Texas A&M
16-6, 4-5
Texas Tech
14-9, 2-7
No. 11 Aggies Drop Tough 57-54 Road Loss at Texas Tech
Feb 10, 2010 | Women's Basketball
Feb. 10, 2010
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LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) - Ashlee Roberson scored 25 points to help Texas Tech to a 57-54 win over No. 11 Texas A&M on Wednesday night to snap a six-game losing streak.
Texas Tech (14-9, 2-7) ended the game on an 11-4 run after being down, 50-46 with 3:15 to play.
Tanisha Smith had 13 points and 13 rebounds in the loss. Adams ran into foul trouble late in the second half and did not score a basket in the final 15 minutes.
Tech freshman guard Monique Smalls forced four of Texas A&M's 21 turnovers, helping the Lady Raiders score 19 points off the miscues.
Neither team could get much going offensively in the first half, turning the ball over a combined 22 times, including 13 by the Aggies.
Texas A&M lost the lead for the first time since the 15:22 mark of the first half when Tech went up, 40-38 with 10:39 to go in the game.
The Aggies will host Kansas State (12-11, 4-5) in their fourth-annual Beat The Hell Outta Breast Cancer game on Saturday, Feb. 13 at Reed Arena. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. (CT). Tickets to the game are on sale for $10. The price includes a $2 and $8 donation to the Kay Yow Foundation. Tickets are priced at $10 for all seating levels in the arena and may be purchased online at http://tickets.12thmanfoundation.com, in person at the Ticket Center's Kyle Field or Reed Arena locations, or by telephone at 1-888-99-AGGIE.
POSTGAME NOTES
• For the first time this season, Texas A&M used the starting five of Tanisha Smith, Damitria Buchanan (0-1).
• The Aggies have lost the last two-straight road contests in the series with Texas Tech. They are now 3-28 all-time when playing on the road in Lubbock.
• Adrienne Pratcher, who played in only 15 contests prior to the Texas Tech game, became only the fourth true freshman to start at point guard in Texas A&M head coach Gary Blair's seven seasons in Aggieland next to Sydney Colson twice as a rookie in 2007-08 behind former standout A'Quonesia Franklin who started as a freshman in 2004-05 and Sydney Carter in 2008-09.
• Tanisha Smith grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds in the first half alone and ended the night with a personal best 13. It marked the fourth time of her career to record double-digit boards in a game. She turned in her third career double-double with 13 points and 13 boards against the Lady Raiders.
• Starting point guard Sydney Colson did not play for the second time this season recovering from a stress reaction in her left fibula. Backup point guard Sydney Carter also played with a sprained right ankle.
POSTGAME QUOTES
Texas A&M Head Coach Gary Blair
On the game ...
"First off, I would like to give Texas Tech a lot of credit for what they've been going through. Those nine players they had suited out showed a lot of class and character and played their butts off. When you outrebound a team by 20, you better find a way to score some points. We ran out of gas on the defensive end. They were doing a good job of playing a 20-second offense and we couldn't guard them. (Ashlee) Roberson hurt us all night. My little freshman (Adrienne Pratcher) came in and played the most extended minutes of the season in her first start. (Sydney) Carter played with a sprained ankle, but she gutted it out. Being an ex-Red Raider, I'd like to know where all of the Red Raiders are? This program deserves people in the stands. Everyone goes through tough times. We built our program at A&M around what Texas Tech and Texas have done over the years. Don't wait around for a winner, because Chicago Cubs fans have been waiting for about 100 years. Get out and support Coach (Kristy) Curry and more importantly, support those seniors who have laid it on the line for four years. Their team played with a lot of heart out there tonight. They made plays down the stretch and we didn't finish."
On playing inside without Kierra Mallard in the Texas Tech lineup ...
"We didn't get the ball into her (Danielle Adams) enough in the second half. Some of it was her fault and (Jordan) Barncastle was doing an adequate job on her. Our guards were not penetrating and hitting her with the pass. When she's hot and fresh, she can shoot the three pretty well. Adams is doing all she can. I have other players and post players who were missing shots. Our turnovers were a major culprit for us tonight. I thought they did a good job on our point guard and not allowing her to run our offense. (Tilmila) Martin and (Monique) Smalls did a good job of pressuring the point when they were in. They just played harder and smarter than we did. When you are on the road in the Big12, you have to be a little bit more poised and hit your free throws down the stretch. You have to create a sense of urgency in the end. We haven't been able to make a steal (in end-of-game situations) in our six losses this season."
