COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The No. 11 Texas A&M women’s basketball team hosts No. 1 Baylor on ESPN’s “Big Monday” in its regular season finale on Feb. 27. Riding a six-game home winning streak, the Aggies battle the Lady Bears at 6 p.m. on ESPN2. All A&M students are admitted free of charge.
#14/11 TEXAS A&M (20-7, 11-5 Big 12) vs. #1/1 Baylor (29-0, 16-0 Big 12)
Game 28
Monday, Feb. 27, 2012 • 6:00 p.m. (CT)
Reed Arena (12,989)
College Station, Texas
Television: ESPN2
Radio: Texas A&M Sports Network (KZNE 1150 AM)
Series History: Baylor leads 48-36
Internet: Free Live Audio and Live Stats at AggieAthletics.com
TEXAS A&M
Record: 20-7 (11-5 Big 12)
Ranking: #14 (AP), #11 (Coaches)
Last Result: W, 79-51 vs. Texas Tech on 2/25/12
Up Next: at Texas on 3/4/11
Head Coach: Gary Blair, Ninth Season
Texas A&M Record: 208-86 (.708)
Career Record: 616-249 (.712)
BAYLOR
Record: 29-0 (16-0 Big 12)
Ranking: #1 (AP), #1 (Coaches)
Last Result: W, 76-45 at Kansas on 2/24/12
Up Next: vs. Iowa State on 3/3/12
Head Coach: Kim Mulkey, 12th Season
Baylor Record: 327-79 (.805 )
Career Record: Same
TICKET INFORMATION
• All Texas A&M Students are admitted free of charge on Monday evening.
• DoubleDave’s 2 for $10 Tickets – Fans can “DoubleDown with DoubleDave’s and get two tickets for just $10 for any of the final two women’s and men’s regular season games. For information, fans can visit any of the three DoubleDave's locations in the area or order a pizza for delivery (info on pizza boxes).
ON THE TUBE
• Saturday, Texas A&M will appear on the tube before a national television audience for the 10th time this season. Play-by-play announcer Pam Ward and color analyst Stephanie White will call the action live on ESPN2 with the game also available worldwide on ESPN3.com
• The Aggies are 6-3 on national TV this season.
• The Aggies appear on television a school-record 14 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 Reed Arena alongside color analyst Tap Bentz on KZNE 1150 AM. A live audio feed will also be available on RadioAggieland.com.
QUICK HITS
• The Aggies turned in their seventh consecutive 20-win season and their seventh straight 10-win season in Big 12 Conference play under head coach Gary Blair.
• The Aggies limited Iowa State (33) and Kansas State (36) to their lowest point totals of the season and are the only team in the Big 12 to have held any opponent, let alone two, under 40 points in conference play this year.
• Texas A&M is in second place in the Big 12 standings.
• The Aggies lead the Big 12 by forcing their opponents into an average of 20.9 turnovers per game, with a turnover margin of +5.7, and by averaging 16.9 offensive rebounds per game. The team also averages 9.9 steals, has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.0 and a scoring margin of +10.1 which are all second-best in the Big 12.
• As of Feb. 23, the Aggies had the 16h-best turnover margin in the nation, while Kelsey Bone held the 12th best field goal percentage in the country.
• Big 12 Preseason Newcomer of the Year Bone is third-best in the conference with her 54.4 field goal percentage. Senior Adaora Elonu’s (3.2) and Bone’s (3.1) offensive rebounds per game are fourth- and fifth-best in the league.
SCOUTING BAYLOR
• Baylor University is located in Waco, Texas, has an enrollment of 15,029 and was founded in 1845.
• The Lady Bears return four starters and 12 letterwinners from their 2010-11 squad that finished with an overall record of 34-3 and a 15-1 (1st) mark in the Big 12.
• BU made its 10th NCAA Tournament appearance last season before falling 58-46 to the Aggies in the Elite Eight.
• Baylor is the only undefeated team in women’s college basketball and has secured the 2011-12 Big 12 regular season title and the top seed in the 2012 Phillips 66 Big 12 Women’s Basketball Championship.
• The Lady Bears are led by 6-foot-8 All-American Brittney Griner with 22.6 points, 9.7 rebounds and 5.3 blocks per game. Also averaging double figures are sophomore guard Odyssey Sims (14.4 ppg, 4.9 apg) and junior forward Destiny Williams (10.0 ppg, 9.1 rpg).
PROBABLE STARTING LINEUPS
TEXAS A&M
No.
Name
2011-12 Stats
10
Alexia Standish, G, 5-8, Fr.
4.4 ppg, 2.0 apg
04
Sydney Carter, G, 5-6, Sr.
10.9 ppg, 3.0 rpg
20
Tyra White, G, 6-0, Sr.
13.5 ppg, 5.6 rpg
21
Adaora Elonu, F, 6-1, Sr.
11.8 ppg, 6.4 rpg
03
Kelsey Bone, C, 6-4, Jr.
12.1 ppg, 6.9 rpg
BAYLOR
No.
Name
2011-12 Stats
00
Odyssey Sims, G, 5-8, So.
14.4 ppg, 4.9 apg
01
Kimetria Hayden, G, 6-0, Jr.
9.5 ppg, 4.2 rpg
03
Jordan Madden, G, 6-0, Jr.
4.3 ppg, 3.2 rpg
10
Destiny Williams, F, 6-1, RS Jr.
10.0 ppg, 9.1 rpg
41
Brittney Griner, P, 6-8, Jr.
22.6 ppg, 9.7 rpg
STATISTICAL COMPARISON
2011-12 Category
TAMU
BU
Overall Record
20-7
29-0
Conference Record
11-5
16-0
Points Per Game
68.0
79.4
Scoring Margin
+10.1
+28.6
Rebounds Per Game
39.9
47.2
Rebounding Margin
+5.6
+13.6
Field Goal Percentage
41.9
48.6
Field Goal% Defense
39.7
30.2
3-Point FG%
28.7
32.7
Free Throw Percentage
65.8
70.2
Turnovers Per Game
15.2
14.0
Assists Per Game
14.9
19.0
Blocks Per Game
4.7
8.0
Steals Per Game
9.9
8.8
INSIDE THE SERIES
• Baylor holds a 48-36 advantage in the all-time series with Texas A&M, but the Aggies broke a streak of eight straight Baylor wins last season with a victory over the Lady Bears in the NCAA Regional Final.
• A&M’s win against BU in the 2011 Elite Eight was its first in four tries last season, and was the first time since 1975 that A&M faced Baylor more than three times in a season. The win that sent A&M to the Women’s Final Four prompted fans to hold signs that read “Fourth Time’s the Charm”. That win was A&M’s first against Baylor since March of 2008.
• The Aggies are 18-16 when playing Baylor in Aggieland. Their last win at home was on March 1, 2008 (72-53).
• When the Aggies and Lady Bears last played in College Station, the crowd of 13,162 set a new 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 last season.
• Despite dropping nine of the last 10 contests in the series, nearly every loss has been close with eight of nine being decided by nine points or less. Surprisingly, the Aggies’ last two wins have been by double figures.
• Blair is 10-17 lifetime versus Baylor in his 27 years as a Division I head coach. Blair was previously an assistant coach to former Baylor assistant coach Leon Barmore at Louisiana Tech from 1980-85 and their star point guard was Kim Mulkey who led the Lady Techsters to back-to-back national championship titles in 1981 (AIAW) and 1982 (NCAA).
LAST 11 GAMES IN THE SERIES
L, 48-71 (-23) on Feb. 11, 2012 in Waco, Texas
W, 58-46 (+12) on March 29, 2011 in Dallas
L, 58-61 (-3) on March 12, 2011 in Kansas City, Mo.
L, 58-67 (-9) on Feb. 14, 2011 in Waco, Texas
L, 60-63 (-3) on Jan. 30, 2011 in College Station
L, 63-65 (-2) on Feb. 22, 2010 in College Station
L, 53-61 (-8) on Jan. 27, 2010 in Waco, Texas
L, 63-72 (-9) on March 15, 2009 in Oklahoma City
L, 60-64 (-4) on March 7, 2009 in Waco, Texas
L, 61-64 (-3) on Jan. 21, 2009 in College Station
W, 72-53 (+19) on March 1, 2008 in College Station
LADY BEARS REWIND
• Brittney Griner scored right away and top-ranked Baylor was quickly on the way to avenging its last loss, beating No. 15 Texas A&M 71-48 Saturday night in their first meeting since last year's NCAA tournament. Griner, who finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds, put the Lady Bears ahead to stay with her inside basket and free throw only a half-minute into the game. After Tyra White scored on the first shot by Texas A&M, Baylor scored 14 consecutive points over a four-minute span. For the long-awaited rematch there was a record-tying sellout crowd of 10,627. Odyssey Sims had 19 points while Brooklyn Pope had 10 points and nine rebounds for the Lady Bears. Griner, a 6-foot-8 junior, also blocked six shots. White had 18 points to lead Texas A&M, which had won four in a row and seven of eight before shooting 28 percent (18 of 64). Sydney Carter added 13.
TEXAS A&M AGAINST THE TOP TEAMS
The Aggies have only faced the No. 1 team in the country five times in program history, three of which were against Baylor, and are still searching for their first upset of a top-ranked team. A&M has only hosted as high as the No. 2 team in the nation in Oklahoma on Feb. 23, 2009. The game was televised nationally on ESPN2 and the majority of the 7,035 fans stormed the court after Takia Starks hit a layup in the lane with six seconds left to lead No. 12 Texas A&M to a 57-56 win over No. 2 Oklahoma, ending the Sooners' 20-game winning streak. It marked the highest-ranked team A&M had ever beaten and as a result of the upset.
Texas A&M versus No. 1
L, 48-71 at Baylor on Feb. 11, 2011
L, 58-67 at Baylor on Feb. 14, 2011
L, 60-63 vs. Baylor on Jan. 30, 2011
L, 55-66 at Texas on Feb. 11, 2004
L, 81-105 vs. Tennessee on Dec. 19, 1997
AGGIE TOP 5 HITS
Texas A&M is 8-25 all-time against top 5 teams, and is 5-11 against the same competition when the Aggies are ranked.
BIG 12 TENDENCY
• In the first half of Big 12 games, A&M has allowed its opponents a better shooting percentage, 41.0-+42.1, but in the second half the Aggies have held their opponents to a much lower field goal percentage while slightly improving their own, 42.7-38.2.
A&M’S LAST SIX AT HOME
• In A&M’s last six home wins, Kelsey Bone has led the charge with 14.0 points and 7.2 rebounds per game while shooting 60.7 percent from the field. Adaora Elonu adds 13.3 points, while Tyra White chips in 11.8 points and 6.8 rebounds per game.
• The Aggies have outscored their opponents by 18.7 points per game and shot 45.8 percent from the floor. In addition, they have averaged just 13.2 turnovers and 17.8 assists per game.
AGGIES TO HOST 2013 NCAA FIRST AND SECOND ROUNDS
• In addition to hosting the 2012 NCAA First and Second Rounds, Texas A&M was selected for the second straight year to host the same rounds in 2013. Games at Reed Arena will be played either Saturday, March 23, and Monday, March 25, or Sunday, March 24 and Tuesday, March 26, 2013.
• A&M is one of just four institutions in the nation that will host first and second round games in both 2012 and 2013 and will be one of three Southeastern Conference schools to host next year.
TWO SENIORS NAMED ACADEMIC ALL-BIG 12
• Kelsey Assarian and Adaora Elonu earned recognition on the 2012 Academic All-Big 12 Women’s Basketball Team. Assarian was one of just six student-athletes in the conference to become a three-time Academic All-Big 12 First Team honoree. Elonu, already a two-time Academic All-Big 12 second team member, earned a spot on the first team for the first time in her career.
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 8-1.
• What’s more is four or more 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
14
2011-12
A’Quonesia Franklin
28
2004-05
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 13 home games this season, the Aggies are averaging 6,309 fans per game, fifth-best in the Big 12 and against 12th-best in the country.
IN THE RECORD BOOKS
White
• Against Missouri on Feb. 14, White moved into seventh place on A&M’s career points list and currently has 1,427 career points.
• White is 15 field goals away (580) from moving into fourth place on the all-time list.
• Against Missouri on Jan. 18, White became the 24th A&M player to join the 500-rebound club. She is just 15 rebounds away (567) from moving into A&M’s top 10 list.
Elonu
• Against OU on Feb. 21, Elonu (79 career blocks, including an individual season-best 30 this season) moved into the top 10 in career block shots. She is three blocks away from moving into the ninth place on the all-time list.
• Against K-State on Feb. 8, Elonu moved into seventh place on the career rebounds list. She is just 25 rebounds away (685) from moving into sixth place on the all-time list.
• Against Oklahoma State on Jan. 24, Elonu became 25th A&M player to pass over 1,000 career points and currently has 1,107.
Carter
• Against OU on Feb. 21, Carter moved into the top 10 in career steals. She is just five steals away (194) from moving into ninth place on the all-time list.
• Against Kansas on Jan. 21, Carter became the 24th A&M player to pass over 1,000 career points and currently has 1,088.
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?
• All but two of A&M’s losses have come by just 9 points or less. Those two losses were against the No.1 (Baylor) and the No. 2 (UConn) teams in the nation.
• All but three of the Aggies’ wins (USC, Iowa State, and at Missouri) have come by 10 points or more.
• In two of the three 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 three of A&M’s wins (McNeese State, at Iowa State and Oklahoma State), the team has shot 40 percent or better.
• The Aggies have trailed at the half eight times this season, four of which ended in a loss and four 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
71.9
56.9
Opp points per game
54.2
68.6
Scoring margin
+17.7
-11.7
FG Percentage
45.0
33.3
Opp FG Percentage
37.1
47.0
Free-Throw Percentage
67.2
61.7
Assists
16.1
11.4
Turnovers per game
14.5
17.4
Turnover Margin
+7.1
+1.7
Steals per game
10.7
7.7
• Six of the Aggies’ seven 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
73.5
61.3
Scoring margin
+17.2
+1.7
FG Percentage
45.5
37.9
Opp FG Percentage
37.3
42.2
Assists per game
17.6
11.8
RPI RATING
• In the most recent release of the NCAA RPI on Feb. 20, Texas A&M was ranked sixth. The Aggies have the fourth-best strength of schedule in the nation. Baylor holds the top spot in RPI followed by Connecticut, Stanford, Tennessee and Notre Dame. Following the Aggies is Delaware, Maryland, Miami (Fla.) and Duke.
AGGIES IN THE POLLS
• A&M has been ranked in the AP Poll for 80 consecutive weeks and 55 all-time in the top 10
• A&M has been ranked in the Coaches Poll for 116 consecutive weeks and 60 all-time in the top 10.
TEXAS TECH RECAP
TEXAS A&M 79, TEXAS TECH 51
TEAM NOTES
• For the first time this season, Texas A&M used the starting lineup of seniors Sydney Carter, Skylar Collins, Tyra White, Adaora Elonu and Kelsey Assarian. It marked the first career start for Collins and the second career start for Assarian.
• Texas A&M improves to 19-54 in the all-time series with Texas Tech, and has won five of the last six matchups.
• A&M has won seven straight against the Lady Raiders when playing at Reed Arena.
• The Aggies are 6-3 on national TV this season.
• A&M held Tech to a first half season low 18 points and a held them to 25 percent shooting.
• The Aggies tallied double-digit blocks for only the second time this season and with 10 blocks were one shy of their season high.
• For just the third time this season, five players scored in double figures.
• A&M’s 19 assists was its second-most all season, next to 23 against Mississippi State.
• The Aggies dominated the paint, outscoring Tech 36-14 inside and outrebounding the Lady Raiders 43-32.
• A&M’s 28-point margin of victory was its largest in the all-time series between the two programs.
• The Aggies’ 79 points was its most in Big 12 play this season.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
• White has now started in 85 straight games, a streak that started on Jan. 4, 2010 against Lamar.
• White scored in double figures for the 22nd time this season and Bone for the 19th time, Elonu for the 17th time, Gilbert for the fourth time and Standish for the second.
• Bone registered her 14th career and fifth double-double this season. Five assists were a career best.
• Standish’s 13 points were a career-best. She was 4-of-5 from the floor, 3-of-4 from beyond the arc and 2-of-2 from the free throw line.
• Assarian grabbed six rebounds and added 2 points, two steals and two assists.
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 208 wins and a .708 winning percentage (208-86). 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.
DEFENDERS OF THE HOME COURT
• Despite a recent loss to Texas at home, Texas A&M has protected its home court well over the last seven seasons with the help of the 12th Man. In fact, the Aggies have compiled an unprecedented 94-9 (.913) overall success rate at Reed Arena in those years.
• The Aggies have won 48 straight non-conference home games, dating back to a 40-46 loss to Houston on 12/30/03. In addition, A&M has won 77 of its last 83 home games.
AGGIES’ AT REED ARENA (SINCE 2005-06)
2011-12
11-1
2010-11
13-1
2009-10
12-2
2008-09
13-1
2007-08
14-2
2006-07
16-0
2005-06
14-2
Total
94-9
