COLLEGE STATION, TX -- The No. 17 Texas A&M women’s basketball team wraps up the regular season in Austin on Sunday, March 4, in the second installment of the State Farm Lone Star Showdown against Texas. Tipoff between the Aggies and the Longhorns is set for noon (CT) at the Frank Erwin Center and is televised nationally on FSN.
#17/13 TEXAS A&M (20-8, 11-6 Big 12) at Texas (17-12, 7-10 Big 12)
Game 29
Sunday, March 4, 2012 • Noon (CT)
Frank Erwin Center (16,754)
Austin, Texas
Television: FSN
Radio: Texas A&M Sports Network (KZNE 1150 AM)
Series History: Texas leads 59-23
Internet: Free Live Audio and Live Stats at AggieAthletics.com
TEXAS A&M
Record: 20-8 (11-6 Big 12)
Ranking: #17 (AP), #13 (Coaches)
Last Result: L, 62-69 vs. #1/1 Baylor on Feb. 27, 2012
Up Next: at Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship in Kansas City
Head Coach: Gary Blair, Ninth Season
Texas A&M Record: 208-87 (.705)
Career Record: 616-250 (.711)
TEXAS
Record: 17-12 (7-10 Big 12)
Ranking: NR (AP), NR (Coaches)
Last Result: w, 75-62 at Missouri on Feb. 28, 2012
Up Next: at Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship in Kansas City
Head Coach: Gail Goestenkors, Fifth Season
Texas Record: 101-62 (.620)
Career Record: 497-161 (.755)
ON THE TUBE
• Sunday, Texas A&M will appear on the tube before a national television audience for the 11th time this season. Play-by-play announcer Andrew Monaco and color analyst Brenda VanLengen will call the action live on FSN with the game being carried on Fox Sports Arizona, Fox Sports Detroit, Fox Sports Houston, Fox Sports Midwest, Fox Sports North, Fox Sports Ohio, Fox Sports South, Fox Sports Southwest, Fox Sports West, Fox Sports Wisconsin, Sun Sports, Comcast Bay Area, Comcast Chicago, Comcast Mid-Atlantic, Comcast Philadelphia, MSG Plus and Root Sports (Northwest Region, Pittsburgh, Region and Rock Mountain Region).
• The Aggies are 6-4 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 the Frank Erwin Center alongside color analyst Steve Miller 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 two opponents to less than 40 points in conference play this year.
• Texas A&M is currently tied for second place in the Big 12 standings with Oklahoma.
• The Aggies lead the Big 12 by forcing their opponents into an average of 20.8 turnovers per game, with a turnover margin of +5.6, and by averaging 16.6 offensive rebounds per game. The team also averages 9.8 steals and has a scoring margin of +9.5 which are both second-best in the Big 12.
• As of March 1, the Aggies had the 15h-best turnover margin in the nation, while Kelsey Bone held the ninth-best field goal percentage in the country at 54.9.
• Big 12 Preseason Newcomer of the Year Bone is third-best in the conference with her 54.9 field goal percentage. Senior Adaora Elonu’s (3.1) and Bone’s (3.1) offensive rebounds per game are fourth- and fifth-best in the league.
SCOUTING TEXAS
• The University of Texas is located in Austin, Texas, has an enrollment of 51,112 and was founded in 1883.
• The Longhorns return four starters and nine letterwinners from last year’s squad that finished the season 19-14 and 7-9 in the Big 12.
• UT made its 25th appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 2010-11, before falling to Marquette, 65-68, in the first round.
• Texas is in a three-way tie with Kansas and Oklahoma State for sixth place in the league standings.
• The Longhorns are led by sophomore guard Chassidy Fussell with 16.8 points per game. Ashleigh Fontenette (11.6 ppg) and Yvonne Anderson (11.5 ppg) are also averaging double figures. Ashley Gayle leads the team with 6.4 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game.
PROBABLE STARTING LINEUPS
TEXAS A&M
No. Name 2011-12 Stats
10 Alexia Standish, G, 5-8, Fr. 4.2 ppg, 2.0 apg
04 Sydney Carter, G, 5-6, Sr. 11.0 ppg, 3.1 rpg
20 Tyra White, G, 6-0, Sr. 13.5 ppg, 5.6 rpg
21 Adaora Elonu, F, 6-1, Sr. 11.8 ppg, 6.3 rpg
03 Kelsey Bone, C, 6-4, Jr. 12.1 ppg, 6.9 rpg
TEXAS
No. Name 2011-12 Stats
12 Yvonne Anderson, G, 5-7, Sr. 11.5 ppg, 5.5 apg
22 Ashley Gayle, P, 6-4, Sr. 4.9 ppg, 6.4 rpg
24 Chassidy Fussell, G, 5-10, So. 16.8 ppg, 4.7 rpg
33 Ashleigh Fontenette, G, 5-8, Sr. 11.6 ppg, 4.4 apg
45 Anne Marie Hartung, C, 6-3, So. 5.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg
STATISTICAL COMPARISON
2011-12 Category TAMU UT
Overall Record 20-8 17-12
Conference Record 11-6 7-10
Points Per Game 67.8 67.7
Scoring Margin +9.5 +5.8
Rebounds Per Game 39.5 40.6
Rebounding Margin +5.0 +1.7
Field Goal Percentage 42.1 40.9
Field Goal% Defense 39.8 36.1
3-Point FG% 28.3 33.7
Free Throw Percentage 65.2 69.2
Turnovers Per Game 15.1 16.7
Assists Per Game 14.9 14.0
Blocks Per Game 4.6 6.3
Steals Per Game 9.8 9.2
INSIDE THE SERIES
• Texas holds a 59-23 advantage in the all-times series with Texas A&M. However, the Aggies have won 11 of the last 12 meetings between the two storied rivals.
• For the second-consecutive season, A&M beat the Longhorns three times last year and swept the Longhorns in the home-and-home series in 2005-06, 2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11.
• Of its 23 overall victories in the series, A&M has won only seven of them on the road, including four of the last five.
• In eight of the last 10 contests, the Aggies have won by double digits including a 27-point victory (77-50) over Texas in the 2011 Big 12 Championship quarterfinals.
• Gary Blair is 13-8 lifetime versus Texas in his 27 years as a Division I head coach. All 13 of his career victories against the Longhorns have come during his time in Aggieland. In addition, he is 12-3 all-time when playing a Gail Goestenkors-coached squad in Duke (2-2) and Texas (10-1) combined.
LAST 11 GAMES IN THE SERIES
W, 67-60 (+7) on Feb. 28, 2007 in College Station
W, 66-57 (+9) on Feb. 9, 2008 in College Station
W, 65-50 (+15) on Feb. 24, 2008 in Austin
W, 68-54 (+14) on Jan. 28, 2009 in Austin
W, 76-65 (+11) on Feb. 21, 2009 in College Station
W, 91-70 (+21) on Jan. 9, 2010 in Austin
W, 58-44 (+14) on Feb. 20, 2010 in College Station
W, 77-64 (+13) on March 12, 2010 in Kansas City
W, 80-65 (+15) on Jan. 19, 2011 in College Station
W, 68-65 (+3) on Feb. 27, 2011 in Austin
W, 77-50 (+27) on March 9, 2011 in Kansas City
L, 71-76 (-5) on Jan. 11, 2012 in College Station
STATE FARM LONE STAR SHOWDOWN
• The "Lone Star Showdown" is the official moniker for all varsity men's and women's athletics competition between Texas A&M University and The University of Texas.
• The last two seasons, Texas A&M women’s basketball held on to the Lone Star Showdown trophy, its fourth-straight and fifth overall claim to the hardware in the seven-year history of the rivalry series. The women’s basketball team swept UT each of those years to earn a full point toward the final point count. • In its eighth year of the State Farm Lone Star Showdown, Texas leads overall, 7.5-3. Each women’s hoops game between the two schools is worth 0.5 points and the school that totals 10.0 points during the year is declared the winner.
TEXAS REPLAY
• Chassidy Fussell scored 22 points and Ashley Gayle added 17 to help Texas beat No. 12/10 Texas A&M 76-71 on Wednesday night, ending a 11-game losing streak to the Aggies. The Longhorns (11-4, 1-2 Big 12) were up 72-71 with 2:03 left when Cokie Reed missed a short jumper. She got the rebound and converted a layup to make it a three-point game. After Adrienne Pratcher missed a jumper on the other end, Texas secured the victory - its first in the Big 12 this season. Sydney Carter scored 25 points to lead the Aggies (10-4, 1-2). Tyra White contributed 19 points and seven rebounds, and Adaora Elonu added 10 points and 10 rebounds. Texas senior Ashley Gayle, scored a career-high 17 points. Texas A&M (10-4, 1-2), the defending national champions, lost at home to an unranked opponent for the first time since a setback to Nebraska in February 2005. UT outscored A&M 40-24 in the paint, and 20-9 on the fast break.
AGGIE ASSISTS
• Adrienne Pratcher and Sydney Carter are approaching the 100-assist mark for the season. With 90 assists, Pratcher leads the team and is on the verge of her first 100-assit season. Carter is second on the team with 78 and is looking for her third consecutive 100-assist season.
BIG 12 TENDENCY
• In the first half of Big 12 games, A&M has allowed its opponents a better shooting percentage, 41.5-+42.3, but in the second half the Aggies have held their opponents to a much lower field goal percentage while slightly improving their own, 42.6-38.2.
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.
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. Four or more Aggies have scored double digits on 10 occasions this season and A&M is 9-1 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 15 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 15 home games this season, the Aggies are averaging 6,592 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 1,441career points.
• Against Missouri on Jan. 18, White became the 24th A&M player to join the 500-rebound club. She is just nine rebounds away (573) from moving into A&M’s top 10 list.
• White is 10 field goals away (585) from moving into fourth place on the all-time 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 22 rebounds away (688) 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 1,119.
Carter
• Against OU on Feb. 21, Carter moved into the top 10 in career steals. She is just four steals away (195) 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 1,101.
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 two of A&M’s losses (at Kansas State and Baylor), 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 nine times this season, five 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 57.5
Opp points per game 54.2 68.6
Scoring margin +17.7 -11.1
FG Percentage 45.0 34.8
Opp FG Percentage 37.1 46.4
Free-Throw Percentage 67.2 59.9
Assists 16.1 11.8
Turnovers per game 14.5 16.9
Turnover Margin +7.1 +1.9
Steals per game 10.7 7.4
• 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 72.7 61.3
Scoring margin +15.5 +1.7
FG Percentage 45.6 37.9
Opp FG Percentage 37.7 42.2
Assists per game 17.4 11.8
RPI RATING
• In the most recent release of the NCAA RPI on Feb. 27, Texas A&M was ranked sixth. The Aggies have the second-best strength of schedule in the nation. Baylor holds the top spot in RPI followed by Stanford, Connecticut, Notre Dame and Tennessee. Following the Aggies are Delaware, Maryland, Duke and Kentucky.
AGGIES IN THE POLLS
• A&M has been ranked in the AP Poll for 81 consecutive weeks and 55 all-time in the top 10
• A&M has been ranked in the Coaches Poll for 117 consecutive weeks and 60 all-time in the top 10.
BAYLOR RECAP
BAYLOR 69, TEXAS A&M 62
NOTES
• For the 15th 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 10-5 with this starting lineup.
• The Aggies move to 36-49 in the all-time series with Baylor and are 18-17 when playing the Lady Bears in Aggieland.
• The Aggies are 6-4 on national TV this season.
• Nine of the last 10 contests against Baylor have been close, being decided by nine points or less.
• The Aggies shot 46.4 percent Monday, the best any team has shot against Baylor this season. In addition, A&M shot 52 percent from the floor in the first half.
• A&M outscored Baylor in the paint, 40-30, to mark the largest margin BU has been outscored in the paint this season. It was only the second time Baylor had been outscored in the paint this year.
• White has now started in 86 straight games, a streak that started on Jan. 4, 2010 against Lamar.
• White scored in double figures for the 24th time this season, Bone for the 20th time, Elonu for the 18th and Carter for the 16th.
• This is the only game A&M has lost this season when four or more players scored in double figures.
• The crowd of 10,265 was A&M’s largest this season and the third-best single game attendance in program history.
