Aggie women's basketball team to open Big 12 play

  • By ROBERT CESSNA

  • Posted: Wednesday, January 4, 2012 7:00 a.m.
  • Text size: A A A

The Texas A&M women's basketball team played at Purdue and Connecticut as part of a tough nonconference schedule in preparation for life on the road in the Big 12.

It won't take long to see if those games pay dividends when the ninth-ranked Aggies (9-2) open the Big 12 at Kansas State's Bramlage Coliseum at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday. The Wildcats (9-3) have won six of the eight meetings at home against the Aggies, including a 71-67 victory last season.

"Welcome to the NCAA tournament, Kansas State. You just punched your ticket," A&M head coach Gary Blair said afterward.

He was right. The biggest home victory in three decades helped Kansas State make the NCAA tournament, though the Wildcats lost in the first round to Purdue.

Veteran KSU head coach Deb Patterson upgraded her nonconference schedule with three starters returning to prepare her team for the Big 12 and hopefully the postseason. The Wildcats have faced the country's 19th toughest schedule according to Warren Nolan's Women's College Basketball Rating Percentage Index (RPI). The only Big 12 team to have faced a tougher schedule is A&M at seventh.

The Wildcats are 5-0 at home this season, beating four teams that have a combined 36-18 record.

"It's a tough place to play," Blair said. "They come in and support their team pretty well. I know who will be sitting right behind the scorer's table and that will be [football coach] Bill Snyder -- he never misses. I like seeing him there because he's encouraging his team."

Blair also is doing a lot of cheerleading these days as the defending national champions fight through inconsistent play and injuries. A&M is coming off a 72-62 victory at home over McNeese State, a team the Aggies beat 87-47 to open NCAA tournament play last year.

A&M struggled to beat Southern Cal 71-70 before breaking for Christmas, and the Aggies lost to second-ranked UConn 81-51.

"We've got a lot of work to do," Blair said. "We're practicing hard, but we're not there yet. We're not even close, but we're going to keep working until we get it right."

Some of that work was curtailed for senior guard Sydney Carter, who has a hot spot in her left foot that caused her to miss McNeese State. Carter will play against KSU, though she hasn't practiced full court because the Aggies don't want the injury to develop into a stress fracture, which is what former point guard Sydney Colson battled through last season.

The 5-foot-6 Carter has been struggling offensively, shooting 31 percent from the floor, including 18.9 percent on 3-pointers. Both numbers are career lows. Still, her defense and leadership are immeasurable.

"In the McNeese game we were completely lost without her," Blair said. "The other kids had to step up, and we didn't do a good job of it."

A&M needs a strong game from its guards against the perimeter-minded Wildcats. Junior guard Brittany Chambers had a career-high 35 points in the victory over A&M last season.

"In their style of play their point guard is going to handle the ball 25 seconds," Blair said. "Then they are going to run a flair screen for Chambers or she'll come off a high ball screen, and we've had problems with high-ball screens all year long."

Senior guard Tasha Dickey (8.7 points per game) complements Chambers (15.6 points, 6.2 rebounds per game) on the outside with the Wildcats also featuring a strong threat inside led by 6-2 Jalana Childs (15.2 ppg, 6.4 rpg).

"But there's no excuse for us to be outrebounded in a Big 12 game," said Blair, who has 6-4 Kelsey Bone and 6-5 Karla Gilbert averaging a combined 12.8 rebounds per game.

*

NOTES -- A&M freshman guard Tori Scott (concussion) won't make the trip. Sophomore guard Kristen Grant (hip flexor) won't play against KSU but could return for Sunday's Big 12 home opener against Oklahoma. Freshman post Rachel Mitchell (shoulder, knee) will redshirt. ... Blair said Texas (10-2) and Texas Tech (12-0) are probably the Big 12's two most improved teams since October when the preseason predictions were made. Texas was picked third behind Baylor and A&M, while Tech was picked sixth. KSU was picked ninth in the 10-team league. ... The other league openers Wednesday include Iowa State (9-2) at Oklahoma (8-3), Missouri (10-1) at Baylor (13-0), Oklahoma State (8-1) at Tech and Kansas (11-1) at UT. ... Purdue is the only common opponent for A&M and KSU. Purdue beat KSU 46-42 in overtime in Cancun on Nov. 25 and defeated the Aggies 60-51 at home Dec. 4.

A&M BASKETBALL

No. 9 A&M (9-2) at Kansas State (9-3)

5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Bramlage Coliseum, Manhattan, Kan.

1150 AM, KZNE

TEXAS A&M

Pos.NameHeightClassPPGRPG

G Adrienne Pratcher 5-7 Jr. 8.5*5.3

G Sydney Carter 5-6 Sr. 10.83.3

G Tyra White 6-0 Sr. 13.85.2

F Adaora Elonu 6-1 Sr. 11.7 6.4

C Kelsey Bone 6-4 Jr. 12.57.4

KANSAS STATE

Pos.NameHeightClassPPGRPG

G Brittany Chambers5-8Jr.15.66.2

G Tasha Dickey5-10Sr.8.73.8

GMariah White5-8Jr.5.04.3

F Jalana Childs6-2Sr.15.26.4

F Branshea Brown6-2Sr.4.45.9

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