Spring Break
Aggie women's basketball team to play at Oklahoma State
By: T.D. Durham
Issue date: 1/23/09 Section: Sports
The No. 9 Texas A&M Aggie women's basketball team will play No.24 Oklahoma State Saturday night in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
After a three-point loss to Baylor in College Station on Wednesday, the A&M squad has lost two consecutive conference games.
Oklahoma State had an open week to prepare for the Aggies, their last game being an 18-point home loss to Baylor in Stillwater.
The Cowgirls have a record of 1-2 in the Big 12 conference and 12-4 overall.
The previous time the Aggies, 14-3 overall and 2-2 in conference, met the Cowgirls was in March 2008 at the Big 12 tournament in Kansas City, Missouri. The game went to the Aggies with a score of 64-59.
The lead scorer of the game was junior guard Andrea Riley, who leads the Cowgirls in the 2008-2009 season in scoring.
The junior guard has had four games this season in which she has scored over 30 points.
"She's a pretty quick guard," said senior guard Takia Starks. "I'm going to have to try to contain her and force her shot."
Head Coach Gary Blair said the two teams are very well matched in all aspects of the game.
"Size wise, skill, and playing style, we math up very closely," Blair said. "Each time we play them, they play us really hard."
According to Blair, the Aggies will have to have exceptional efforts from the freshmen and bench players to win Saturday.
Freshman Adaora Elonu, who won Big 12 freshman-of-the-week twice this season, has been held to three points in her previous two games.
"We need to get [Elonu] out of her funk," Blair said. "She's hit the 'freshman wall' and we need her back badly."
The match against the Cowgirls, the Aggies' third game in seven days against a ranked opponent, marks the beginning of a two game road trip for the Aggies, the second installment being a Jan. 28 match in Austin against No. 14 Texas.
Senior guard Danielle Gant, who had what Blair called an off-game against Baylor, said she is prepared to join the team in regaining its winning ways.
"I need to step up on the defensive end, especially when my offensive game is off," Gant said. "It's time for [the team] to pick up our play and start winning again."
A&M's defense, ranked first in the Big 12 conference in steals and forced turnovers, will face off with an Oklahoma State offense that averages 77.2 points per game.
Though Oklahoma State is 20-15 against the Aggies all-time, the Aggies have won nine of the previous ten meetings with the Cowgirls, the only win coming from a last second three-pointer from Riley in the final seconds of the match.
After a three-point loss to Baylor in College Station on Wednesday, the A&M squad has lost two consecutive conference games.
Oklahoma State had an open week to prepare for the Aggies, their last game being an 18-point home loss to Baylor in Stillwater.
The Cowgirls have a record of 1-2 in the Big 12 conference and 12-4 overall.
The previous time the Aggies, 14-3 overall and 2-2 in conference, met the Cowgirls was in March 2008 at the Big 12 tournament in Kansas City, Missouri. The game went to the Aggies with a score of 64-59.
The lead scorer of the game was junior guard Andrea Riley, who leads the Cowgirls in the 2008-2009 season in scoring.
The junior guard has had four games this season in which she has scored over 30 points.
"She's a pretty quick guard," said senior guard Takia Starks. "I'm going to have to try to contain her and force her shot."
Head Coach Gary Blair said the two teams are very well matched in all aspects of the game.
"Size wise, skill, and playing style, we math up very closely," Blair said. "Each time we play them, they play us really hard."
According to Blair, the Aggies will have to have exceptional efforts from the freshmen and bench players to win Saturday.
Freshman Adaora Elonu, who won Big 12 freshman-of-the-week twice this season, has been held to three points in her previous two games.
"We need to get [Elonu] out of her funk," Blair said. "She's hit the 'freshman wall' and we need her back badly."
The match against the Cowgirls, the Aggies' third game in seven days against a ranked opponent, marks the beginning of a two game road trip for the Aggies, the second installment being a Jan. 28 match in Austin against No. 14 Texas.
Senior guard Danielle Gant, who had what Blair called an off-game against Baylor, said she is prepared to join the team in regaining its winning ways.
"I need to step up on the defensive end, especially when my offensive game is off," Gant said. "It's time for [the team] to pick up our play and start winning again."
A&M's defense, ranked first in the Big 12 conference in steals and forced turnovers, will face off with an Oklahoma State offense that averages 77.2 points per game.
Though Oklahoma State is 20-15 against the Aggies all-time, the Aggies have won nine of the previous ten meetings with the Cowgirls, the only win coming from a last second three-pointer from Riley in the final seconds of the match.
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