Texas A&M
11-1
San Diego State
6-6
No. 5 Texas A&M Routs San Diego State, 96-52
Dec 30, 2010 | Women's Basketball
SAN DIEGO (AP) - Texas A&M came out with such aggression against San Diego State, the Aggies had pretty much put away Thursday night's game by halftime.
Behind 23 points from Danielle Adams and playing its best first half of the season, No. 5 Texas A&M dominated San Diego State 96-52 to win the Surf `N Slam championship game.
The Aggies (11-1) led 54-14 at halftime, shot 57.5 percent, held San Diego State to 4-of-26 shooting, forced 20 turnovers and thoroughly frustrated a team that went to the Sweet 16 last season.
Adams was virtually unstoppable as she dominated her counterpart, 6-foot-3 Paris Johnson, SDSU's leading scorer. Adams made 11-of-15 shots, including 9-of-13 in the first half, despite playing only 17 minutes.
The 6-foot-1 Adams, who scored in double figures for the 21st straight game, hit her first four shots as Texas A&M got off to a fast start. She was also part of the interior defense that harassed Johnson into a miserable half.
Texas A&M limited the Aztecs to 31.8 percent shooting on 14-of-44 shots and forced 31 San Diego State turnovers.
The Aggies scored the first nine points of the game and increased the lead to 26-6 before the Aztecs broke an 8-minute, 29-second drought on Melissa Sweat's basket at the 6:11 mark.
Johnson led San Diego State (6-6) with 12 points, but she missed 8 of 10 shots from the floor. Johnson was 0-for-7 in the first half with two shots blocked.
Adams and the Aggies made sure that San Diego State didn't repeat its feat from the 2008 title game when it upset No. 4 Texas.
Texas A&M improved to 61.3 percent shooting in the second half to finish at a season-high 59.2 percent (42-of-71).
Adaora Elonu scored 12 points and had 10 rebounds for her second straight double-double, and Sydney Carter also scored 12 for the Aggies. Sydney Colson finished with a career-high 13 assists.
San Diego State went nearly eight minutes into the second half before their first basket and trailed by 56 points at the midway point before the Aggies emptied their bench.
The Aggies won their fifth straight game since their only defeat, a 61-58 loss at then-No. 5 Duke on Dec. 6. Texas A&M hosts Louisiana-Monroe on Tuesday before opening play in the tough Big 12 Conference with its four Top 25 teams.
POSTGAME NOTES
- For the sixth time this season, Texas A&M used the starting lineup of Sydney Colson, Sydney Carter, Tyra White, Adaora Elonu and Danielle Adams, and every player on the A&M roster saw playing time in the game. The Aggies are 5-1 with this starting lineup.
- Texas A&M moves to 3-0 in the all-time series with the Aztecs and have won all three games at San Diego State.
- For the 10th time this season, the Aggies outrebounded their opponent. With a 46-21 edge, A&M held its opponent to the least amount of rebounds of any opponent since Nov. 21, 2006 when they held McNeese State to just 18 rebounds. In addition, the rebounding margin of +25 was the second-highest this season next to +27 against Rice on Nov. 20.
- The Aggies made 42 field goals against SDSU, which were the most field goals made since they registered the same amount against Stephen F. Austin on Dec. 2, 2009.
- A&M shot 59.2 percent from the floor which was a season best and the highest shooting percentage since Feb. 27, 2010, when the team shot 63.6 percent at Colorado.
- The Aggies forced the Aztecs into 31 turnovers which was the most turnovers by an opponent since Dec. 2, 2009 when they forced 33 turnovers against Stephen F. Austin.
- Texas A&M outscored SDSU, 18-0, in fast break points and 25-3 in second chance points.
- Danielle Adams shot a season-best 73.3 percent (11-of-15) from the floor.
- Tyra White (10 pts) scored in double figures for the fourth straight game and the ninth time this season.
- Adrienne Pratcher scored a career-best eight points on 4-of-5 shooting from the floor.
- Freshman Karla Gilbert registered her fourth career double-figure performance with 11 points, while fellow freshman Kristen Grant posted a season-high four points and two steals in a season-best 15 minutes of action.
- Danielle Adams was selected the Surf `N Slam most valuable player, while Adaora Elonu and Sydney Colson were selected to the all-tournament team.
POSTGAME QUOTES
HEAD COACH Gary Blair
On the game...
"The first half was as good as we could possibly play. Everything was clicking. The players were all doing their job and Danielle was as hot as she's been all year. I think she's the best kept secret in the country. We played our rolls very well and our players that came off the bench have been learning to play with each other. The only thing that disappointed me in the end was our turnovers. San Diego State is a lot better than they showed tonight. Hopefully this game will help them because they have so much talent.
On what was working so well...
"We were able to get Sajoyia Griffin in foul trouble, so we were able to penetrate off the high post, but I ran a lot of set plays early and we were executing. We were just effective. We wanted to make sure everything wasn't on the block and that we could get (Paris Johnson) away from the basket.
On where the team is getting close to Big 12 Conference play...
"I'm ecstatic to be where we're at heading into conference. This was our last big test before Big 12 play. What we wanted to do was work on all the little stuff now to get ready for Big 12."
SENIOR FORWARD/CENTER Danielle Adams
On the first half...
"It was a very good first half. We jelled together and did what we needed to do on the offensive and defensive end. I think it was probably the best first half we've had and best all-around game we've had (this season)."
On shutting down SDSU's leading scorer Paris Johnson...
"We just played real aggressive defense and played like us. Our guards out played their guards and our post players out played their post players."
On what was working early offensively for Adams...
"After the first two shots, coach started telling the team to start giving me the ball more and I was just feeling it the first part of the game."
SENIOR GUARD Sydney Colson
On A&M's play in the first half and why the team was so successful...
"I attribute it to the defensive pressure we put on San Diego State. We were getting a lot of steals and getting out in transition. We also really like to get up and put pressure on people, make them do something they don't want to do, and take them out of their offense. It was us going out and playing hard, being focused, playing defense with a purpose, and knowing what we needed to do."
On distributing a career-high 13 assists...
"We were just running our sets, basically. Some of it was in transition, but Coach Blair was calling the plays for us to run and we were making the right reads and people knocking down shots when they were open."
