A&M women to face struggling Iowa State in Ames

  • By ROBERT CESSNA

  • Posted: Saturday, January 14, 2012 7:00 a.m.
  • Text size: A A A


For the second straight game the Texas A&M women's basketball team will face a desperate opponent. And if the defending national champions don't do a better job than last time, they'll be the desperate ones.


The 12th-ranked Aggies (10-4, 1-2) will play at Iowa State at 7 p.m. Saturday. The Cyclones (9-5, 0-3) have started Big 12 play with three losses for the first time. The Cyclones have been blown out at Oklahoma (80-51), lost at home to top-ranked Baylor (57-45) and lost in double overtime at Kansas (74-67).


"Offensively, we're not very good," veteran ISU head coach Bill Fennelly said. "We're not making shots. We're missing too many free throws and have too many turnovers."


A&M can relate.


The Aggies are coming off a 76-71 loss to Texas which snapped A&M's 11-game winning streak in the series. Texas had opened league play with losses to Kansas and Oklahoma State but outscored the Aggies 40-24 in the paint, including 20-9 on fastbreak points. Texas had been struggling to score but shot 53.1 percent from the field in the first half to take a lead it never relinquished against the Aggies.


"We're getting everyone's bests, and there's no use feeling sorry for us," A&M head coach Gary Blair said. "We knew it coming in, and it's going to happen all year long. Are we going to make excuses or find the solutions?"


ISU has added incentive for beating the Aggies who won in Ames, Iowa, for the first time last year after losing seven straight.


Ames, along with Manhattan, Kan., are two of the toughest places for the Aggies historically. A&M opened league play with a 71-69 overtime loss at Kansas State, dropping the Aggies to 2-7 at KSU.


"It's important for us to not get down," A&M senior guard Sydney Carter said. "I just have to let my team know that it's tough to play at Iowa State, but it's not impossible to win there. We have to respond positively to this and keep growing and keep learning and making sure we don't let games slip out of our hands like we did [against Texas]."


A&M WOMEN'S BASKETBALL


Who: No. 12 A&M (10-4, 1-2 in the Big 12) at Iowa State (9-5, 0-3)


When: 7 p.m. Saturday, Hilton Coliseum, Ames, Iowa


TV: None. Radio: 1620 AM, WTAW


TEXAS A&M


Pos. Name Height Class PPG RPG


G Adrienne Pratcher 5-7 Jr. 7.1 *4.9


G Sydney Carter 5-6 Sr. 12.6 3.2


G Tyra White 6-0 Sr. 14.9 5.4


F Adaora Elonu 6-1 Sr. 11.4 7.1


C Kelsey Bone 6-4 Jr. 12.6 7.3


IOWA STATE


Pos. Name Height Class PPG RPG


G Nikki Moody 5-8 Fr. 9.1 *4.6


G Chassidy Cole 5-8 Sr. 1.8 *2.8


F Hallie Christofferson 6-3 So. 9.9 6.0


F Chelsea Poppens 6-2 Jr. 14.3 11.7


P Anna Prins 6-7 Jr. 8.5 4.4

Notice about comments: The Eagle is proud to offer our users enhanced commenting features. You can now build user‐to‐user connections, follow friend's recent posts, add an avatar that fits your personality, and more. If you have posted here before you'll need to sign up again and if you've never posted start now by signing up!