballgame which was a great Round 1 for two of the top point guards in our league." - Texas A&M Head Coach Gary Blair on Oklahoma
"I like our chances. Every year, we have gone up and played well in Oklahoma. Our kids enjoy playing in front of a packed house. The better the competition, the better the crowd, the better we have played. Texas Tech, Baylor and OU. Those are three venues where we have always played well in front of big crowds. Our basketball team is rounding into shape. We have had some bumps and bruises at the point guard position, black eyes and all, in preparation for the OU game. The way our system is, we have to have two healthy point guards in every game we play and we have to have four players in double figures like we did against Texas Tech. You cannot rely on just the Danielle Gant and T-Kay (Starks) Show. You need four players in double figures. Where it (the scoring) comes from, I don't care. It helps build morale and great chemistry on our team, when we are depending on everyone to contribute. To play on a national stage on national television, it doesn't get any better that that. It will be worth the price of admission. It will probably be cold outside, but hot inside." - Coach Blair on playing in Norman
"Over the last six games in the OU series, each game has been a little different in the Courtney Paris and La Toya Micheaux era. Both of those two post players have respect for each other. Micheaux doesn't score a lot, but she adds a lot to our team and how we play that game. Micheaux does a good job of bothering Courtney and is a physical presence inside. It's not about how hard we guard Courtney, it is about who guards the other four while we are trying to contain her. When we have ball pressure and great help side, that is how our defense works. We try to play make-them-miss defense." - Coach Blair on the Courtney Paris and La Toya Micheaux matchup and A&M's defense
"It was very important. Momentum kind of swings our way. We get a little confidence in there after coming off two tough road games (at Florida State and Missouri). It is going to be a tough road game at OU. We just have to come together like we did against Texas Tech and keep the momentum going." - Senior All-America candidate Takia Starks on how important it was to get a win over Texas Tech going into the Oklahoma game
A LOOK AT THE BIG 12
Baylor, A&M and OU are among three undefeated 2-0 league teams in a three-way tie for first place in the latest Big 12 Conference standings as of Jan. 14. A win on Saturday or Sunday could put one team ahead of the pack in one of the toughest races in league history. Kansas State, Iowa State, Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech follow behind in a six-way tie for fourth with 1-1 opening-week records, while Missouri, Nebraska and Colorado are still searching for a win in league play.
1T. Baylor (14-1, 2-0)
1T. Texas A&M (14-1, 2-0)
1T. Oklahoma (13-2, 2-0)
4T. Kansas State (14-1, 1-1)
4T. Iowa State (13-3, 1-1)
4T. Texas (13-3, 1-1)
4T. Kansas (12-3, 1-1)
4T. Oklahoma State (12-3, 1-1)
4T. Texas Tech (10-5, 1-1)
10T. Missouri (9-6, 0-2)
10T. Nebraska (9-6, 0-2)
10T. Colorado (8-6, 0-2)
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. Play-by-play announcer Mike Wright will call the action live from Lloyd Noble Center alongside color analyst and former Katy Pounds on KZNE 1150 AM. A live audio feed will also be available on www.AggieAthletics.com.