By ROBERT CESSNA
It's too early to tell if the Texas A&M women's basketball team turned the corner last time out with a victory over Missouri, but the Aggies sure will get a chance to prove it Saturday against Big 12-leading Nebraska.
The fourth-ranked Cornhuskers (20-0, 7-0 Big 12) are making a shambles of the league race. Nebraska is coming off an 88-67 victory over 10th-ranked Oklahoma State, and it wasn't that close.
The Cowgirls, riding high off a road victory against the Aggies (16-4, 4-3), trailed 29-5 as the Cornhuskers zoomed to a 51-27 halftime lead in what was supposed to be a battle for first place.
"[My players] left me speechless with how well they played in the first 30 minutes of that basketball game," Nebraska coach Connie Yori said. "We can't play much better than that, but we're going to keep trying."
A&M head coach Gary Blair was relieved that his team ended a two-game losing skid with a 65-55 victory over Missouri on Wednesday night until finding out what Nebraska was doing.
"My gosh, what was that score again?" said Blair as his eyes widened before managing a laugh when it was repeated. "I think we got 'em just about where we want them right now. I guarantee you, we won't go in there overconfident. I've only won up there once and this is my fourth trip."
This is by far Nebraska's best start in school history. The previous best was 9-0 in 1996-97. The Huskers are led by senior forward Kelsey Griffin, who missed last season with a knee injury. She is averaging 19.3 points and 9.9 rebounds per game. She has a Big 12-leading 10 double-doubles and is shooting 61.7 percent from the field. Griffin also leads the Huskers with 36 steals and 16 charges drawn.
"A key will be stopping Kelsey Griffin," Blair said. "But can you do it without fouling? You have to let her [try to] beat you by driving for twos, but not with [three-point plays]."
Blair is hopeful Aggie starting point guard Sydney Colson (left leg stress reaction) can return after a one-game absence to help along with the team's other perimeter players to guard Griffin and handle Nebraska's pressure defense, the fast-paced Cornhuskers offense and the crowd.
"Our defense is definitely going to have to be on that game," A&M guard Sydney Carter said. "They really play well. I think our defense is going to be key and we need to attack the paint instead of settling for jump shots."
Nebraska is shooting for its third straight home crowd of more than 10,000.
"We can't let the crowd take us away from being able to run our sets," Blair said. "[Nebraska] is a team that pressures the entire game. They normally go with man pressure, something we haven't seen a lot of. They want an up-tempo game."
Nebraska, which gets the majority of its scoring from three senior starters and a junior, has found a gem in freshman point guard Lindsey Moore. She leads the Big 12 with a 2.4-to-1 assists-to-turnovers ratio in league play.
High-flying Nebraska leads the league in scoring at 79.6 ppg with A&M next (77.8). Nebraska also is second in scoring defense (55.3) which creates a gaudy 24.2-point scoring margin.
The Aggies might try to slow the pace and work the ball into 6-foot-1 post Danielle Adams, who scored 10 of A&M's first 12 points against Missouri before getting in foul trouble.
"She's got to learn to play more minutes," said Blair of Adams, who had 19 points in 21 minutes last time out. "We've gotta have a little more balance."
Opponents have tried to limit production from Tanisha Smith (15.7 ppg) and Tyra White (10.9 ppg) on the wings, which makes inside production by Adams vital, Blair said.
This is A&M's third national TV game in the last month, but A&M isn't even focusing on trying to catch the Huskers.
"We're just trying to get this team ready," Blair said. "All those great expectations [just a couple of weeks ago] -- we are just trying to win games now. After we're through with these two games, the schedule falls back in our favor, but we've got a tough two games on the road."
The Aggies travel to Texas Tech on Wednesday, though three players aren't viewing Saturday's game as a dreaded road game. Adams, White and Smith are from Kansas City and they expect several friends and family to make the trip.
TEXAS A&M WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
* Saturday's game: No. 12 Texas A&M (16-4, 4-3 in Big 12) at No. 4 Nebraska (20-0, 7-0), noon
* TV/radio: FSN, Ch. 25/KZNE, 1150 AM
LINEUPS
MISSOURI (20-0, 7-0)
NAME POS. HT. CLASS PPG RPG
Lindsey Moore G 5-9 Fr. 4.9 2.0
Yvonne Turner G 5-8 Sr. 12.4 3.9
Kelsey Griffin F 6-2 Sr. 19.3 9.9
Cory Montgomery F 6-2 Sr. 12.8 5.0
Dominique Kelley G 5-7 Jr. 12.2 4.0
TEXAS A&M (16-4, 4-3)
NAME POS. HT. CLASS PPG RPG
Sydney Carter G 5-6 So. 7.1 2.8
Tanisha Smith F 6-0 Sr. 15.7 4.9
Tyra White G 6-0 So. 10.9 4.0
Danielle Adams C 6-1 Jr. 16.1 5.6
Adaora Elonu F 6-1 Jr. 8.3 3.7
*assists per game
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