March 10, 2011
Complete Release in PDF Format 
#2 Seed TEXAS A&M (25-4) vs. #3 Seed OKLAHOMA (21-10)
Game #31
March 11, 2011 • 2:30 p.m. (CT)
Municipal Auditorium (9,308)
at Kansas City, Mo.
Television: Fox Sports Net
Radio: Texas A&M Sports Network (KZNE 1150 AM)
Series History: Oklahoma leads 26-17
Internet: Live Statistics and Live Video at www.Big12Sports.com
GAME PREVIEW
The eighth-ranked and second-seeded Texas A&M women's basketball team (26-4) faces 20th-ranked and third-seeded Oklahoma (21-10) in the semifinals of the 2011 Phillips 66 Women's Basketball Championship on Friday, March 11 at 2:30 p.m. (CT) at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo. The Aggies, who have won five of their last six, defeated the Sooners twice this season, including a 92-71 rout on Feb. 9 in College Station, Texas. A&M has played to three straight championship game appearances in the last three years and is currently the second-highest ranked Big 12 team in the country. Tournament victories or the league's automatic bid can only improve the Aggies' seeding as the NCAA Tournament field of 64 is announced on Selection Monday, March 14 on ESPN.
BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP COVERAGE
The Big 12 Championship quarterfinals, semifinals and championship game will be aired before a nationally-televised audience exclusively on Fox Sports Net. Play-by-play announcer Brenda VanLengen, color analyst Debbie Antonelli and sideline reporter Cindy Stein will call Texas A&M's semifinal game versus Oklahoma live from Municipal Auditorium on FSN. Check your local listings.
AGGIE SEMI-SWEET
The Aggies will make their sixth consecutive appearance (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011) in the Big 12 Championship semifinals extending all the way back to the 2006 Tournament held at Reunion Arena in Dallas. A&M is the only league school to make six-straight semifinal appearances. The Aggies are 3-2 all-time when playing in the semifinals. They also boast the best tournament record of any league school (11-3) over the last five years. A&M won its first-ever Big 12 postseason title in 2008 in Kansas City and became the first No. 4 seed in league history to do so. The Aggies followed with its second postseason title last season. The Aggies are currently 12-12 all-time in Big 12 Championship play and made back-to-back championship game appearances the past three years.
FOLLOW @Aggie_W_Hoops ON TWITTER
Not following @Aggie_W_Hoops on Twitter? Sign up or sign in today to find out what's happening. You will stay up-to-date on the latest news and receive live in-game updates at each and every contest.
SCOUTING OKLAHOMA
Oklahoma has lost four of its last seven games, but pulled out a 71-69 victory over sixth-seeded Texas Tech in the Big 12 Quarterfinals to advance to the semifinals for the third straight year. OU is an impressive 6-1 all-time in the Big 12 semifinals. The team is led by All-Big 12 First Team selection Danielle Robinson with 18.4 points and 4.8 assists per game. Big 12 All-Freshman Team performer Aaryn Ellenberg averages 16.7 points per game and sophomore Whitney Hand is the other Sooner in double figures with 11.1 points per game. Joanna McFarland leads the team with 6.4 rebounds per game. OU head coach Sherri Coale is 334-153 (.686) in her 15th season at the helm of the program.
PROBABLE STARTING LINEUPS
TEXAS A&M
No. Name 2010-11 Stats
51 Sydney Colson, G, 5-8, Sr. (7.7 ppg, 6.4 apg)
4 Sydney Carter, G, 5-6, Jr. (10.1 ppg, 3.2 rpg)
20 Tyra White, G, 6-0, Jr. (13.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg)
21 Adaora Elonu, F, 6-1, Jr. (8.6 ppg, 5.8 rpg)
23 Danielle Adams, F/C, 6-1, Sr. (23.3 ppg, 8.5 rpg)
OKLAHOMA
No. Name 2010-11 Stats
13 Danielle Robinson, G, 5-9, Sr. (18.4 ppg, 4.8 apg)
3 Aaryn Ellenberg, G, 5-7, Fr. (16.7 ppg, 3.4 rpg)
25 Whitney Hand, G, 6-1, RS-So. (11.1 ppg, 5.7 rpg)
10 Carlee Roethlisberger, F, 6-1, Sr. (6.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg)
4 Nicole Griffin, C, 6-6, Fr. (5.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg)
SERIES HISTORY
Oklahoma leads 26-17 in the all-time series with Texas A&M. The Aggies, however, have won four straight and six of the last seven meetings between the two Big 12 South rivals. With 92 points against the Sooners on Feb. 9, A&M tallied the second-most points against Oklahoma all-time next to 101 points on Dec. 5, 1989 in College Station. A&M swept OU in the regular season for just the second time, next to its two-game sweep in 2007. The two teams last met in the Big 12 Tournament a year ago when A&M downed Oklahoma 74-67 in the finals for the postseason title.
UP NEXT
Should the Aggies win on Friday, they will then play in the finals on Saturday, March 12 at 11 a.m. The game is televised nationally on FSN.
AGGIE TOURNAMENT SIDEBARS
• Texas A&M is the only school in the Big 12 to receive first-round byes in the league tournament for its men's and women's basketball teams each of the last two seasons.
• Texas A&M is one of only two league schools, next to Kansas State, to get both its men's and women's basketball squads into the top four of the league standings.
• The Aggies have beaten the No. 1 (twice), No. 3 (twice), No. 5 (twice), No. 6, No. 7 (twice), No. 8 (twice) and No. 12 seeds all-time in the tournament. Of their 11 overall victories, six were against Big 12 South opponents in and top-seeded Oklahoma (2009), third-seeded Oklahoma State (2008) and third-seeded Oklahoma (2010), fifth-seeded Texas (2010) and seventh-seeded Texas (1998, 2011) and the remaining six versus the Big 12 North in top-seeded Nebraska (2010), fifth-seeded Kansas State (2009), sixth-seeded Nebraska (2006), eighth-seeded Colorado (2007), 12th-seeded Missouri (2008) and eighth-seeded Iowa State (2008). A&M has faced nine of the 11 member schools in postseason play and have appeared three times in the championship game since the league's formation.
• Danielle Adams is no stranger to the Big 12 Championship. She was the 2010 Most Outstanding Player and she attended the 2009 championship held in Kansas City. Ironically, it was the same year in which A&M made its tournament run and beat Oklahoma State in the finals in 2008. The Aggies, however, were not recruiting her at the time. “I always knew I wanted to play in the Big 12 and have a chance at a conference championship,” Adams said. “I thought the Aggies played well throughout the tournament and I was really excited to watch them play their style of defense.”
KC MASTERPIECE
One thing that sets Texas A&M apart from the rest of the Big 12 Championship field is having the Kansas City combination of All-Big 12 First Team selections Danielle Adams and Tyra White. The duo combined for 37 of the team's 77 points versus rival Texas in the Big 12 quarterfinals on Wednesday with a game-high 23 from Adams and 14 from White. The two have combined for 40 or more points nine times and 50 or more points twice (vs. ULM on Jan. 4 and vs. Texas Tech on Feb. 5) this season. Both starred at area high schools. White was a McDonald's High School All-American out of Hickman Mills High School, while Adams was a JUCO All-American at Jefferson (Mo.) College. Adams played high school ball at Lee's Summit.
FROM THE SIDELINES
• Texas A&M head coach Gary Blair is 12-7 lifetime versus Texas in his 26 years as a Division I head coach. All 12 of his career victories against the Longhorns have come during his time in Aggieland. He is 11-2 all-time when playing a Gail Goestenkors-coached squad in Duke (2-2) and Texas (9-0) combined.
• Blair is 11-12 lifetime versus Oklahoma in his 26 years as a Division I head coach. Nine of his 11 career victories against the Sooners have come during his time in Aggieland.
• The A&M and OU series has developed into a heated rivalry between two Big 12 powerhouses who have laid claim to a combined seven Big 12 trophies since 2006 and four of the last five consecutive postseason tournament titles.
BIG 12 QUARTERFINALS RECAP
Texas A&M 77, Texas 50
• For the 20th time this season, Texas A&M used the starting lineup of Sydney Colson, Sydney Carter, Tyra White, Adaora Elonu and Danielle Adams. The Aggies are 16-4 with this starting lineup.
• Texas A&M improved to 23-58 in the all-times series with Texas. The Aggies have now won 11 straight including 13 out of the last 14 meetings between the two storied rivals. For the second straight season, A&M beat the Longhorns three times.
• The Aggies move to 3-1 all-time against Texas in the Big 12 Championship, 6-1 all-time in the quarterfinals and 12-12 overall in all Big 12 Championship games.
• The 27-point victory was Texas A&M's largest margin of victory all-time against Texas and its largest in a Big 12 Championship game. It is also the sixth largest margin of victory by a team ever in a Big 12 quarterfinal contest and tied for seventh in all-time Big 12 Championship contests. In eight of the last nine contests against the Longhorns, the Aggies have won by double digits.
• Texas A&M forced Texas into 31 turnovers, which ranks as the second most turnovers in all-time Big 12 Championship games and the most in Big 12 quarterfinal contests. The Aggies also recorded 15 steals, which is tied for sixth most in all-time Big 12 Championship games and tied for third in Big 12 quarterfinal contests.
• A&M held the Longhorns to just 28 percent shooting in the first half which was its opponent's lowest first-half field goal percentage since holding UT to just 22 percent shooting in the first half on Feb. 27.
• The Aggies shot a season-best 75 percent (3-of-4) from beyond the arc in the first half and 53 percent (16-of-30) from the floor, which was its best field goal percentage in the first half since shooting 57 percent against ULM on Jan. 4.
• The Aggies outscored Texas 18-0 in fast break points and 37-9 off of turnovers.
• A&M held UT to just 32 percent from the field and 16 percent from beyond the arc.
• Sydney Colson matched her first-half career high with 12 points and reached double figures for the eighth time this season. She matched a season high with five steals.
• Danielle Adams has now reached double figures 38 of her last 39 games.
• Tyra White tallied her 22nd double-digit scoring performance this season.
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 Municipal Auditorium alongside color analyst Steve Miller on KZNE 1150 AM. A live audio feed will also be available on AggieAthletics.com and RadioAggieland.com.