KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The 22nd-ranked and third-seeded Texas A&M women’s basketball team clashes with top-seeded and top-ranked Baylor for the third matchup of the season in the title game of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship on Saturday, March 10 at Municipal Auditorium. Tipoff between the Aggies and the Lady Bears is set for 11 a.m. (CT) and is televised nationally on FSN.
#3 Seed TEXAS A&M (22-9) vs. #1 Seed BAYLOR (33-0)
Game 32
Saturday, March 10, 2012 • 11 a.m. (CT)
Municipal Auditorium (9,308)
at Kansas City, Mo.
Television: FSN
Radio: Texas A&M Sports Network (KZNE 1150 AM)
Series History: Baylor leads 49-36
Internet: Free Live Statistics and live postgame video at Big12Sports.com. Free Live Audio at AggieAthletics.com.
TEXAS A&M
Record: 22-9 (11-7 Big 12)
Ranking: #22 (AP), #14 (Coaches)
Last Result: W, 79-66 vs. Oklahoma on March 9, 2012
Up Next: NCAA Tournament
Head Coach: Gary Blair, Ninth Season
Texas A&M Record: 210-88 (.705)
Career Record: 618-251 (.711)
AGGIES IN THE BIG 12 TOURNEY
• A&M won its first-ever Big 12 postseason title in 2008 in Kansas City and became the first No. 4 seed in league history to do so. The Aggies followed with its second postseason title in 2010 again as the No. 4 seed.
• Texas A&M is the first school in league history with five straight appearances in the title game.
• Texas A&M is 15-13 all-time in Big 12 Championship games, and is making up for its previous losses in a short period of time. The Aggies have put together a 12-2 record (.857), the best record and winning percentage in the Big 12 over the last four years in postseason play.
• The Aggies have the most Big 12 postseason victories of any team in the league (14-4) over the last six seasons.
• A&M is 2-2 all-time in the finals and 2-1 against the No. 1 seed.
• The Aggies were the only league school to make their seventh consecutive appearance in the Big 12 Championship semifinals extending all the way back to the 2006 tournament held at Reunion Arena in Dallas.
• Head Coach Gary Blair boasts the second-best winning percentage (.700, 14-6) in the championship, next to only BU’s Kim Mulkey (.724, 21-8).
INSIDE THE SERIES
• Baylor holds a 49-36 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 0-4 when playing Baylor in the Big 12 Championship.
• Despite dropping 10 of the last 11 contests in the series, nearly every loss has been close with nine of the last 11 being decided by nine points or less. Surprisingly, the Aggies’ last two wins were by double figures.
• Blair is 10-18 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 12 GAMES IN THE SERIES
L, 62-69 (-7) on Feb. 27, 2012 in College Station
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 and Odyssey Sims scored 25 points each and top-ranked Baylor used a late run to hold off No. 17 Texas A&M for a 69-62 win on Monday night. Baylor (30-0, 17-0 Big 12) led by one point before going on a 6-0 run that was aided unintentionally by an official. It was a much more competitive game than the first meeting between these teams when Baylor won 71-48. Tyra White's 14 points led A&M (20-8, 11-6). Griner and Sims were both in foul trouble on Monday and Griner sat out for long stretches in both halves because of it. Sims picked up her fourth foul with more than 7 minutes left, but she never came out, playing 40 minutes. Texas A&M alternated 6-foot-4 Kelsey Bone and 6-5 Karla Gilbert to try and slow Griner. They both got in foul trouble early in the second half. Gilbert fouled out with about 12 minutes remaining and Bone picked up her fourth just seconds later, sending her to the bench. Things were evened out about a minute later when Griner picked up her fourth foul knocking Kelsey Assarian down on the offensive end and the Baylor star also left the game. While both teams were in foul trouble in this one, the difference came at the free throw line. Baylor made 23 of its 28 attempts, while Texas A&M hit just 9 of 19, with White missing six of her 10 tries. Sydney Carter added 13 points, Adaora Elonu had 12 points and Bone had 10 for A&M.
A&M’S LAST FOUR
• The Aggies have gone 3-2 in their last five games and have shot nearly 50 percent from the floor and 47 percent from beyond the arc. A&M is led by Karla Gilbert’s 83 percent shooting and Standish’s 62 percent. Standish has also been lighting it up from 3-point range shooting 72 percent (13-18).
• With the A&M offense running on all cylinders, five players (White, Bone, Elonu, Standish and Carter) have averaged double figures.
AGGIE ASSISTS
• Adrienne Pratcher and Sydney Carter are approaching the 100-assist mark for the season. With 92 assists, Pratcher leads the team and is on the verge of her first 100-assist season. Carter is second on the team with 89 and is looking for her third consecutive 100-assist season.
TEXAS A&M AGAINST THE TOP TEAMS
• The Aggies have faced the No. 1 team in the country six times in program history, four of which were against Baylor, and are still searching for their first upset of a top-ranked team.
Texas A&M versus No. 1
L, 62-69 vs. Baylor on Feb. 27, 2012
L, 48-71 at Baylor on Feb. 11, 2012
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 STARS OF THE BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP
Alexia Stadish is averaging 19.0 points and 3.0 assists per game with a 63.2 shooting percentage and a 72.7 3-point field goal percentage in the first two games of the Big 12 Championship. Kelsey Bone (16.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg), Sydney Carter (14.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg and 5.5 apg) and Adaora Elonu (11.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg) are also averaging double figures in the championship.
VOTE FOR THE BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP MOST OUTSTANDING PLAYER
Fans, this is your chance to take part in the voting for this year's Most Outstanding Player at the Phillips 66 Women's Basketball Championship. Below is the link to vote:
http://www.big12sports.com/quest/Questionaire.dbml?&QID=132416&DB_OEM_ID=10410
IN THE RECORD BOOKS
White
• White is six field goals away (589) from moving into fourth place on the all-time list.
• Against Missouri on Feb. 14, White moved into seventh place on A&M’s career points list and currently has 1,454 career points. She is 52 points away from moving into sixth place.
• Against Missouri on Jan. 18, White became the 24th A&M player to join the 500-rebound club. She is just four rebounds away (578) from moving into A&M’s top 10 list.
Elonu
• Against Oklahoma March 9, Elonu (83 career blocks, including an individual season-best 34 this season) moved into ninth place in career block shots. She is three blocks away from moving into the eighth 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 four rebounds away (706) 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 1,154.
Carter
• Against OU on Feb. 21, Carter moved into the top 10 in career steals. She is just two steals away (197) 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 1,140.
• Carter holds the best career free-throw percentage (81.7).
A&M 79, OU 66 POSTGAME NOTES
• For the first time this season, Texas A&M used the starting lineup of Alexia Standish, Sydney Carter, Skylar Collins, Adaora Elonu and Kelsey Bone.
• Texas A&M moves to 20-27 in the all-time series with Texas A&M. The Aggies have won seven of the last eight meetings between the two rivals.
• The Aggies are 4-2 when playing OU in the Big 12 Championship and have faced the Sooners in the tournament each of the last three years.
• The Aggies move to 5-2 all-time in the semifinals, 3-1 against the No. 2 seed and 15-13 overall in all Big 12 Championship games.
• The Aggies are 8-5 on national TV this season.
• The Aggies are 11-2 this season when four or more players score double figures.
• The Aggies are 15-1 when scoring over 70 points this season.
• The Aggies are 18-2 when leading at the half.
• A&M took advantage of 16 OU miscues, outscoring the Sooners 17-8 off turnovers.
• A&M dominated down low, doubling up OU’s points in the paint, 32-16.
• For just the fifth time this season and second straight game, A&M made five 3-point field goals.
• Collins had a first-half career-best 10 points on the way to a career-high 15.
• Bellock’s eight rebounds were a career-best and she added 6 points and two assists in just 13 minutes of action.
• Standish continues her hot streak from 3-point range going 13-18 (.722) in the last five games.
• Bone scored in double figures for the 23rd time this season, Carter for the 19th, Standish for the fourth and Collins for the third time.
