Plenty at stake for Aggie women in Lone Star Showdown

Playing for pride is always enough when A&M and Texas get together, but much more is at stake this year because the Aggies are leaving the Big 12 for the Southeastern Conference.

We saw how emotional it was in football as Texas claimed a 27-25 last-second victory.

Basketball takes center stage Wednesday with the men playing in Austin and the women playing for the final time in league action at Reed Arena.

"Neither one of us can afford to lose this game," A&M head coach Gary Blair said.

And he wasn't referring to the rivalry. He was taking about the league standings. A&M was able to avoid an 0-2 start in Big 12 play with a 75-58 victory over Oklahoma on Sunday, but the 12th-ranked Aggies (10-3, 1-1) need a victory to protect their home court and keep pace with top-ranked Baylor and 10th-ranked Texas Tech, a pair of unbeaten teams.

Texas is in dire need of a victory. The Horns, who were a preseason Top 25 team, have opened league with losses to Kansas and Oklahoma State.

Texas (10-4, 0-2) has little to show under fifth-year coach Gail Gostenkors. She was supposed to return the Longhorns to the national power they were for three decades under Jody Conradt, but the former Duke head coach has failed to close the gap on Baylor, A&M and Oklahoma.

Many believe this could be her make-or-break season after losing in the first round of the NCAA Tournament for three straight years. UT was picked third in the coaches' preseason poll behind Baylor and A&M, which makes losses to KU and OSU -- which were picked seventh and eighth, respectively -- cause for concern.

Gostenkors has yet to beat A&M. The Aggies can relate. A&M had lost eight straight to Baylor until last season's 58-46 victory in the Dallas Regional final.

A&M's seniors have won eight straight against Texas, so Aggie forward Adaora Elonu understands how the Longhorns feel.

"I don't want to think about it too much because I don't want to show them any mercy," she said.

A&M's five seniors are trying to become the second straight class to be unbeaten against the Longhorns, while freshman point guard Alexia Standish is eager to play in the rivalry for the first time.

Standish said A&M's second-half domination against Oklahoma, which wiped out a three-point deficit, helped prepare them for the Longhorns.

"We'll be ready to play hard on every possession," she said.

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Speaking of streaks, A&M has won six straight against the Sooners.

"Sometimes, your kids are so used to winning, they take over the last 10 minutes of the game," Blair said of rivalry games. "It was like that for us against Baylor. They took over the last three minutes of those three games we lost to them last year before we won."

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Blair said A&M and Texas would play again in many sports, and probably soon. Even if the two teams don't schedule each other, Blair said, they'll eventually meet in NCAA postseason play.

"Right now, there's hurt feelings," Blair said. "I think it all will come back. Everyone gets over the feeling of being mad. And if they don't, we'll start new rivalries."

Blair said Kentucky and Louisville didn't play for years, but the demand from the fans, alumni and former players was too great.

Blair said A&M and Texas should keep playing in every sport.

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A&M senior shooting guard Sydney Carter hasn't been practicing because of a hot spot in her right foot, forcing her to sit and watch while wearing a boot.

That hasn't prevented her from playing 80 minutes in A&M's last two games.

"We've got to rest that foot," Blair said.

Carter said she just hates not practicing.

"I know they need my effort and energy," Carter said. "It gives me a chance to work on my verbal skills and encourage people."

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Standish, who attended a UT summer camp as an eighth-grader, played AAU basketball with sophomore guard Chelsea Bass, sophomore forward Anne Marie Hartung and freshmen guards Brady Sanders and Cassie Peoples.

Robert Cessna's email address is robert.cessna@theeagle.com.