Feb. 13, 2009
BTHO Breast Cancer Press Release
BTHO Breast Cancer Website
Colorado Game Notes in PDF Format 
#12/8 TEXAS A&M (18-5, 6-4) vs. COLORADO (10-11, 2-7)
Game #24
February 14, 2009 • 2:00 p.m. (CT)
Reed Arena (12,989)
at College Station, Texas
Television: None
Radio: Texas A&M Sports Network (KZNE 1150 AM)
Series History: Colorado Leads 10-6
Internet: Live Video and Statistics available on www.AggieAthletics.com
GAME PREVIEW
The eighth-ranked Texas A&M women's basketball team (18-5, 6-4) will host its third-annual BTHO Breast Cancer game against Big 12 Conference North opponent Colorado (10-11, 2-7) on Saturday, Feb. 14 at Reed Arena. Tipoff for the Valentine's Day cause is set for 2 p.m. (CT) and fans are encouraged to wear pink to the game with all proceeds from this year's BTHOBC campaign benefiting the foundation of Kay Yow, the late North Carolina State women's basketball coach who passed away on Jan. 24, 2009, after battling the disease and promoting breast cancer awareness since her initial diagnosis in 1987. Her testimony has touched the lives of many and the Aggies are among 1,500 schools and organizations across the nation who will promote the fight against Breast Cancer over the next two weeks in tribute games to Yow and thousands of others who are affected each year by the disease. A&M's goal is to raise $35,000 and is joined in the initiative through corporate partnerships with the College Station Medical Center, Chevron and Kent Moore Cabinets. The contest will mark the last of three games for the Aggies in a span of seven days, while the Buffaloes are the third-straight A&M opponent fresh off of a bye week. The Aggies look to defend their home court and rebound from a 60-53 loss at Texas Tech on Feb. 11. A&M is currently situated in sixth place in the latest league standings, while CU is in a three-way tie for ninth.
GAME PROMOTIONS
Tickets to the game are on sale for $10 with $8 going towards the Kay Yow Foundation. Tickets are priced at $10 for all seating levels in the arena and may be purchased online at www.AggieAthletics.com or by via telephone at 1-888-99-AGGIE. Fans can also purchase a commemorative pink BTHO Breast Cancer T-Shirt courtesy of Chevron and Kent Moore Cabinets for $5, with all of the proceeds from the sales benefiting the Kay Yow Foundation. A 5K Fun Run sponsored by Chevron will precede the game at 10 a.m. Pink commemorative BTHO Breast Cancer towels sponsored by The Med will be distributed to fans prior to tipoff at the Reed Arena entrances while supplies last.
A VIEW OF COLORADO
Colorado closes out its tour through the Big 12 South this weekend, after opening up with four games in a row against the likes of Baylor, Oklahoma State, Texas and Oklahoma. The Buffaloes countered an 0-4 start with a 61-56 road victory at Missouri on Jan. 24, to mark one of their two league victories of the season. They were picked to finish 11th in the preseason coaches poll after turning in a 19-15 campaign a year ago with a trip to the Postseason WNIT semifinals where they eventually lost to Marquette (86-72). CU lost junior guard Whitney Houston prior to the 2008-09 season to an ACL injury on Sept. 24, but sophomore forward Brittany Spears is back on stage averaging a team-leading 17.6 points and 8.0 rebounds per game which ranks in the top 5 among Big 12 scoring and rebounding leaders this season.
PROBABLE STARTING LINEUPS
TEXAS A&M
No. Name (2008-09 Stats)
#51 Sydney Colson, G, 5-8, So. (5.9 ppg, 3.3 apg)
#3 Takia Starks, G, 5-8, Sr. (16.1 ppg, 4.3 rpg)
#55 Danielle Gant, G/F, 5-11, Sr. (13.9 ppg, 6.7 rpg)
#21 Adaora Elonu, F, 6-1, Fr. (5.7 ppg, 4.0 rpg)
#12 La Toya Micheaux, C, 6-3, Sr. (2.8 ppg, 7.2 rpg)
COLORADO
No. Name (2008-09 Stats)
#1 Alyssa Fressle, G, 5-10, Fr. (8.7 ppg, 3.3 apg)
#2 Bianca Smith, G, 5-9, Jr. (10.4 ppg, 4.7 rpg)
#4 Britney Blythe, G, 5-9, So. (2.6 ppg, 1.2 rpg)
#22 Brittany Spears, G, 6-1, So. (17.6 ppg, 8.0 rpg)
#44 Kara Richards, C, 6-4, Sr. (12.0 ppg, 6.9 rpg)
SERIES NOTES
Colorado leads 10-6 in the all-time series with Texas A&M. The Aggies have made progress toward evening out the series over the last couple of years in Big 12 play. They have won the last five-straight meetings between the two schools including their second-ever road win in Boulder (72-68) on Jan. 16, 2008. The Buffs have not beaten the Aggies since a 70-58 victory on their home court in 2003-04 under former head coach Ceal Barry.
COLORADO RECALL
Takia Starks took advantage of a wide-open look and drained a three-pointer with 4:24 to go to give the Aggies their first lead of the contest, 58-57. On the opposite end of the court, Starks grabbed a missed Colorado field-goal attempt which led to a fastbreak layup to push the lead out to three, 60-57. The final three minutes would be crucial as Jackie McFarland put away both of her free throw makes to give CU a 61-60 lead. Gant later countered by making both of her charity attempts as she was fouled under the basket to put A&M out front once again, 62-61. Ashlaa Horton came in relief of A&M's three post players who tallied five fouls apiece and knocked down a crucial jumper to give the Aggies a 64-62 edge with 1:35 to go. Starks grabbed the loose ball on a missed CU field-goal attempt to stretch the A&M lead to four points, 66-62. Franklin's six free throws later followed to seal A&M's fifth-straight win over the Buffaloes in the all-time series and only its second-ever win in Boulder in league play. Starks turned in a near double-double performance with 18 points and nine rebounds for the Aggies. Gant boarded nine of A&M's 39 rebounds, while Franklin dished out four assists with zero turnovers. The Buffs were paced by McFarland's 24 points and Brittany Spears' double-double of 11 points and 12 rebounds.
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
The Aggies have protected their home court well over the last four seasons with an unprecedented 51-5 (.914) overall success rate at Reed Arena. They have compiled a 9-1 record at home this season with one loss to then-No. 4 Baylor by three points (61-64) on Jan. 21. All nine of their victories have been won by an average margin of 26.7 points per game against their opponents including a season-high 49-point blowout of Texas State (94-45) on Dec. 13 and a league-high 43-rout of Nebraska (86-43) on Feb. 8.
BYE, BYE, BYE
After playing 11-straight Big 12 games since Jan. 10, the Aggies will enjoy a bye week to rest and prepare for its final five-game home stretch in conference play against No. 13/14 Texas on Feb. 21, No. 2 Oklahoma on Feb. 23, No. 20/16 Kansas State on March 1, Oklahoma State on March 5 and No. 7/6 Baylor on March 7. Four of their last five contests will be televised live on national television including an ESPN2 Big Monday rematch with OU. A&M will host Dollar Day versus the Sooners in an effort to sell-out Reed Arena.
AGGIE SIDEBARS
• Texas A&M head coach Gary Blair is 5-2 lifetime versus Colorado in his 24 years as a Division I head coach. Six of his seven all-time meetings with the Buffaloes have been played in either the Big 12 regular season or postseason during his time in Aggieland (5-1).
• This past fall, Coach Blair and associate head coach Vic Schaefer competed in the inaugural 4Kay Golf Classic on Sept. 8 held at the Cowboys Golf Club in Dallas, Texas. They were among more than 150 coaches, friends and colleagues who joined forces to raise funding for women's cancers research through the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund in partnership with The V Foundation. The attendees shared tons of laughter, special moments and a few tears as they showed their support for Kay Yow, the late N.C. State head coach. Blair and Schaefer partnered with former Texas A&M Board of Regent member Steve Stevens and former A&M quarterback Charlie Milstead (1957-59). The foursome took first-place honors at the golf tournament.
• Texas A&M junior reserve forward Katrina Limbaha will reunite with fellow countrywoman and friend Dina Piterniece, a 6-foot-2 senior combination guard/forward for Colorado. Limbaha and Piterniece played junior basketball together while growing up in their hometown of Riga, Latvia.
TEXAS TECH RECAP
Texas Tech 60, Texas A&M 53
• For the 13th time this year, Texas A&M used the starting lineup of Takia Starks, Danielle Gant, La Toya Micheaux (10-3).
• Texas Tech snapped a six-game losing skid to the Aggies in the all-time series. It was also the Lady Raiders' first win on their home court in two years.
• Takia Starks turned in her 10th-straight contest in double figures with a game-high 20 points against Tech. It marked her fourth consecutive game to knock down 20-or-more points versus the Lady Raiders.
• Sydney Colson had three steals against Tech and has had at least one steal in 22-of-23 games played this season. She has turned in back-to-back games with three or more steals with a career-high tying five in the team's last outing against Nebraska on Feb. 8. She played a career-high tying 32 minutes against Tech to mark the third time in league play with over 25 minutes of action at the point.
• Gant reached double figures for the first time in two ballgames with 12 against the Lady Raiders. All of her points were in the second half of play.
• Kelsey Assarian saw a career-and league-high 18 minutes of action versus Tech. She turned in four of the team's first 14 points of the game and ended the night with six.
• The A&M defense forced Tech to 20 turnovers in the game and converted 16 points off of the Lady Raiders' mistakes. It marked the 17th time this season that an opponent has had 20-or-more miscues against the Aggies.
AGGIE NOTABLE QUOTABLES
"Brittany Spears is one of the top players in our league. Colorado goes as long as she goes. She is very similar to a Danielle McCray at Kansas, a Brittainey Raven at Texas or a Danielle Gant. She is a kid who can do a lot of things out on the court. She has been the heart and soul of their team since Jackie McFarland graduated. Kara Richards is finally coming into her own as a go-to player for them and is a kid at 6-foot-4 who will we have to stop in the post. Bianca Smith has done a great job. She is a basketball player who can shoot the three well. When she gets hot, she can get as hot as Heather Ezell of Iowa State. Freshman (Alyssa) Fressle plays both the one and two. She is solid and makes good decisions. She is the typical guard that Kathy (McConnell-Miller) likes to run her program similar to when she was a player at Virginia. Colorado has been in several close games this year, but hasn't been able to pull one out. They are in a nothing-to-lose situation right now. Colorado has seen the good, the bad and the ugly from our last three ballgames and they are the third Big 12 opponent to have a week off to get ready for us." - Texas A&M Head Coach Gary Blair on Colorado
"I never knew her (Kay Yow) as a coach to a player, but I heard a lot of great things about her. She was very dedicated to the game of women's basketball and it means a lot to know that it was her passion. We just want to go out and play for her and others who are or have been affected by breast cancer. It's going to be another great game to raise awareness." - Senior All-America candidate Danielle Gant on what the BTHO Breast Cancer game over the last three years has meant to the team
"I actually have a best friend whose mother has breast cancer, so it is a dedication game for her, Kay Yow and countless others who are affected by the disease. I know what kind of struggle it is, not first hand, but through my best friend who talks about it all of the time and how it impacts their family. We want to use this game to make a big statement in helping the cause." - Freshman Sydney Carter on what Saturday's game to promote breast cancer awareness means to her and her teammates
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 Reed Arena alongside color analyst Tap Bentz on KZNE 1150 AM. A live audio feed will also be available on www.AggieAthletics.com.