Feb. 20, 2009
Texas Game Notes in PDF Format 
#14/11 TEXAS A&M (19-5, 7-4) vs. #12/13 TEXAS (19-6, 7-4)
Game #25
February 21, 2009 • 11:00 a.m. (CT)
Reed Arena (12,989)
at College Station, Texas
Television: Fox Sports Net
Radio: Texas A&M Sports Network (KZNE 1150 AM)
Series History: Texas Leads 58-16
Internet: Live Audio and Statistics available on www.AggieAthletics.com
GAME PREVIEW
With five games remaining in the regular season, the No. 11-ranked Texas A&M women's basketball team (19-5, 7-4) used a bye to recharge its batteries in anticipation of finishing out Big 12 Conference play strong in the next two weeks. The timing couldn't be better for the Aggies as four of their last five opponents of the season are fighting for one of the top four tournament seeds in the upcoming Phillips 66 Big 12 Women's Basketball Championship on March 12-15 in Oklahoma City. A&M prepares for part II of the State Farm Lone Star Showdown with No. 12 Texas (19-6, 7-4) on Saturday, Feb. 21 at Reed Arena. The Aggies and Longhorns are set to tip-off in an early bird rivalry rematch at 11 a.m. (CT) on Fox Sports Net. It will mark the first of four-straight national television appearances for A&M with second-ranked Oklahoma, No. 14 Kansas State and Oklahoma State waiting in the wings. The Aggies have been very successful at home this season with a 10-1 mark (.909) at Reed Arena including a 79-50 rout of Colorado in their last outing on Feb. 14. A&M has outscored opponents on its home court by an average margin of 27 points and its only loss of the year was a three-point setback (64-61) to then-No. 4 Baylor on Jan. 21. The Aggies have been the winners of the last four-straight meetings in the rivalry series with Texas including the last three contested in College Station. A&M and UT are in a four-way tie for third in the latest league standings, while OU and Baylor hold the top two spots on the current leader board. Not only is school pride and good positioning in the Big 12 on the line, but both squads will be vying for their 20th win of the season, state bragging rights and a half-point towards the State Farm Lone Star Showdown standings.
GAME PROMOTIONS
Texas A&M Athletics will host its annual Ultimate Aggie Sports Camp featuring free clinics with members of various varsity sports teams between 8:30-10:00 a.m. on the Reed Arena concourse. The pre-game event is open to kids ages 5-12 years old and each camper will receive a free ticket to the Texas game. Additionally, the American Heart Association's "Jump Rope for Heart" performance jump team "The Palpitations" will perform at halftime. Tickets ranging from $10 for general admission to $16 for courtside seating are available for purchase by calling 1-888-99-AGGIE, online at www.12thmanfoundation.com, or in person at the 12th Man Foundation Ticket Center's Kyle Field or Reed Arena locations.
ON THE TUBE
A&M will host back-to-back national television crews in the course of three days. The Aggies' last home-televised contest was a 64-50 victory over then No. 24-ranked TCU on Dec. 21. The second edition of the State Farm Lone Star Showdown will be televised nationally with play-by-play announcer Kevin Eschenfelder and color analyst Debbie Antonelli calling the action live from Reed Arena on Fox Sports Net. The game will be carried live on Fox Sports Arizona, Fox Sports Detroit, Fox Sports Midwest, Fox Sports Ohio, Fox Sports Rocky Mountain, Fox Sports Southwest, Fox Sports Houston, Fox Sports West, Comcast Chicago, Comcast New England, Sun Sports and MSG Plus. A&M will take on second-ranked Oklahoma in the first Big Monday ESPN2 appearance between two conference opponents on Feb. 23 at Reed Arena. Both networks will send their A-teams to Aggieland.
SCOUTING THE LONGHORNS
Texas has won five of its last six games since a 14-point loss (68-54) to Texas A&M on its home court on Feb. 28. It was the team's second-largest margin of defeat of the season next to a 20-point setback at OU (89-69) on Jan. 25. The Longhorns' five-game undefeated stretch since their initial State Farm Lone Star Showdown meeting with the Aggies was cut short by Oklahoma State who pulled off a 58-52 upset on Wednesday night in Austin. UT is under the court leadership of senior Carla Cortijo who is one of the top point guards in the country who has dished out 128 assists this season for a 1.91 assist-to-turnover ratio which ranks 21st nationally as of Feb. 15.
PROBABLE STARTING LINEUPS
TEXAS A&M
No. Name (2008-09 Stats)
#51 Sydney Colson, G, 5-8, So. (5.9 ppg, 3.2 apg)
#3 Takia Starks, G, 5-8, Sr. (15.9 ppg, 4.4 rpg)
#55 Danielle Gant, G/F, 5-11, Sr. (13.8 ppg, 6.6 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)
TEXAS
No. Name (2008-09 Stats)
#3 Carla Cortijo, G, 5-7, Sr. (7.0 ppg, 5.1 apg)
#5 Kathleen Nash, G, 6-2, So. (12.5 ppg, 6.2 rpg)
#10 Brittainey Raven, G, 6-0, Jr. (13.1 ppg, 3.3 rpg)
#00 Earnesia Williams, F, 6-1, Sr. (6.4 ppg, 4.5 rpg)
#35 Ashley Lindsey, F, 6-4, Sr. (7.4 ppg, 4.3 rpg)
SERIES HISTORY Texas holds a 58-16 advantage in the all-time rivalry series with Texas A&M, but the Aggies have won the last four consecutive meetings between the two rivals including six out of the last seven with the Longhorns. Of its 16 overall victories in the series, A&M has won half of them on its home court and nine in Big 12 Conference play. The Aggies have only swept the Longhorns three times in 1994-95 (old Southwest Conference), 2005-06 and 2007-08.
LAST SEVEN GAMES IN SERIES
W, 73-53 on Feb. 8, 2006 in Austin
W, 79-67 on Feb. 22, 2006 in College Station
L, 45-64 on Jan. 21, 2007 in Austin
W, 67-60 on Feb. 28, 2007 in College Station
W, 66-57 on Feb. 9, 2008 in College Station
W, 65-50 on Feb. 24, 2008 in Austin
W, 68-54 on Jan. 28, 2009 in Austin
TEXAS REPLAY
Takia Starks was on fire all night as she scored 21 of her game-high 26 points in the second half to lead No. 7 Texas A&M to a 68-54 road victory over No. 16 Texas before a crowd of 5,998 at the Frank Erwin Center on Jan. 28. The Aggies earned their fifth-ever win in Austin and back-to-back road victories in the all-time series for the first time in school history. They also snapped the Longhorns' 11-game home court winning streak in the process and earned a half point toward the State Farm Lone Star Showdown standings. A&M led by 10 at halftime after a steal and layup by sophomore La Toya Micheaux grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds in the winning cause, while Big 12 Conference Newcomer of the Year Tanisha Smith added 12. The Aggies have now won six of the last seven meetings with the Longhorns. Kathleen Nash scored 13 points to lead Texas who shot a season-low 31.5 percent (17-of-54) from the floor against A&M's pressure defense.
STATE FARM LONE STAR SHOWDOWN STANDINGS
Last season, Texas A&M laid claim to its first State Farm Lone Star Showdown trophy in the four-year history of the sponsored-rivalry series. The women's basketball team swept UT to earn a full point toward the final point count in 2007-08. A&M won the overall campaign by a score of 10.5 to 8.5 with contributions from soccer, men's and women's track and field, football, men's and women's basketball, softball, women's swimming and diving and women's golf. The Longhorns currently lead 6.0 to 2.5 in the latest Showdown standings with A&M's points earned by soccer (0.5), men's cross country (1.0), men's basketball (0.5) and women's basketball (0.5). For complete results, log onto: www.lonestarshowdown.net.
MOVE TO THE HEAD OF THE CLASS
Since their arrival on campus, the 2009 Senior Class has led the Aggies to three-straight NCAA Tournament berths, the program's first-ever Big 12 regular-season championship title in 2007, first-ever Big 12 Tournament title and NCAA Elite Eight appearance in 2008 and an impressive 96-29 (.768) overall record to date. The impact that Takia Starks, Danielle Gant and La Toya Micheaux have made on the A&M women's basketball program has surpassed the 2008 Senior Class and their overall record of 93-39 (.705) during their four-year careers to move to the head of all senior classes in school history. That memorable class included current WNBA players Morenike Atunrase (San Antonio Silver Stars) and A'Quonesia Franklin (Sacramento Monarchs) as well as Patrice Reado, current athletic assistant Katy Pounds and LaToya Gulley. This year's senior class is an undefeated 3-0 at home against Texas since their freshmen campaigns in 2005-06. Head coach Gary Blair credits that to hard work put forth by the players and coaching staff to build the program to its current level on the national and Big 12 scene.
20-20 VISION
The Aggies need one more victory to turn in their fourth consecutive 20-win season under head coach Gary Blair and ninth all-time in program history. It would mark the first time that A&M has turned in four-straight successful seasons over the 20-win benchmark. Last season, the Aggies put together the most victories in school history with a 29-8 record in 2007-08. Overall, Blair has guided 17 teams combined at Stephen F. Austin (7), Arkansas (7) and A&M (3) to 20-win campaigns. The Aggies finished 24-9 in the inaugural season in 1974-75, 26-18 in 1978-79, 23-8 in 1993-94, 21-9 in 1994-95, 20-12 in 1995-96, 23-9 in 2005-06 and 25-7 in 2006-07.
AGGIE SIDEBARS
• Texas A&M head coach Gary Blair is 6-7 lifetime versus Texas in his 24 years as a Division I head coach. All six of his career wins against the Longhorns have occurred during his six seasons in Aggieland.
• Coach Blair, associate head coach Vic Schaefer and associate head coach Kelly Bond worked alongside Texas freshman guard Yvonne Anderson's father, Mike Anderson, for nine years while coaching at the University of Arkansas from 1993-03. Anderson is currently the head men's basketball coach at Missouri and worked as an assistant coach under former Arkansas men's coach Nolan Richardson from 1985-2002. Coach Blair considers him a good buddy and Anderson's oldest daughter, Darcheita, attended Lady Razorback basketball camps in the summer.
• The Aggies currently rank in the top 20 in five NCAA statistical leader categories this week including No. 4 in three-point percentage defense (24.7), No. 6 in turnover margin (6.0), No. 15 in field goal percentage defense (35.0), No. 14 in scoring defense (53.8) and No. 17 in steals per game (11.6).
COLORADO RECAP
Texas A&M 79, Colorado 50
• For the first time this season, Texas A&M used the starting five of Takia Starks, Danielle Gant and La Toya Micheaux (1-0).
• With the victory, the Aggies improved their win streak against the Buffaloes to six-straight in the all-time series. A&M's 29-point margin of victory was the second-largest ever against a Big 12 Conference opponent in either regular season or postseason play behind a 43-point blowout of Nebraska on Feb. 8.
• A&M held its third-annual BTHO Breast Cancer game with 4,469 fans in attendance to pink-out Reed Arena on Valentine's Day. The Aggies were among 1,500 schools and organizations across the country participating in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Pink Zone campaign to benefit the Kay Yow Foundation. A&M donned its specially-designed pink adidas uniforms for the second year in a row and are now 2-0 when wearing their pink jerseys after defeating Texas Tech in its last BTHO Breast Cancer game on Feb. 17, 2008 at Reed Arena.
• The Aggies outrebounded Colorado, 50-32, their largest rebounding margin (+18) and second 50-or-more rebounding effort of the season against an opponent next to a season-high 59 versus Texas State on Dec. 13.
• Takia Starks registered her 11th-straight double-digit game against all Big 12 opponents this season with 11 points against the Buffaloes.
• Danielle Gant went a perfect 5-for-5 from the floor and 2-for-2 from the free throw line for 12 points in the first half alone. She has reached double figures in her last two outings including another 12-point effort at Texas Tech on Feb. 11.
• Tanisha Smith brought down a career-high 10 rebounds and also reached double figures for the ninth time this season with a team-high 15 points against CU. Both marks earned her the first double-double of her career at Texas A&M.
• Maryann Baker saw her first career start against Colorado in 46 all-time career games played for the Aggies. Baker tied a career-high three rebounds in just the first five minutes of the ballgame. She also saw a career-high 11 minutes of action versus CU.
• Tyra White notched a league career-high 12 points and her sixth double figure game of the season since a career-and season-high 15-point outburst against Texas State on Dec. 13.
• Sydney Carter played flawless at the point for the second time this season when serving up more than five assists. She distributed five assists with zero turnovers versus Colorado behind a career-best six assist, zero turnover effort against George Washington on Jan. 3.
• The A&M defense held the Buffaloes to their third fewest first-half points of the season (16). The Aggies' 22-point halftime lead was the second-largest lead by a CU opponent this season behind a 30-point halftime lead by Seton Hall on Dec. 9. Colorado's 16 first-half points was the third fewest by an Aggie opponent this season and the fewest by a league foe in 11 games played.
AGGIE NOTABLE QUOTABLES
"Their freshmen are playing very well for them and all three of them are in their top eight of the rotation. They were undefeated since they last played us and made some corrections that all of us go through in the course of the year. We had ours last year after we started off 1-4 and they had theirs after our game in Austin. Whatever Gail (Goestenkors) and the senior leaders said for Texas must have worked, because they are playing as good of ball as anybody in the conference right now." - Texas A&M Head Coach Gary Blair on Texas
"We were up 19-3 and they couldn't set up their pressure defense. The only way you can set up pressure defense is usually after a score. We were scoring in transition the majority of the time. We had a couple of sets where we made a couple of threes late in that run. We were making them miss and I think that was the key in our win in Austin - our defensive run to start the ball game, not necessarily the offensive run. Everything was in transition. We were doing a good job of making the right reads and had a lot of different people step up. It wasn't just (Takia) Starks and (Danielle) Gant, but (Tanisha) Smith, (Sydney) Colson and (Sydney) Carter were hitting the three. It was a team-wide effort. We kept looking at the score build, but we knew Texas would come back and make a run. That was one of our best defensive games of the year. We were very active, we did what we wanted to and Texas didn't have its best game." - Coach Blair on the keys to the Aggies' win in Austin
"Texas has been more of a rivalry to us, while we were trying to play catch up, than we've been to them. If we keep winning, I think the rivalry will start up again. It has started particularly with the coaching change, because Gail (Goestenkors) has recruited better players, they are playing better and it's like a mirror image of us. When you look at Baylor, Texas and Texas A&M, all three programs are very similar in how we play the game offensively and defensively. In any of those rivalry matchups, it is similar to the triangle that Duke, North Carolina and N.C. State have in their state. This is our triangle, except it is 90 miles apart." - Coach Blair on the in-state rivalries
"It all depends if you are coming off of a win. I think we played really well against Colorado. Are we looking forward to the biggest weekend in the history of women's basketball at Texas A&M? That is the most important question. Our kids have been talking about Texas and Oklahoma all year, and maybe that hurt us against Texas Tech in Lubbock, I'm not sure. I think Tech hurt us more than us thinking about it. Texas Tech at times has played very well this year. We are looking forward to this weekend. Two national TV games playing two teams that are basically No. 2 and No. 12 in the nation in the polls. It's our rivalry week, as they say on ESPN. What a great opportunity for us to draw people to come watch us play at Reed Arena. Our men's team will be out of town and we get the chance to have the platform all to ourselves. We hope our fans and the 12th Man will come out and support us." - Coach Blair on the week off to prepare for the final home stretch
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 David Campbell on KZNE 1150 AM. A live audio feed will also be available on www.AggieAthletics.com.