COLLEGE STATION, Texas - The No. 16 Texas A&M women's basketball team faces its eighth ranked opponent this season when the Aggies travel to No. 25 Texas Tech on Wednesday, Feb. 1. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at United Spirit Arena and the game is televised on the Texas Tech Sports Network.          Â
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#18/16 TEXAS A&M (14-5, 5-3 Big 12) at #25Â TEXAS TECHÂ (15-5, 3-5 Big 12) |
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Game 20 |
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Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2012 • 7:00 p.m. (CT) |
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United Spirit Arena (15,098) |
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Lubbock, Texas |
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Television: TTSN |
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Radio: Texas A&M Sports Network (KZNE 1150 AM) |
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Series History: Texas Tech leads 54-17 |
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Internet: ESPN3.com and Free Live Audio and Live Stats at AggieAthletics.com |
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TEXAS A&M |
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Record: 14-5 (5-3 Big 12) |
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Ranking: #18 (AP), #16 (Coaches) |
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Last Result: W, 66-64 vs. Iowa State on 1/29/12 |
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Up Next: vs. Kansas on 2/4/12 |
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Head Coach: Gary Blair, Ninth Season |
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Texas A&M Record: 202-84 (.706) |
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Career Record: 610-247 (.712) |
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TEXAS TECH |
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Record: 15-5 (3-5 Big 12) |
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Ranking: #25 (AP), RV (Coaches) |
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Last Result: W, 75-71 vs. Texas on 1/28/12 |
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Up Next: vs. Missouri on 2/5/12 |
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Head Coach: Kristy Curry, Sixth Season |
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Texas Tech Record: 102-78 (.567) |
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Career Record: 281-129 (.685) |
ON THE TUBE
- Wednesday, Texas A&M will appear on the tube before a television audience for the ninth time this season. The game is on the Texas Tech Sports Network and will be available on ESPN3.com worldwide and locally (except in Navasota and Brenham) on KAGS-HD (Suddenlink Channel 6 and Channel 730 HD).
- The Aggies are 5-3 on TV this season.
- The Aggies appear on television a school-record 13 times during the 2011-12 regular 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 United Spirit Arena alongside color analyst Steve Miller on KZNE 1150 AM. A live audio feed will also be available on RadioAggieland.com.
QUICK HITS
- Four Aggies are averaging double figures this season with Preseason All-Big 12 selection Tyra White (14.4 ppg) leading the way. She is followed by senior forward Adaora Elonu (12.3 ppg), Big 12 Preseason Newcomer of the Year Kelsey Bone (11.8 ppg) and senior guard Sydney Carter (11.6 ppg).
- Elonu leads the team in rebounding (7.0 rpg), followed closely by Bone (6.9 rpg), and White averages 5.6 rebounds per game.
- The Aggies lead the Big 12 Conference by forcing their opponents into an average of 21.5 turnovers per game, with a turnover margin of +6.0, and with 17.8 offensive rebounds per game. The team also averages 10.5 steals per game, which is second-best in the Big 12.
- The Aggies have the 13th-best turnover margin in the nation at 6.0, the 17th-best assist-to-turnover ratio (1.02) and the 21st-best rebounding margin in the nation (+7.3).
- In Big 12 play, freshman Alexia Standish leads the league with a 3.0 assist-to-turnover ratio. Bone is third-best with a 53.2 field goal percentage. White averages 15.1 points per game, sixth-best in the league. Elonu's 7.9 rebounds per conference game rank fifth-best while her 3.6 offensive rebounds per game are third-best.
SCOUTING TEXAS TECH
- Texas Tech University is located in Lubbock, Texas, has an enrollment of 32,237 and was founded in 1923.
- The Lady Raiders return four starters and 11 letterwinners from the 2010-11 season when they finished 22-11 overall and 8-8 (6th) in Big 12 play.
- Tech made is 19th NCAA Tournament appearance last season, before falling to St. John's in the first round.
- The Lady Raiders started the season 14-0, but then dropped five straight conference games. They snapped their five-game skid, however, with a 75-71 victory over Texas at home on Jan. 28.
- Texas Tech is led by Kierra Mallard with 13.1 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. She has not played the last two games, but is the only player averaging double figures.
- Sixth-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.
PROBABLE STARTING LINEUPS
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TEXAS A&M |
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No. |
Name                                       |
2011-12 Stats |
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10 |
Alexia Standish, G, 5-8, Fr. |
3.6 ppg, 2.1 apg |
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04 |
Sydney Carter, G, 5-6, Sr. |
11.6 ppg, 3.2 rpg |
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20 |
Tyra White, G, 6-0, Sr. |
14.4 ppg, 5.6 rpg |
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21 |
Adaora Elonu, F, 6-1, Sr. |
12.3 ppg, 7.0 rpg |
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03 |
Kelsey Bone, C, 6-4, Jr. |
11.8 ppg, 6.9 rpg |
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TEXAS TECH |
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No. |
Name                                       |
2011-12 Stats |
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23 |
Monique Smalls, G, 5-8, Jr. |
8.6 ppg, 4.6 apg |
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15 |
Casey Morris, G, 5-9, Jr. |
9.2 ppg, 3.7 rpg |
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05 |
Christine Hyde, G, 5-10 Jr. |
9.0 ppg, 4.2 rpg |
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41 |
Kelsi Baker, F, 6-0, So. |
7.2 ppg, 4.4 rpg |
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20 |
Kierra Mallard, F, 6-3, Se. |
13.1 ppg, 8.8 rpg |
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STATISTICAL COMPARISON |
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2011-12 Category |
TAMU |
TTU |
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Overall Record |
14-5 |
15-5 |
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Conference Record |
5-3 |
3-5 |
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Points Per Game |
70.5 |
71.8 |
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Scoring Margin              |
+10.7 |
+13.7 |
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Rebounds Per Game   |
40.7 |
43.7 |
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Rebounding Margin     |
+7.3 |
+8.4 |
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Field Goal Percentage |
42.3 |
40.6 |
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Field Goal% Defense  |
41.2 |
36.8 |
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3-Point FG%Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â |
27.6 |
32.6 |
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Free Throw Percentage |
66.3 |
66.2 |
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Turnovers Per Game     |
15.5 |
16.2 |
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Assists Per Game        |
15.8 |
14.5 |
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Blocks Per Game          |
4.7 |
4.7 |
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Steals Per Game          |
10.5 |
11.9 |
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INSIDE THE SERIES
- Texas Tech leads 54-17 in the all-time series with Texas A&M and has won three of the last four matchups.
- The Aggies have also won nine of the last 11 meetings between the two Big 12 rivals, but their two losses came at United Spirit Arena in 2009 and 2010 by just seven points or less. A&M picked up its last and only fourth-ever road win in Lubbock with a 79-65 victory on Feb. 5, 2011.
- Blair is 9-7 lifetime versus his alma mater in his 27 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 nine of his career victories over Tech have occurred during his tenure in Aggieland.
LAST 11 GAMES IN THE SERIES
W, 84-60 on Feb. 22, 2011 in College Station
W, 79-65 on Feb. 5, 2011 in Lubbock, Texas
L, 54-57 on Feb. 10, 2010 in Lubbock, Texas
W, 69-54 on Jan. 23, 2010 in College Station
L, 53-60 on Feb. 11, 2009 in Lubbock, Texas
W, 67-56 on Jan. 13, 2009 in College Station
W, 70-56 on Feb. 17, 2008 in College Station
W, 63-46 on Feb. 2, 2008 in Lubbock, Texas
W, 67-51 on Feb. 21, 2007 in College Station
W, 49-47 on Jan. 10, 2007 in Lubbock, Texas
W, 65-48 on Feb. 5, 2006 in College Station
LADY RAIDERS REWIND
- Danielle Adams scored 20 of her 30 points in the first half and had a career-high-tying 13 rebounds to lead No. 5 Texas A&M to an 84-60 win over Texas Tech. Texas A&M (23-3, 11-2 Big 12) was up by eight at halftime and used a 16-4 run to open the second half and stretch the lead to 52-32 with about 15 minutes left. Texas Tech had trouble dealing with the physical play of Adams, who had 10 rebounds to go with her 20 points at halftime.The loss breaks a three-game winning streak for Texas Tech (19-8, 6-7). Chynna Brown had 15 points and Teena Wickett added 11 for the Lady Raiders. Adams got her first career first-half double-double in the win and Tyra White added 20 points for Texas A&M. The 24-point loss is Texas Tech's most lopsided defeat of the season. They allowed the Aggies to shoot better than 55 percent and Texas A&M's 84 points were the most they've allowed all season. Texas A&M was also helped by a season-high 89.5 percent free throw shooting (17 of 19). Colson finished with 10 points, five assists and three steals.
STANDISH STEPPING UP
Freshman Alexia Standish earned her first career start on Jan. 8 against Oklahoma and now leads the Big 12 with a 3.0 assist-to-turnover ratio in conference games. She has bettered that over the last six contests with a 4.75 ratio (19-4). In three of those six games (Texas, at Kansas and Iowa State), she has not committed a single turnover, while dishing out 14 assists.
ADAORA IN THE LAST FIVE
Senior forward Adaora Elonu has led the Aggies over its last five games with 14.8 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. She has shot 57.4 percent from the floor over that stretch and is 20-of-24 (83.3 percent) from the free throw line.
IN THE RECORD BOOKS
- Carter and Elonu recently became the 24th and 25th players to pass over 1,000 career points- Carter (1,012) against Kansas on Jan. 21 and Elonu (1,021) against Oklahoma State on Jan. 24.
- With 1,336 career points, White is in eighth place on A&M's career points list. She is 50 points away from passing All-American Danielle Adams (1,386 career points) and moving into seventh place.
- With six rebounds against Missouri on Jan. 18, White became the 24th A&M player to join the 500-rebound club and now has 522 career boards.
- Carter is one 3-pointer away (117) from moving into fifth place in career 3-point field goals made.
- Elonu is nine rebounds away (644) from moving into seventh place on the career rebounds list.
- Carter is 11 steals away (179) from moving into the top 10 all-time at A&M.
WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?
Here is a comparison of key statistics in A&M's wins vs. losses:
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Team Stat |
Wins |
Losses |
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Points per game |
74.6 |
59.0 |
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Opp points per game |
56.5 |
69.0 |
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Scoring margin |
+18.1 |
-10.0 |
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FG Percentage |
44.7 |
35.4 |
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Opp FG Percentage |
39.0 |
47.4 |
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Free-Throw Percentage |
68.3 |
60.0 |
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Turnovers per game |
14.2 |
19.2 |
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Turnover Margin |
+8.1 |
+0.2 |
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Steals per game |
11.3 |
8.2 |
Four of the Aggies' five losses have occurred on the road. Here is a comparison of key statistics in A&M's home vs. away games:
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Team Stat |
Home |
Away |
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Points per game |
76.1 |
63.8 |
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Scoring margin |
+15.6 |
+4.5 |
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FG Percentage |
45.3 |
38.8 |
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Opp FG Percentage |
39.6 |
43.3 |
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FT Made per game |
15.7 |
10.8 |
BLAIR REACHES 200-WIN MILESTONE
- Gary Blair recently reached his 600th career win as a Division I head coach and on Jan. 18, he achieved another coaching milestone with his 200th victory as head coach of the Fightin' Texas Aggies.
- Blair is already the all-time winningest coach in program history with 201 wins and a .708 winning percentage (202-84). He surpassed former head coach Lynn Hickey, who compiled 154 career victories from 1984-1994, with an 84-53 win over Portland State in the NCAA First Round on March 20, 2010 in Seattle, Wash.