Texas Tech Presents Next Road Challenge for No. 6 Aggies
Feb 04, 2011 | Women's Basketball
Feb. 4, 2011
Complete Release in PDF Format 
#6/6 TEXAS A&M (18-2, 6-1) at TEXAS TECH (16-5, 3-4)
Game #21
February 5, 2011 • 2:00 p.m. (CT)
United Spirit Arena (15,050)
Lubbock, Texas
Television: Texas Tech Sports Network (TTSN)
Radio: Texas A&M Sports Network (KZNE 1150 AM)
Series History: Texas Tech leads 54-15
Internet: Free Live Statistics and Live Audio at www.AggieAthletics.com
GAME PREVIEW
The sixth-ranked Texas A&M women's basketball team (18-2, 6-1) returns to action at Texas Tech (16-5, 3-4) Saturday, Feb. 5 after having a bye to prepare for its remaining Big 12 Conference regular season schedule. The Aggies and the Lady Raiders tip off at 2 p.m. (CT) at United Spirit Arena. Traveling north to Lubbock, Texas, has always presented its challenges for the Aggies as they have only been successful on three all-time road trips in 31 tries in the series. Two of those wins have come in the 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.
UP NEXT
Up next, A&M returns home to Reed Arena for a pair of Big 12 games. First, the Aggies host No. 13/11 Oklahoma on Wednesday, Feb. 9 at 7 p.m. and then welcome Kansas on Feb. 12 for the BTHO Breast Cancer game at 7 p.m.
BTHO BREAST CANCER ON FEB. 12
The fifth-annual Beat the Hell Outta Breast Cancer game will be held on Saturday, Feb. 12 when Texas A&M hosts Kansas at 7 p.m. at Reed Arena. The official 2011 BTHO Breast Cancer T-Shirt is on sale now for $8 and comes with a free general admission ticket to the game. Immediately following the game, there will be a live jersey auction held in Reed Arena. All of the proceeds from the T-Shirt sales and the jersey auction benefit the Kay Yow Foundation. For more information, to purchase a T-Shirt, or to make a general donation, please visit the event's special website at: www.aggieathletics.com/bthobc or email questions to BTHOBreastCancer@athletics.tamu.edu.
ADAMS APPROACHING 1,000 POINTS
All-America candidate Danielle Adams is quickly approaching the 1,000-point mark of her Aggie career and coming into Saturday's game boasts 987 career points, lacking just 13 points to reach the 1,000 mark. Only 21 A&M players have ever reached this prestigious plateau. What's more is that only two players all-time have accomplished this feat in just two seasons – Jaynetta Saunders (1,024 from 1999-01) and Peggy Pope (1,010 in 1978-80).
AGGIES SET NEW ATTENDANCE RECORD
The crowd of 13,162 against top-ranked Baylor on Jan. 30 shattered the previous Texas A&M women's single game attendance record and was 10th all-time on the Reed Arena list. It was also the largest home attendance figure in the Big 12 this season. Here are the top five women's single game attendance figures to date:
1. Baylor (1/30/11) L, 60-63 13,162
2. Baylor (2/15/06) L, 59-84 11,088
3. Baylor (1/13/07) W, 60-52 8,886
4. Tulsa (3/16/05) W, 73-62 8,532
5. Texas (2/28/07) W, 67-60 7,478
AMONG NCAA LEADERS
The Aggies are currently among the top 25 teams in the country in 10 different NCAA statistical categories including turnover margin (1st, +10.4), scoring margin (5th, 25.0), assist-to-turnover ratio (6th – 1.3), turnovers per game (7th, 13.9), scoring offense (9th, 80.6), won-lost percentage (9th, 90.0), field goal percentage (10th, 46.1), assists per game (14th, 17.5), rebound margin (22, 7.3) and steals per game (25th, 11.9). A&M's “Two Syds”, junior Sydney Carter and senior Sydney Colson also rank among the top point guards in the nation with a 2.31 (10th) and 2.7 (5th) assist-to-turnover ratio, respectively. Carter is also 13th nationally with an 88.4 free throw percentage, while senior Danielle Adams ranks seventh averaging 22.4 points per game.
LEADING THE LEAGUE
While Texas A&M is among the national leaders in many statistical categories, the team also leads the Big 12 in assists, turnovers, turnover margin, assist-to-turnover ratio and steals. The Aggies rank second in scoring margin, rebounding defense and offensive rebounds. Preseason All-Big 12 selection and All-America candidate Danielle Adams leads the conference in scoring with 22.4 points, 8.6 rebounds and 3.8 offensive rebounds per game. Sydney Colson is tops in the league with 6.1 assists per game, is second with a 2.7 assist-to-turnover ratio (109-41). 2010 All-Big 12 Honorable Mention selection Sydney Carter ranks third with a 2.3 assist-to-turnover ratio (67-29).
RPI RATINGS
In the most recent NCAA Women's Basketball RPI, released Jan. 31, Texas A&M was moved up a spot to fourth behind just Duke, Tennessee and Connecticut. Baylor is ranked right behind A&M at fifth and the only other Big 12 school in the top 25 is Oklahoma (24th).
AGGIE ATTENDANCE FIGURES
Texas A&M averages 5,788 fans at each home game, which is the fourth-best in the Big 12 and the 13th-best attendance figure in the nation. The Aggies have been top 25 in national attendance for the past three seasons.
TWO TOUGH TASKS
Impressively, the Aggies' have only faced two three-point setbacks this season against two top 5 teams…a 58-61 loss at No. 5 Duke and a 60-63 defeat against No. 1 Baylor. In between those losses A&M won 12 straight games which is their longest streak of the season and matches a school-record 12-game swing that happened twice in program history, during the 2008-09 and 2007-08 seasons. During this stretch the Aggies forced their opponents to make an outstanding 24.8 turnovers per game, while just committing 13.3 – a +11.5 turnover margin. A&M averaged 84.8 points and over 19 assists per game to its opponents' nine. The Aggies also shot over 48 percent from the floor. Individually, three Aggies averaged double figures, including Adams (25.0 ppg), White (14.1 ppg) and Carter (11.3 ppg). Colson dished out 6.7 assists per game.
FROM THE SIDELINES
• A&M head coach Blair is 6-7 lifetime versus his alma mater in his 26 years as a Division I head coach. Blair earned his bachelor's degree in health and physical education in 1972 and his master's degree in education in 1974 from Texas Tech. He also played a season of baseball for the Red Raiders. All six of his career victories over Tech have occurred during his tenure in Aggieland.
• Fifth-year Texas Tech head coach Kristy Curry has Aggie ties. She previously served as an assistant coach under former A&M head coach Candi Harvey from 1994-96, prior to receiving her first head coaching job at Purdue from 1999-2006. She is married to Texas Tech assistant coach Kelly Curry, a Class of `90 graduate of A&M.
BAYLOR RECAP
Baylor 63, Texas A&M 60
• For the 14th 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 12-2 with this starting lineup.
• The Aggies fell to 35-45 in the all-time series with Baylor.
• The Aggies forced Baylor into 21 turnovers, the second-most it has committed all season. In addition, A&M held the Lady Bears to a second-half field goal percentage of just 33.3 (8-of-24).
• A&M might have been outrebounded in the game, but held the advantage in the offensive boards, 18-11, with a game-high six offensive rebounds from Danielle Adams.
• Danielle Adams extended her double-digit scoring streak to 29 straight games.
• Danielle Adams registered her 12th career double-double and her ninth this season against Baylor. It marked her fourth double-double in seven Big 12 Conference games.
• Tyra White scored in double figures for the 16th time this season against Baylor, including 11 of the last 12 games. She led the team in scoring for the second time this season.
• Karla Gilbert played a league career-best 15 minutes and was key in holding BU's Brittney Griner below her average of 22.2 points per game.
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 United Spirit Arena alongside color analyst Steve Miller on KZNE 1150 AM. A live audio feed will also be available on AggieAthletics.com.
