Texas A&M
2-0
Louisville
1-1
No. 6 Aggies Defeat No. 9 Louisville, 76-58
Nov 15, 2011 | Women's Basketball
COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS (AP) - Kelsey Bone scored 15 points, Sydney Carter added 14 and Tyra White added 13 as No. 6 Texas A&M cruised to a 76-58 win over the shorthanded, ninth-ranked Louisville Cardinals on Tuesday.
The Aggies received their national championship rings and unveiled a banner commemorating their title in a pregame ceremony and the excitement seeped into the game as they jumped out to an 8-0 lead.
It was a lead they never gave up. The Aggies led by nine points with 13 minutes remaining before using an 11-0 run capped by a 3-pointer by freshman Alexia Standish to stretch the lead to 58-38 three minutes later.
The Cardinals were playing without star point guard Shoni Schimmel who was serving the second of a two-game suspension. They were led by Bria Smith's career-high 20 points.
Schimmel's suspension came after Louisville reported to the NCAA that she played in a non-sanctioned 3-on-3 summer tournament on her reservation in Oregon.
They were also without Tia Gibbs, who missed the game after injuring her shoulder against Missouri State on Sunday, and Monique Reid, who has back and foot injuries.
The Cardinals were forced into 27 turnovers without Schimmel handling the ball, including six from Smith and five from Shelby Harper.
This was the just the second meeting between these teams and the first since a Louisville win in 1992. It is the first of several tough non-conference games for the Aggies, who will also meet No. 4 Connecticut, No. 16 Purdue and No. 23 Southern Cal before Big 12 play begins.
Bone, who is in her first season with the Aggies after sitting out last year following a transfer from South Carolina, didn't have a turnover after losing the ball six times in her Texas A&M debut. She also led the team with nine rebounds.
Carter had a career-high eight steals and White grabbed seven rebounds for Texas A&M.
Louisville got within 17 points on a layup by Smith with about 5 1/2 minutes remaining. The Aggies responded with an 8-0 run to extend the lead to 73-49 and put the game farther out of reach.
The Aggies took an early 8-0 lead thanks to four quick points each from White and Bone. The Cardinals didn't score until Smith hit a pair of free throws with just more than 16 minutes left in the first half to make it 8-2.
Texas A&M was up by 12 points with three minutes remaining in the first half, but Louisville scored six straight points after that to cut the lead to 31-25. But Adaora Elonu hit a jump shot 19 seconds before halftime to give the Aggies a 33-25 lead at the break.
POSTGAME NOTES
TEAM NOTES
- Texas A&M used the starting lineup of Adrienne Pratcher, Sydney Carter, Tyra White, Adaora Elonu and Kelsey Bone... It marked the second start of Bone's Aggie career, the third career start for Pratcher, 56th for Carter, 73rd for White and 76th for Elonu.
- A&M defeated its highest ranked opponent at home since upsetting No. 6 Duke, 95-77, on Nov. 15, 2009.
- The Aggies have now won 45 straight non-conference home games, since a 40-46 loss to Houston in December 2003. In addition, A&M has won 72 of its last 79 home games.
- With the win, Texas A&M evened the all-time series at 1-1.
- Texas A&M's 28 offensive rebounds were the most since grabbing 29 against Lamar on Jan. 4, 2010. A&M's offensive rebound advantage was 28-19.
- Texas A&M lead by as many as 25 in the second half.
- The Aggies outscored Louisville in the paint 42-28.
- The attendance of 6,943 was the largest regular season non-conference crowd in program history.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- White has now started in 60 straight games, a streak that started on Jan. 4, 2010 against Lamar.
- White has also scored double figures in her last 11 games (which includes nine from last season)
- Carter's career-high eight steals was the most steals by an Aggie since Toccara Williams had nine steals on Jan. 25, 2004 against Texas.
- Pratcher has another solid game with 7 points, eight assists and four rebounds.
- Off the bench, Karla Gilbert added 9 points and seven rebounds.
- Bone and White combined for 11 offensive boards.
- Blair is just two wins away from 600 career wins (598-242).
POSTGAME QUOTES
A&M HEAD COACH GARY BLAIR
Opening Statement
"Louisville is a very good ball club, but we did not play all of Louisville. They had three starters out. Instead of a 20-point ballgame, it would've been right down to the wire. They're good and we'll have to go play up there next year.
I thought we got better during the ball game. I was hoping I wouldn't see 40 minutes of zone, but that's what I saw. He (Louisville head coach Jeff Walz) had to do that because of his lack of depth. We had some outside shots, but we weren't hitting them and we got into foul trouble early. We had to get into our fast tempo game and get out early before they could get in their zone."
On the team's foul trouble and Sydney Carter's play
"We were fouling, but we were aggressive. Everyone is trying to be Sydney Carter. But there's only one Sydney Carter. That's defense. Just watch her on film the whole time. She makes everyone else play harder. She wasn't ready to come out in 37 minutes, but I had to rest her with a 20-point lead."
On Kelsey Bone's play
"She's getting better, but she was a force in the middle. When she gets that offensive board, she needs to split the defense. She's getting better, she's getting her minutes and she's listening to coaching - that's the most important thing."
What was the thing you liked the most about how your team played?
"We competed. We made turnovers and it was a long game, but I really like the way our press has affected the teams in our first two games."
On the value of being national champions and defending a national championship
"It's not just defending one, but acting like a champion, dressing like a champion and taking care of academics. We can learn so much from this. Just the personal appearances we have had in the White House and to the ESPYs, you can't get that as a regular student. They're learning how to communicate and that's what it's all about on the next level."
JUNIOR CENTER KELSEY BONE
On the team's offensive rebounds and improving her rebounding from last game
"I think it was very huge for us. I took it personally last game. I think I had one rebound. Coach Blair challenged me, and I knew if I did nothing else I had to rebound tonight. We got outrebounded against Oklahoma City a couple of weeks ago and Coach Schaefer has been on us. It's something I take personal because it's just about going to get the ball and about who wants it more."
On what Coach Blair told her before the game
"He told me, 'today is your game and I feel like it's going to be the one where you break out , so just go out there and do what you can do.'"
On having no turnovers today
"That's really exciting for me, to have no turnovers. I could have hung my head about my performance on Saturday, but I have the best teammates in the world. No matter what, they're going to keep getting me the ball. It's about getting into it. Tonight, we had to protect our home court. I don't think we've lost a non-conference game in here in forever, so we didn't want this to be the ones who did it. But no turnovers, that's a good day for me."
SENIOR GUARD SYDNEY CARTER
What helped to boost the team when Louisville went on a run in the second half?
"I think it was just a matter of our leaders stepping up and knowing we needed the ball in our hands. Tyra (White) came in, I was in a shooting slump, but Tyra got on the offensive boards. That sparked us, looking at Tyra and knowing she's playing hard. I think we were just picking it up on the defensive end. I switched to (Louisville's Bria) Smith and forced some turnovers. As soon as we got it going on defense, things started to work out."
On being able to run the ball well and force turnovers
"I have to credit that to our conditioning. Our coaches do a really good job making sure we outrun the other team, they take pride in that. Like I said, if they see me playing hard, it motivates them to play hard."
How did it feel to win on the day you have the banner raised?
"It's very emotional, it's definitely something we take pride in because this was the day we raised our banner and we definitely didn't want to loss period, but especially not when we raised our banner. It was definitely a good win, they're a good team. They gave us a run for our money."
SENIOR GUAR TYRA WHITE
What helped you force turnovers?
"I just think it's our pressure. It's how we play. That's what our coaches say, nobody can actually do what we do, just us".
On 28 offensive rebounds
"We take pride in it and we do rebounding drills every day with Coach Schaefer. My shot weren't falling at first and I got in some early foul trouble, but I just kept trying to rebound and get on the inside."
How did it feel to have that banner raised today?
"It was like we won the game again. It's actually good to get my ring so people can stop asking me where it is. I can just show it to them now."
LOUISVILLE HEAD COACH JEFF WALZ
On A&M's defensive pressure
"They're fantastic, they play hard, they deny and they're aggressive. I thought we handled the initial pressure well. We got them out of pressing full court, but once we got the ball across full court, it was bad. We were also missing some key players out there. I'm not saying we would have won, but it's different when you have an experienced point guard on the floor. I thought Jude played well for us. But for the most part, their pressure is really good.
How did A&M jump to a 19 point lead in the second half?
"I'll go look through the tape, I but feel confident it was offensive rebounds. We gave up three or four in-a-row. Then they hit a three, Pratcher did, on the left wing where we left her completely open. She's one of those players that I told the team to make her shoot it, but you can't give her a wide open shot. They're a very talented team, they went on a run and got a big lead in a hurry.
On Kelsey Bone's play, and A&M filling roles that were filled by graduated players last year
"Bone is pretty darn good guys, I'm just telling you. They had to replace Danielle Adams, who can score as well as anyone I have seen in college basketball, but they have some good returning players and some freshman that can play. Kelsey will only get better. When she gets in playing shape and keeps out of that early foul trouble, they're going to be a tough team to beat.
