Aggies improve to 2-0 in Big 12 play

Texas A&M stretches a six-game win streak against Texas Tech

By: Brad Cox

Posted: 12/8/08

The No. 8 Texas A&M women's basketball team improved to 14-1 after defeating upset-minded Texas Tech 67-56 at Reed Arena on Tuesday.

Going into the game against the Aggies, the Lady Raiders had won six of their previous seven games, including a 65-62 upset win against Texas.

Texas Tech struck first with a layup from senior guard Maria Moore 44 seconds into the game. The Lady Raiders controlled the early minutes of the match, taking a 12-5 lead with 15:38 remaining in the first half.

"We just [kept] taking it to the basket," Moore said. "Taking it inside was working for us."

A&M Head Coach Gary Blair said his team was struggling with its man-to-man defense during the first five minutes of the game. He switched to a zone defense and the Aggies began taking control of the game.

Senior guard Takia Starks broke a 1:54 field goal drought with a jump shot with 15:19 remaining in the half. The Aggies fought to within one point of the Lady Raiders four times in the next seven minutes before taking a 23-22 lead with a layup from Starks with 6:55 remaining in the half.

A&M took command and went on a 10-0 run before Tech freshman center Kierra Mallard hit a 3-pointer with 2:13 remaining in the half. The Aggies ended the first half with a 35-28 lead.

Starks paced the Aggies with 15 points while sophomore guard Sydney Colson followed with nine points.

"I think the biggest thing is we didn't control Starks early," said Tech Head Coach Kristy Curry. "I think Starks is, if not the top shooter in the country, I'd have to sit around and think about it."

Both teams posted a field goal percentage of 48 and the Lady Raiders held a 12-10 turnover advantage. However A&M out rebounded Tech 17-14.

Though the Lady Raiders struggled to finish the first half, they came out firing in the second. Tech took a 39-37 lead on a layup by junior guard Tilmila Martin with 16:10 remaining in the game.

Senior forward Danielle Gant, who struggled in the first half with a 16.7 shooting percentage, found her stride with 12:24 remaining in the second half with a layup to give the Aggies a 45-43 lead. A&M did not surrender the lead in the remainder of the game.

"I didn't take my time at all," Gant said about her first half performance. "I felt myself rushing a lot of my shots."
Gant became Blair's go-to-girl in the second half, scoring 16 points and pulling down four rebounds. She scored 14 of the Aggies final 18 points. Gant finished the game with 18 points and 10 rebounds. It was her fifteenth career double-double.

"As a senior I knew I had to help my team," Gant said. "The game was close so I had to step up as a senior and take over the game and help [Starks] out a little bit on the scoring."

The Aggies caught a break with 6:32 remaining in the game when Tech senior forward Dominic Seals left the game for more than three minutes after sustaining an ankle injury. Seals had scored 18 points before the injury. A&M went on an 8-3 run during her absence.

The Aggies ended the game with ten consecutive free throws, winning 67-56. The game was A&M's sixth consecutive victory against the Lady Raiders.

Starks finished the game with 21 points. The game was her third consecutive 20-point game against Tech and sixth of the season.

The Aggies are 2-0 in Big 12 play for the first time in the conference's 12 year history. By contrast the 2007-2008 A&M squad that won the Big 12 championship began conference play with a 0-2 record.

A&M will return to the court on Sunday, January 18 at No. 3 Oklahoma. The Sooners feature seniors Courtney and Ashley Paris, who lead the Big 12 conference in rebounding. Courtney leads the conference in field goal percentage.

"It's going to be a tough road game," Starks said. "We've just got to come together and play like we did tonight."