Texas A&M
17-5, 8-3Big 12
Kansas State
15-8, 6-5Big 12
No. 14 Aggies Defeat K-State, Win Fourth Straight
Feb 09, 2012 | Women's Basketball
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) - Texas A&M has had trouble maintaining its intensity once it gained big leads this season.
On Wednesday night they finally fixed that problem.
Kelsey Bone and Karla Gilbert scored 14 points apiece to lead No. 15 Texas A&M to its fourth straight win, 67-36, over Kansas State.
Texas A&M led 39-19 at halftime and used a 12-5 run early in the second half to extend its advantage to 51-24. Tyra White had five points to lead the Aggies in that span.
"We talked about not taking our foot off their throats," Bone said. "(associate head) Coach (Vic Schaefer) told us at halftime: 'You want to wake some people up and get some people's attention, hold them to 19 more points.'"
Instead they limited the Wildcats to just 17 to leave them with their lowest point total of the season.
"We're getting mentally tough," coach Gary Blair said.
The win leaves the Aggies (17-5, 8-3 Big 12) in second place in the Big 12 entering Saturday's game against league-leader and top-ranked Baylor. It will be the first meeting between the teams since A&M's win in the regional final last season en route to its first national championship.
Brittany Chambers had 11 points and was the only player with double digits for Kansas State (15-8, 6-5).
Blair rotated the 6-foot-4 Bone and 6-5 Gilbert and the duo proved to be a nearly unstoppable combination inside. The two helped the Aggies outscore Kansas State 44 to 6 in the paint.
"The play in the first half of Kelsey Bone and Karla Gilbert was really significant, just establishing how much they wanted to own the paint on both ends of the floor," Kansas State coach Deb Patterson said. "Those two stepped up their game and took control."
Blair was impressed with the dominance of Bone and Gilbert.
"That's the best we've looked all year at that position," he said. "They both played very well and they were aggressive."
The Aggies also took advantage of 23 turnovers which they turned into 29 points.
"They played a great defensive game," Chambers said. "We just didn't play tough tonight at all. We let them dictate every aspect of the game."
White added 13 points and had 10 rebounds and Adaora Elonu had eight points for Texas A&M.
Kansas State won this year's first meeting 71-69 in overtime in the Big 12 opener for both teams. On Wednesday the Aggies were in control from the start and the Wildcats never got closer than 18 points in the second half.
Patterson raved about how much Bone had improved since that first meeting, but the player gave her team credit for the change.
"I think it just goes into the chemistry that we're building with one another," Bone said.
The Aggies led by five points in the first half before using a 16-2 run to extend their lead to 33-14 with three minutes remaining in the first half. Alexia Standish had two 3-pointers early in that run.
POSTGAME NOTES
TEAM NOTES
- For the 10th time this season, Texas A&M used the starting lineup of Alexia Standish, Sydney Carter, Tyra White, Adaora Elonu and Kelsey Bone...The Aggies are 8-2 with this starting lineup.
- Texas A&M moves to 8-13 in the all-time series with Kansas State.
- The Aggies' 20-point half-time lead was its largest in conference play this season.
- The Aggies' 56.7 field goal percentage in the first half was its best of the season.
- A&M's 52.7 shooting percentage was its best in conference play and its second-best this season.
- A&M held K-State to a first-half season low five field goals and a 26.3 shooting percentage - the Aggies' lowest for an opponent in Big 12 play this season.
- The Aggies also held the Wildcats to a season-low 22.7 field goal percentage and 23 turnovers - K- State's most in Big 12 play this season.
- Thirty-one points is the largest margin of victory against K-State all-time.
- Texas A&M held a 29-7 advantage in points off turnovers, a 16-3 lead in second chance points and a 20-9 edge in bench points.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- White has now started in 80 straight games, a streak that started on Jan. 4, 2010 against Lamar.
- White earned her second career double-double tonight (13 pts, 10 reb).
- With two rebounds against K-State, Elonu moved into seventh place on the career rebounds list with 653 boards.
- Skylar Collins dished out a career-best five assists.
- Karla Gilbert matched her first-half career-best with 8 points and finished with a season-best 14 on 7 of 9 from the field. She also added eight rebounds.
- White has now scored in double figures 27 of her last 30 games, Gilbert scored double figures for the third time this season and Bone for the 16th.
POSTGAME QUOTES
A&M HEAD COACH GARY BLAIR
Opening Statement
Our five position is very, very much improved. That's the best we've looked all year with both our bigs in there at the same time. We got production out of them this time. K-State didn't have the depth in the post position, but they both played very well and they were aggressive. We executed our man offense very well to start the ball game. This was a huge, must win for us.
On holding Chambers to 11 points and on A&M's defensive performance
We did a heck of a job on her (KU's Brittany Chambers). Tyra (White) guarded her probably 80 percent of the game. She needed that. The last game we had Carter on Chambers and Carter did a great job, but she has been doing such a great job on the other team's point guard and she did it again on (KU's Mariah) White. The defense looked like last year. Coach Schaefer's been pushing them a lot the last couple weeks. We press to set the tone and we got the 5-second count to start the game. That gives you a lot of confidence right there. They had to shoot a lot of shots that were not in their offense. They had to create and that was not Kansas State.
On Tyra White's performance
We're trying to get Tyra down low a little bit more because she's such a good rebounder and finishes once I get her down there. She got in and she got aggressive. She saw early that 3-point shot was not going and I told her to drive the ball, get inside and score easy and she did a great job.
On the key to A&M holding its big lead
We're getting mentally tough. The last key on the board (before the game) was tough love. When we teach and coach, there is a lot of tough love. I used that as an example of "TL" because we just lost a great Aggie in Tommy Lohman. We buried him today. He just meant so much to our program and to these girls. He was a great man. We tried to use tough love and what "TL" has meant to this school to inspire our kids and I think they really reacted.
On A&M's improved defense
It's trust. I think Carter is learning to get smarter. The difference is she has had to get used to guarding the other team's point guard. Another key is Bone is a lot better. The combination of Bone and Karla together, when they're both on, we're pretty good. I like my team right now and I'm proud of them. We needed a win like this to relax.
JUNIOR CENTER KELSEY BONE
On the A&M's success in the post tonight
We've been working a lot on understanding how teams are going to play us and our teammates did a very good job of looking for us and finding us when we were open. It's all part of the chemistry we're building - how to get it to us, when to get it to us - because we're (including Karla Gilbert) both kind of different. Karla came in and gave us big minutes off the bench.
On the difference of this K-State game from the last
Tonight our coaches stressed on us to not overlook this team, because K-State was a team that already beat us this year. We put a lot of focus into this team. When we played them first time, it was my first Big 12 game. Now we're 11 games later and I think that just goes in with the chemistry that we're building with one another. I can't stress that enough because that is something we really need. We're starting to be aware of each other on the court and our high-low game is really working. In order for our team to be successful, we have to have an inside game.
On A&M's defensive performance
Coach Schaefer said if you want to get some people's attention hold them 19 more points. That was something our coaches put in front of us and that we something we wanted to do.
SOPHOMORE CENTER KARLA GILBERT
On the A&M's success in the post tonight
I agree with what Kelsey Bone said. We do play different. We were moving the ball a lot today and everyone was moving without the ball. We were setting screens and we ran the plays like we needed to and executed well.
SENIOR GUARD TYRA WHITE
On her jumpers in the paint
That was key. Last game I didn't have that many rebounds, so that was my big goal coming in, getting easy baskets.
On the team's solid play
That comes with the maturity that we're going through, playing so many Big 12 games now. We know that it's time. Like Coach Blair tells us, February is an important month to get us to March. Then when March comes, it's not an easy path, but we've learned to play together, we've matured and we're playing as a team.
On A&M's defensive performance
That's just how we play. It was a challenge for us; since they had 19 points (at the half) we wanted to keep them to 38. When we play good defense we're one of the best in the country and it helps us on the offensive end.
