Spring Break
Aggies beat Cyclones, Blair collects 500th win
By: Travis Measley
Issue date: 2/21/08 Section: Sports
Texas A&M women's basketball Head Coach Gary Blair got his 500th career win as the No. 21 Aggies rolled over the Iowa State Cyclones, 60-46, Wednesday night at Reed Arena.
"I don't know what to say," Blair said. "Right now, I'm just a little speechless."
There was never any doubt that the Aggies would come away with the victory, taking a commanding lead in the middle of the first half, and then maintaining a double-digit lead for most of the remainder of the game.
With around nine minutes left in the first half, the Cyclones cut the Aggie lead to 10 points on a lay-up, but the Aggies responded with a crushing 8-2 run over the next four minutes to give A&M the commanding lead they would never even consider relinquishing. The run was lead by a pair of 3-pointers by senior guard Morenike Atunrase, helping stretch the lead to 54-38.
Also attributing to the Aggie victory was their dominance on the boards, especially defensively. The Cyclones recorded no offensive rebounds during the first half, and were out rebounded 31-24.
"I've never seen a team have zero offensive rebounds in a half," Blair said. "I think that was a key to the game."
The Cyclones, who have lost crucial members of their line-up to injuries, struggled shooting in the first half, and could not keep pace with the Aggies.
"There's still a lot to play for," Iowa State Head Coach Bill Fennelly said to ESPN. "I'm really proud of our effort. There's not many teams in the country that lost two starters to ACL injuries and are still competing."
Gant lead the Aggies with 22 points and seven rebounds, and four other Aggies scored eight points, including freshman Sydney Colson of the bench. The Aggies shot 42 percent from the floor, and made 6-7 from the free-throw line, something they have struggled with this season.
For Blair, who is 500-220 in his overall career, the victory was is 92nd as an Aggie and made him the 36th Division I women's basketball coach to reach the 500-win milestone.
"I don't know what to say," Blair said. "Right now, I'm just a little speechless."
There was never any doubt that the Aggies would come away with the victory, taking a commanding lead in the middle of the first half, and then maintaining a double-digit lead for most of the remainder of the game.
With around nine minutes left in the first half, the Cyclones cut the Aggie lead to 10 points on a lay-up, but the Aggies responded with a crushing 8-2 run over the next four minutes to give A&M the commanding lead they would never even consider relinquishing. The run was lead by a pair of 3-pointers by senior guard Morenike Atunrase, helping stretch the lead to 54-38.
Also attributing to the Aggie victory was their dominance on the boards, especially defensively. The Cyclones recorded no offensive rebounds during the first half, and were out rebounded 31-24.
"I've never seen a team have zero offensive rebounds in a half," Blair said. "I think that was a key to the game."
The Cyclones, who have lost crucial members of their line-up to injuries, struggled shooting in the first half, and could not keep pace with the Aggies.
"There's still a lot to play for," Iowa State Head Coach Bill Fennelly said to ESPN. "I'm really proud of our effort. There's not many teams in the country that lost two starters to ACL injuries and are still competing."
Gant lead the Aggies with 22 points and seven rebounds, and four other Aggies scored eight points, including freshman Sydney Colson of the bench. The Aggies shot 42 percent from the floor, and made 6-7 from the free-throw line, something they have struggled with this season.
For Blair, who is 500-220 in his overall career, the victory was is 92nd as an Aggie and made him the 36th Division I women's basketball coach to reach the 500-win milestone.
Be sure to include your name, major, and class year. Submissions without this information are subject to deletion.
By submitting a comment, you agree to thebatt.com's Terms of Use.
You may also send a Mail Call to The Battalion at mailcall@thebatt.com