Skylar Collins and Lexi Standish Raw Pre-Iowa State & Pre-Baylor Press Conference
Gary Blair Raw Press Conference Pre-Kansas State & Baylor
COLLEGE STATION, TX -- The No. 14 Texas A&M women’s basketball team looks to extend a three-game winning streak when it welcomes Kansas State on Wednesday, Feb. 8. Tipoff between the Aggies and the Wildcats is set for 7 p.m. at Reed Arena.
#15/14 TEXAS A&M (16-5, 7-3 Big 12) vs. KANSAS STATE (15-7, 6-4 Big 12)
Game 22
Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2012 • 7:00 p.m. (CT)
Reed Arena (12,989)
College Station, Texas
Television: None
Radio: Texas A&M Sports Network (KZNE 1150 AM)
Series History: Kansas State leads 13-7
Internet: Free Live Video and Live Stats at AggieAthletics.com
TEXAS A&M
Record: 16-5 (7-3 Big 12)
Ranking: #15 (AP), #14 (Coaches)
Last Result: W, 62-51 vs. Kansas on Feb. 4, 2012
Up Next: at #1/1 Baylor on Feb. 11, 2012
Head Coach: Gary Blair, Ninth Season
Texas A&M Record: 204-84 (.708)
Career Record: 612-247 (.712)
KANSAS STATE
Record: 15-7 (6-4 Big 12)
Ranking: RV (AP), RV (Coaches)
Last Result: L, 41-70 at #1/1 Baylor on Feb. 4, 2012
Up Next: vs. Kansas on Feb. 12, 2012
Head Coach: Deb Patterson, 16th Season
K-State Record: 315-182 (.634)
Career Record: Same
TICKET INFORMATION
• Family Four Pack - For only $36, you receive four general admission tickets, four Aggie dogs and four small drinks to see the Aggies take on Kansas State on Wednesday at Reed Arena. Have a family of five? No problem. Extras are $9 each. You will not be able to purchase this deal at the game, so get it now! Family Four Packs can be purchased online by clicking here, over the phone by calling 1-888-99-AGGIE or in person at the 12th Man Foundation Ticket Center.
• Tickets are priced at $7 (general admission), $9 (baseline), $13 (sideline) and $15 (courtside), and can be purchased online at: tickets.12thmanfoundation.com, in person at the 12th Man Foundation Ticket Office and Reed Arena Box Office or by calling 1-888-99-AGGIE.
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 Reed Arena alongside color analyst Tap Bentz 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 (13.8 ppg) leading the way. She is followed by Big 12 Preseason Newcomer of the Year Kelsey Bone (12.4 ppg), senior forward Adaora Elonu (12.0 ppg) and senior guard Sydney Carter (12.0 ppg).
• Bone leads the team in rebounding (7.1 rpg), followed closely by Elonu (6.7 rpg), and White averages 5.5 rebounds per game.
• Texas A&M sits in second place in the Big 12 Conference, trailing only first-place and undefeated Baylor. A win would keep A&M in sole possession of second, while a loss would put the Aggies back in a three-way tie for second with Oklahoma and Kansas State.
• The Aggies lead the Big 12 by forcing their opponents into an average of 21.4 turnovers per game, with a turnover margin of +5.6. The team also averages 10.4 steals and 17.3 offensive rebounds per game, which are second-best in the Big 12.
• The Aggies have the 18th-best turnover margin in the nation at 5.6, the 22nd-best rebounding margin (+7.0) and the 26th-best assist-to-turnover ratio (0.98) in the nation.
• In Big 12 play, Bone is third-best in the conference with a 54.8 field goal percentage. Bone (3.4) and Elonu’s (3.2) offensive rebounds per game are third- and fifth-best in the league.
SCOUTING KANSAS STATE
• Kansas State University is located in Manhattan, Kan., has an enrollment of 23,566 and was founded in 1863.
• The Wildcats return three starters and eight letterwinners from its 2010-11 squad that finished with an overall record of 21-11 and a 10-6 mark (tied for third) in the Big 12.
• K-State made its 12th NCAA Tournament appearance last season before falling to Purdue 45-53 in the first round.
• Kansas State is 6-2 on the road on the road, including a 4-1 mark in conference play. K-State has won two of its last three, both of which were on the road.
• The Wildcats have three players averaging double figures in 5-foot-8 senior guard Brittany Chambers (15.8 ppg), 6-2 senior forward Jalana Childs (13.9 ppg) and 5-foot-10 senior transfer Tasha Dickey (10.0 ppg). Chambers leads the team in rebounding with 6.3 rpg, while Branshea Brown is second with 5.2 rpg.
PROBABLE STARTING LINEUPS
TEXAS A&M
No. Name 2011-12 Stats
10 Alexia Standish, G, 5-8, Fr. 3.9 ppg, 2.1 apg
04 Sydney Carter, G, 5-6, Sr. 12.0 ppg, 3.1 rpg
20 Tyra White, G, 6-0, Sr. 13.8 ppg, 5.5 rpg
21 Adaora Elonu, F, 6-1, Sr. 12.0 ppg, 6.7 rpg
03 Kelsey Bone, C, 6-4, Jr. 12.4 ppg, 7.1 rpg
KANSAS STATE
No. Name 2011-12 Stats
2 Brittany Chambers, G, 5-8, Jr. 15.8 ppg, 6.3 rpg
13 Tasha Dickey, G, 5-10, Sr. 10.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg
22 Mariah White, G, 5-8, Jr. 6.1 ppg, 5.0 apg
33 Jalana Childs, F, 6-2, Sr. 13.9 ppg, 5.1 rpg
34 Branshea Brown, F, 6-2, Sr. 4.9 ppg, 5.2 rpg
STATISTICAL COMPARISON
2011-12 Category TAMU KSU
Overall Record 16-5 15-7
Conference Record 7-3 6-4
Points Per Game 70.0 59.2
Scoring Margin +10.8 +4.2
Rebounds Per Game 40.4 36.0
Rebounding Margin +7.0 -1.5
Field Goal Percentage 42.6 38.5
Field Goal% Defense 40.6 36.3
3-Point FG% 28.4 29.0
Free Throw Percentage 66.7 67.8
Turnovers Per Game 15.8 14.4
Assists Per Game 15.5 12.3
Blocks Per Game 4.9 3.4
Steals Per Game 10.4 8.7
INSIDE THE SERIES
• Kansas State leads 13-7 in the all-time series with Texas A&M.
• The Aggies have dropped their last two games against the Wildcats, but by just 6 points combined. A&M, however, has won three of the last five.
• Three of the Aggies’ seven victories in the series have been won at home.
• Blair is 5-7 lifetime versus Kansas State in his 27 years as a Division I head coach. Of Blair’s five all-time wins, A&M handed the Wildcats’ their second-fewest points ever scored in a Big 12 game in a 66-39 rout on Jan. 11, 2006 in College Station. Four of his career wins versus the Wildcats have been in Big 12 Conference play with the Aggies and the other during his Stephen F. Austin days, an 82-59 victory in Dallas on Dec. 11, 1987 over a K-State squad coached by Matilda Mossman.
LAST EIGHT GAMES IN THE SERIES
L, 69-71 (OT) (-2) on Jan. 4, 2012 in Manhattan, Kan.
L, 67-71 (-4) on March 2, 2011 in Manhattan, Kan.
W, 69-63 (+6) on Feb. 13, 2010 in College Station
W, 65-63 (+2) on March 13, 2009 in Oklahoma City, Okla.
W, 71-45 (+26) on March 1, 2009 in Manhattan, Kan.
L, 54-67 (-13) on Jan. 9, 2008 in College Station
L, 45-48 (-3) on Jan. 6, 2007 in Manhattan, Kan.
W, 66-39 (+27) on Jan. 11, 2006 in College Station
KANSAS STATE REWIND
• Mariah White fought through traffic and banked in a runner with 1.6 seconds left in overtime to lift Kansas State over No. 8 Texas A&M 71-69 on Wednesday night. Brittany Chambers scored 21 points, Tasha Dickey had 17 and Jalana Childs added 16 for the Wildcats (10-3, 1-0 Big 12). White finished with 12 points, 11 assists, five rebounds, three steals and a block. Tyra White scored 17 points and Sydney Carter added 16 for the Aggies (9-3, 0-1). Kelsey Bone chipped in 14 points and 10 rebounds. Kansas State, which trailed 34-25 at the half, shot a season-best 54 percent (27 of 50) from the field, while Texas A&M hit 42 percent (28 for 67). The Wildcats surged after the break and shot 60 percent in the second half, which included a 14-4 run that brought KSU out of 39-29 hole 3 minutes into the half. Free throws proved costly for the Aggies, who went 10 for 19 from the stripe - including 4 for 11 in the second half. The Wildcats weren't much better at 13 for 21 from the free throw line, but most of their makes came down the stretch and in overtime.
SENIOR SCORING AND BALANCE = WINS
• Texas A&M has one of the most balanced-scoring teams in the Big 12 with four players averaging double figures. Three of those players are seniors Carter, Elonu and White. When this trio of leaders scores double digits, A&M has lost just a single game at 9-1.
• What’s more is four Aggies have scored double figures on nine occasions this season and A&M is an undefeated 9-0 in those games.
STANDISH STARTING FRESH
• Alexia Standish is only the fifth true freshman to start at point guard in Texas A&M head coach Gary Blair’s nine seasons in Aggieland and she has the second-most starts of that impressive group.
Name Starts Year
Adrienne Pratcher 1 2009-10
Sydney Carter 1 2008-09
Sydney Colson 2 2007-08
Alexia Standish 9 2011-12
A’Quonesia Franklin 28 2004-05
WHITE’S YELLOW BRICK ROAD TO AGGIELAND
• Tyra White was recruited in high school by Kansas State, growing up two hours east of Manhattan in Kansas City, Mo. Her path to Aggieland was different and came via current Aggie assistant coach Johnnie Harris who recruited White while an assistant at Arkansas and Arkansas-Fort Smith. White originally signed with LSU, but decided to transfer to A&M after the departure of head coach Pokey Chatman.
IN THE RECORD BOOKS
• With 1,353 career points, White is in eighth place on A&M’s career points list. She is 33 points away from passing All-American Danielle Adams (1,386 career points) and moving into seventh place.
• Elonu is two rebounds away (651) from moving into seventh place on the career rebounds list.
• Carter is eight steals away (182) from moving into the top 10 all-time at A&M.
• Carter and Elonu recently became the 24th and 25th players to pass over 1,000 career points– Carter against Kansas on Jan. 21 and Elonu against Oklahoma State on Jan. 24.
• With six rebounds against Missouri on Jan. 18, White became the 24th A&M player to join the 500-rebound club and now has 530 career boards.
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?
• Four of A&M’s five losses have come by just 9 points or less.
• All but two of the Aggies’ wins have come by 10 points or more.
• In the two wins decided by less than 10 points, Sydney Carter provided the game-winning heroics versus USC (3-pointer) and Iowa State (pair of free throws).
• In all but one of A&M’s losses (at Kansas State), the team has shot less than 40 percent.
• In all but two of A&M’s wins (McNeese State and at Iowa State), the team has shot 40 percent or better.
• The Aggies have trailed at the half six times this season, three of which ended in a loss and three of which A&M won.
• In all but one of A&M’s wins (at Kansas), the team has outscored its opponent in the second half.
• In all but one of A&M’s losses (at Oklahoma State), the team has been outscored in the second half.
• Here is a comparison of key statistics in A&M’s wins vs. losses:
Team Stat Wins Losses
Points per game 73.4 59.0
Opp points per game 56.1 69.0
Scoring margin +17.3 -10.0
FG Percentage 44.9 35.4
Opp FG Percentage 38.4 47.4
Free-Throw Percentage 68.6 60.0
Turnovers per game 14.8 19.2
Turnover Margin +7.3 +0.2
Steals per game 11.1 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:
Team Stat Home Away
Points per game 76.1 64.1
Scoring margin +15.6 +5.3
FG Percentage 45.3 39.7
FT Made per game 15.7 11.0
Assists per game 17.6 13.1
RPI RATING
• In the most recent release of the NCAA RPI on Feb. 6, Texas A&M was ranked seventh. The Aggies have the fourth-best strength of schedule in the nation. Baylor holds the top spot in RPI followed by Connecticut, Notre Dame, Stanford and Tennessee. Delaware is sixth, while Duke, Kentucky and Rutgers are 8, 9, 10.
AGGIE ATTENDANCE
• Texas A&M finished its 2010-11 regular season averaging a program-best 6,104 fans at each home game, which ranked fourth-best in the Big 12 and 12th-best in the country in attendance. A&M has been in the top 25 in national attendance for the past four seasons.
• After nine home games this season, the Aggies are averaging 6,220 fans per game, fifth-best in the Big 12 and against 13th-best in the country.
AGGIES IN THE POLLS
• A&M has been ranked in the AP Poll for 78 consecutive weeks and 55 all-time in the top 10
• A&M has been ranked in the Coaches Poll for 114 consecutive weeks and 60 all-time in the top 10.
KANSAS RECAP
TEXAS A&M 62, KANSAS 51
TEAM NOTES
• For the ninth 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 7-2 with this starting lineup.
• Texas A&M improved to 11-7 in the all-time series with Kansas. The Aggies have won the last 10 straight meetings between the two schools.
• The Aggies are also winners in 11 of the last 12 matchups with Kansas.
• For the first time this season, four Aggie post players (Assarian, Bellock, Bone and Elonu) took charges in the game.
• The Aggies led by as many as 17 points early in the second half.
• Texas A&M women’s basketball Reunion Weekend was held with more than 50 former players and coaches in attendance.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
• White has now started in 79 straight games, a streak that started on Jan. 4, 2010 against Lamar.
• Carter scored in double figures for the 13th time this season, Bone for the 15th
• Bone’s 26 points were an Aggie career best.
• Adrienne Pratcher led the team with five assists.
• Blair is now an undefeated 13-0 lifetime versus Kansas in his 27 years as a Division I head coach. The Aggies are 10-0 against the Jayhawks since Blair’s first season in Aggieland in 2003-04.
