Jan. 23, 2009
Oklahoma State Game Notes in PDF Format 
#9/7 TEXAS A&M (14-3, 2-2) vs. #24/25 OKLAHOMA STATE (12-4, 1-2)
Game #18
January 24, 2009 • 6:00 p.m. (CT)
Gallagher-Iba Arena (13,611)
at Stillwater, Okla.
Television: Cowboy Sports Network (FSNSW)
Radio: Texas A&M Sports Network (KZNE 1150 AM)
Series History: Oklahoma State Leads 20-15
Internet: Live Audio and Statistics available on www.AggieAthletics.com
GAME PREVIEW
The No. 9/7-ranked Texas A&M women's basketball team (14-3, 2-2) begins a tough two-game road swing this weekend by traveling to No. 24/25 Oklahoma State (12-4, 1-2) on Saturday, Jan. 24 in Stillwater, Okla. A&M and OSU will tip things off at historic Gallagher-Iba Arena at 6 p.m. (CT). The Aggies are in the midst of its third-straight game in seven days against a nationally-ranked opponent. They look to get back on track after suffering back-to-back losses for the first time since a 1-4 start to the Big 12 Conference season a year ago. Both teams share a commonality this week as the Aggies and Cowgirls are both coming off losses to No. 5/4 Baylor, A&M a 64-61 down-to-the-wire thriller on Jan. 21 in College Station and OSU a 75-57 setback on Jan. 17 in Waco. OSU has had a week to prepare for the Aggies' pressure defense which has caused opponents to turn over the ball a Big 12-best 23.2 times per game in correlation to a league-leading 12.6 steals per game. The Cowgirls, however, are among the top 10 teams in the nation with a scoring offense that is averaging 77.2 points a game. Last season, A&M and OSU reached the Big 12 Tournament championship game for the first time in both program's history and also advanced the furthest in the NCAA Tournament among all league teams that received invitations to the Big Dance. The Aggies made their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Elite Eight, while the Cowgirls reached the Sweet 16. A&M has won 30 of their last 35 games since the end of their historic 2007-08 campaign with losses only to Oklahoma (twice), Tennessee, Florida State and Baylor.
WATCH IT LIVE
The game will be televised on the Oklahoma State Cowboy Sports Network with play-by-play announcer Chad McKee and color analyst Robert Allen calling the action from Gallagher-Iba Arena. The game will be carried live on Fox Sports Southwest in the Bryan-College Station area on Suddenlink cable (Channel 25) and to satellite subscribers to Dish Network (Channel 416) and DirecTV (Channel 676). Fans outside of the state of Texas, please check your local FSN listings. Pay subscribers to the ESPN Full Court Package will also receive the game.
THE 411 ON THE COWGIRLS
Oklahoma State carried an eight-game winning streak leading into the Big 12 season, but has lost two of its first three league games on the road at No. 21 Iowa State (55-63) on Jan. 10 in Ames and No. 5 Baylor (57-75) on Jan. 17 in Waco. The Cowgirls were picked to finish sixth in the preseason Big 12 coaches poll, despite returning preseason Associated Press All-American Andrea Riley and several contributing members from its 2007-08 NCAA Sweet 16 squad. Three of their four losses this season have come against ranked opponents including a 77-68 loss at No. 8 Duke on Nov. 14 in the team's opener. Last year, OSU recorded a program-best 27 victories prior to falling to Final Four participant LSU (67-52) in its first regional semifinal appearance since 1991. Riley is currently averaging a team-leading 22.7 points per game which leads the Big 12 and ranks fifth nationally.
PROBABLE STARTING LINEUPS
TEXAS A&M
No. Name (2008-09 Stats)
#51 Sydney Colson, G, 5-8, So. (5.6 ppg, 3.6 apg)
#3 Takia Starks, G, 5-8, Sr. (15.4 ppg, 4.1 rpg)
#22 Tanisha Smith, G/F, 6-0, Jr. (8.8 ppg, 3.0 rpg)
#55 Danielle Gant, G/F, 5-11, Sr. (14.2 ppg, 7.0 rpg)
#12 La Toya Micheaux, C, 6-3, Sr. (2.9 ppg, 6.7 rpg)
OKLAHOMA STATE
No. Name (2008-09 Stats)
#10 Andrea Riley, G, 5-5, Jr. (22.7 ppg, 6.9 apg)
#13 Taylor Hardeman, G, 5-10, Sr. (7.2 ppg, 2.8 rpg)
#1 Tegan Cunningham, F, 6-1, Jr. (11.3 ppg, 4.4 rpg)
#32 Shaunté Smith, F, 6-0, Sr. (11.6 ppg, 7.6 rpg)
#33 Megan Byford, C, 6-2, Jr. (5.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg)
SERIES NOTES
Oklahoma State leads 20-15 in the all-time series with Texas A&M. The Aggies have won nine out of the last 10 meetings between the two schools dating back to a 65-52 home victory on Feb. 4, 2004. OSU won its first and only win in that 10-game stretch on a last-second three-pointer by Andrea Riley with 6.6 seconds left for a 61-58 (+3) road victory on Jan. 19, 2008 in College Station. The loss to the Cowgirls was part of last year's 1-4 Big 12 start for the Aggies. Each of the last five games in the series have been decided by six points or less. A&M and OSU split the regular-season series a year ago by stealing a win on each others' home court and saw a third meeting in the Big 12 Tournament championship game, 64-59, which resulted in favor of A&M (+5). The Aggies have won their last four-straight meetings with OSU at Gallagher-Iba Arena since 2005 including a 63-57 (+6) win on Feb. 27, 2008. They are 8-9 all-time when playing on the road in Stillwater.
LAST TIME IN STILLWATER
Takia Starks contributed 16 points and two steals in the winning cause, while A'Quonesia Franklin had 14 points and five assists. The Aggies became only the third team of the season to beat OSU on its home court next to K-State and Iowa State. Oklahoma State turned over the ball 16 times in the contest which A&M turned into 21 of its 63 final points. The Cowgirls managed to only convert 17-of-26 from the charity stripe as A&M was called for a total of 24 fouls in the ballgame. OSU was led in scoring by Andrea Riley who scored 23 points and Danielle Green who had 16.
THE 700-800 CLUB
Senior All-America candidate Danielle Gant became the third player in school history to gain entrance into the 800-Rebound Club with four boards versus Baylor on Jan. 21. Gant (800) belongs in an elite class which includes Texas A&M's all-time leading rebounder Prissy Sharpe (920) and former player Lisa Jordon (911). She currently ranks third on the all-time career rebounds chart and is averaging a team-best 7.0 rpg. In addition, senior center La Toya Micheaux recently moved into the six-member 700-Rebound Club and is six boards shy of moving into the top 5 all-time in career rebounds with 705 to date. Micheaux and Gant rank among the top rebounders in the Big 12.
EVERYBODY'S JUCO ALL-AMERICAN
Two of the top junior college transfers in the Big 12 have made Aggieland and Stillwater their home for the next two years in Texas A&M's Tanisha Smith (Kansas City, Mo.) and Oklahoma State's Tegan Cunningham (Melbourne, Australia). Smith, tabbed as preseason Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, and Cunningham are both incoming JUCO All-Americans from Arkansas-Fort Smith and Seward County Community College respectively. Both are currently their team's third-leading scorer with Smith averaging 8.8 ppg and Cunningham 11.3 ppg. Smith provided A&M with a third scoring option aside from Gant and Starks against Baylor on Jan. 21 as she knocked down a career-and game-high 19 points with a career-high six rebounds in her sixth career start in an Aggie uniform.
TWO FOR THE ROAD
A&M will close out a tough five-game stretch against the entire Big 12 South in the first edition of the State Farm Lone Star Showdown with archrival Texas on Wednesday, Jan. 28 at 7 p.m. (CT) in Austin, Texas. The A&M Maroon Club is sponsoring a bus trip to Austin to cheer on the Aggies versus the Longhorns. The cost of the trip is $25 for Maroon Club members and $30 for all other Aggie fans. It includes one ticket to the game, a snack pack, a media guide and a chance to win free prizes. For more information or to sign up for the trip, please contact Lindsey Bounds at lbounds@athletics.tamu.edu or (979) 846-3024.
AGGIE SIDEBARS
• Texas A&M head coach Gary Blair is 16-6 lifetime versus Oklahoma State in his 24 years as a Division I head coach. He is 8-3 against the Cowgirls since his arrival in Aggieland in 2003-04. Blair and Oklahoma State head coach Kurt Budke are both disciples of Hall of Fame Louisiana Tech head coach and current Baylor assistant coach Leon Barmore. Blair served as a La. Tech assistant coach from 1980-85, while Budke was an associate head coach from 2000-02 and took over the storied Lady Techster program from 2002-05 after Barmore's retirement.
• A&M will make its second trip to the Sooner State in a week's time after a 71-59 loss at No. 3 Oklahoma on Jan. 18 in Norman. Oklahoma City native Danielle Gant, the state player of year out of Putnam City West High School in 2005, has always put up impressive numbers when returning home, especially at OSU over the last two years. Gant recorded a near double-double performance with 18 points and nine rebounds as a junior on Feb. 27, 2008 and a 14-point, 14-rebound double-double output as a sophomore on Feb. 17, 2007 in Stillwater.
• Senior All-America candidate Takia Starks is a distant cousin of former NBA star and Oklahoma State alum John Starks and wears No. 3 in honor of the Tulsa native. She currently ranks among the top 10 scorers in the Big 12 averaging a team-leading 15.4 points a game which ranks sixth-best in the league through all games played.
BAYLOR RECAP
Baylor 64, Texas A&M 61
• For the fourth time this year, Texas A&M used the starting lineup of Takia Starks, Tanisha Smith, Tanisha Smith made her sixth career start and her second in Big 12 Conference play next to starting at Missouri in the team's league opener on Jan. 10.
• Smith scored a career-and season-best 12 first-half points against the Lady Bears. She previously had a season-high 10 first-half points versus George Washington on Jan. 3. Smith ended the night with a career-high 19 points and a career-high six rebounds.
• Five out of the last six games in the all-time series with Baylor have been decided by eight points or less including tonight's three-point loss which ended A&M's 13-game home court winning streak at Reed Arena. BU picked up its first win in College Station in nearly three years since an 84-59 road victory on Feb. 15, 2006.
• Takia Starks registered her fourth-straight double-digit game with 18 points versus the Lady Bears.
• A&M held Rachel Allison, Baylor's second-leading scorer at 13.0 ppg, to zero points in the ballgame. She got into foul trouble early with two in the first half of play. Allison played only seven minutes versus the Aggies and was held to zero points for the sixth time of her career including three of those times against A&M.
• The Aggie defense also forced a season-high tying 20 turnovers by Baylor. It was the second time of the season that the Lady Bears had 20 miscues next to their home game against Lamar on Dec. 8.
• Close to 1,000 A&M students accounted for part of the 5,234 fans in attendance at Reed Arena.
• With the loss, the Aggies are now 2-4 all-time against opponents ranked No. 4 or higher in the national polls.
AGGIE NOTABLE QUOTABLES
"We have to be able to back up plays that we make with a play on the other end. Too many times we are making a play, like the game against Baylor, where we were forcing turnovers, but all of sudden the score was 4 to 4 after we just dominated the first five minutes of the game. We gave up two baskets and we knocked the ball loose once. We do not get the loose ball, they come down on transition and I say, `what the heck? We've dominated, we've forced turnovers, but we haven't converted?' Our team needs to have a sense of urgency, instead of trading baskets and possessions with teams. When we force turnovers, we need to convert turnovers. When we force misses, we need to convert on the other end. We cannot afford the mental mistakes that we are making on the defensive end which are lack of ball pressure or they make a good play. Baylor's defense was pretty good against us on Wednesday night. But, pretty good is going to get you about a fifth or sixth seed in the NCAA Tournament if you are lucky. What we have to do is become a smarter basketball team." - Texas A&M Head Coach Gary Blair on what the team needs to do in these next couple of ballgames to get better
"We match up very well size wise with Oklahoma State. We might have a little more depth than they have, but they play us very, very hard. We had three great games with them last year. It is sort of like playing Baylor when you are playing Oklahoma State. Both of us match up so well together, even though they have one player who will score 33 to 35 points a game. I would rather her score 32 and everyone else be in single figures. Andrea Riley is going to get hers no matter what. Right now, she is the odds on favorite to be player of the year in the Big 12. She is so good in transition and she is an Allen Iverson-type of player who plays the point guard position." - Coach Blair on Oklahoma State
"She is a very good guard. She is pretty quick and she is going to look to push it (down the court) any chance she gets. We just have to really contain her and force her to shoot contested shots and shots that she doesn't want to shoot. Right now, as a team, we are working on our help side defense and sealing." - Senior All-America candidate Takia Starks on Oklahoma State's Andrea Riley
"It is really big for us, especially going on the road for these next two ballgames at Oklahoma State and Texas. We have lost two in a row. Now, it's time for us to pick it up and start winning more games. OSU is always a good matchup and it will be another tough game for us on Saturday." - Senior All-America candidate Danielle Gant on how big the next two road games are to the team
EARLY PREDICTIONS
ESPN.com bracketologist Charlie Creme released his second round of NCAA Tournament projections on Jan. 19 which has the Aggies pitted as a No. 2 seed in the Trenton Regional and playing at the Iowa City first-and second-round site with the likes of No. 15 seed Lamar, No. 7 seed South Dakota State and No. 10 seed Marquette. Creme has Oklahoma and Baylor, projected as the Big 12 Tournament champion, as No. 1 seeds and eight league schools making the Big Dance including Kansas State, Texas, OSU, Iowa State and Texas Tech.
BIG 12 CONFERENCE ROUNDUP
Baylor and Oklahoma are off to unbeaten 4-0 starts in the Big 12 Conference race with a one-game lead over the rest of the pack. Kansas State follows in third at 3-1, Texas in fourth at 2-1 and A&M in a three-way tie for fifth with Iowa State and Texas Tech at 2-2 to round out the top half of the league. OSU is eighth at 1-2 on the season, while Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska are tied for ninth at 1-3. Colorado is still searching for its first league win at 0-4. Historically, the Big 12 regular-season championship title has been won by a team with three losses or less in conference play, but history could change with the depth of the league from top-to-bottom this year.
1T. Baylor (16-1, 4-0)
1T. Oklahoma (15-2, 4-0)
3. Kansas State (16-1, 3-1)
4. Texas (14-3, 2-1)
5T. Texas A&M (14-3, 2-2)
5T. Iowa State (14-4, 2-2)
5T. Texas Tech (11-6, 2-2)
8. Oklahoma State (12-4, 1-2)
9T. Kansas (12-5, 1-3)
9T. Missouri (10-7, 1-3)
9T. Nebraska (10-7, 1-3)
12. Colorado (8-8, 0-4)
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 Gallagher-Iba Arena alongside color analyst and former player Katy Pounds on KZNE 1150 AM. A live audio feed will also be available on www.AggieAthletics.com.