Gary Blair
White, Bone & Gilbert
Kansas State
Texas A&M Women's Basketball
* The story in this one: Points in the paint (44), points off of turnovers (29), second-chance points and A&M's ability to crash the glass on the offensive end. The Ags pulled down 15 offensive boards, accounting for 16 second-chance points. Leading the charge on that front was Tyra White, who grabbed five offensive rebounds, directly attributing to her double-double performance. The senior finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds in the win. A&M five players Kelsey Bone and Karla Gilbert also got in on the act. Bone had 14 points and five boards, with three of those coming on the offensive end. Meanwhile, Gilbert may have played her best game as an Aggie. She grabbed eight rebounds (two offensive) to go along with 14 points off the bench. Adaora Elonu, who did not play particularly well, had had just two boards in the game but both of those game on the offensive end. She finished with eight points in 25 minutes.
* When A&M gets production from their "bigs" like they got from Bone and Gilbert, there is only a handful of teams that can beat them. The duo combined for 28 points and 13 rebounds. They both did such a good job of working without the basketball and positioning themselves to get easy looks at the basket. There was a stretch in the first half where Bone was able to score at will and grab any rebounds that she wanted. She scored seven straight points for A&M at the end of the first, helping the Ags take a 20-point lead into the locker room at halftime. Gilbert came on for Bone early after Kelsey picked up a quick foul and she was as nimble and active as I've seen her. She scored eight first half points and was able to have her way with whomever tried to guard her. I've been really impressed with what Karla has been able to give the team off the bench this season ... especially over the past couple of weeks. Much needed productivity because she's got more "game" than Kelsey Assarian and you just never know when Bone is going to have one of those subpar games or get herself in foul trouble. Gilbert needs to be waiting in the wings, and she's been able to do that very well of late.
* Give Vic Schaefer and the A&M defense a lot of credit for what they've been able to do on that end over the past three or four games. This program was built on defense and they have made tremendous strides in that department as the season has rolled along. In this one, A&M held KSU to just 22.7 percent shooting and a 25.0 percent clip from beyond the arc. The Aggies forced 23 turnovers in the game as well. They left the 'Cats open on a few too many threes, but for the most part made things extremely difficult on the visiting team. It's great to see the Aggies playing so well on that end of the floor because they're going to have to play one heck of a great game on both ends to give themselves a chance at pulling off an upset at Baylor on Saturday.
* Saturday at 5 p.m. in Waco, the top two teams in the Big 12 butt heads for the first time this season. It will be the women's basketball nation's first opportunity to see Brittney Griner vs. Kelsey Bone. The former Houston-area rivals have a long history and will give the Battle of the Brazos additional spice ... as if this contest needed any additional storylines. Baylor is the best team in the country and A&M certainly has their hands full. But if the Ags play like they did on Wednesday, they will have a shot at pulling off the upset.
Opening Statement…
"Our five position is very, very much improved. That’s the best we’ve looked all year with both our bigs in there at the same time. We got production out of them this time. K-State didn’t have the depth in the post position, but they both played very well and they were aggressive. We executed our man offense very well to start the ball game. This was a huge, must win for us."
On holding Chambers to 11 points and on A&M’s defensive performance…
"We did a heck of a job on her (KU’s Brittany Chambers). Tyra (White) guarded her probably 80 percent of the game. She needed that. The last game we had Carter on Chambers and Carter did a great job, but she has been doing such a great job on the other team’s point guard and she did it again on (KU’s Mariah) White. The defense looked like last year. Coach Schaefer’s been pushing them a lot the last couple weeks. We press to set the tone and we got the 5-second count to start the game. That gives you a lot of confidence right there. They had to shoot a lot of shots that were not in their offense. They had to create and that was not Kansas State."
On Tyra White’s performance…
"We’re trying to get Tyra down low a little bit more because she’s such a good rebounder and finishes once I get her down there. She got in and she got aggressive. She saw early that 3-point shot was not going and I told her to drive the ball, get inside and score easy and she did a great job."
On the key to A&M holding its big lead…
"We’re getting mentally tough. The last key on the board (before the game) was tough love. When we teach and coach, there is a lot of tough love. I used that as an example of “TL” because we just lost a great Aggie in Tommy Lohman. We buried him today. He just meant so much to our program and to these girls. He was a great man. We tried to use tough love and what “TL” has meant to this school to inspire our kids and I think they really reacted."
On A&M’s improved defense…
"It’s trust. I think Carter is learning to get smarter. The difference is she has had to get used to guarding the other team’s point guard. Another key is Bone is a lot better. The combination of Bone and Karla together, when they’re both on, we’re pretty good. I like my team right now and I’m proud of them. We needed a win like this to relax."
Guard-Forward Tyra White
On her jumpers in the paint…
"That was key. Last game I didn’t have that many rebounds, so that was my big goal coming in, getting easy baskets."
On the team’s solid play…
"That comes with the maturity that we’re going through, playing so many Big 12 games now. We know that it’s time. Like Coach Blair tells us, February is an important month to get us to March. Then when March comes, it’s not an easy path, but we’ve learned to play together, we’ve matured and we’re playing as a team."
On A&M’s defensive performance…
"That’s just how we play. It was a challenge for us; since they had 19 points (at the half) we wanted to keep them to 38. When we play good defense we’re one of the best in the country and it helps us on the offensive end."
Center Kelsey Bone
On the A&M’s success in the post tonight…
"We’ve been working a lot on understanding how teams are going to play us and our teammates did a very good job of looking for us and finding us when we were open. It’s all part of the chemistry we’re building – how to get it to us, when to get it to us – because we’re (including Karla Gilbert) both kind of different. Karla came in and gave us big minutes off the bench."
On the difference of this K-State game from the last…
"Tonight our coaches stressed on us to not overlook this team, because K-State was a team that already beat us this year. We put a lot of focus into this team. When we played them first time, it was my first Big 12 game. Now we’re 11 games later and I think that just goes in with the chemistry that we’re building with one another. I can’t stress that enough because that is something we really need. We’re starting to be aware of each other on the court and our high-low game is really working. In order for our team to be successful, we have to have an inside game."
On A&M’s defensive performance…
"Coach Schaefer said if you want to get some people’s attention hold them 19 more points. That was something our coaches put in front of us and that we something we wanted to do."
Center Karla Gilbert
On the A&M’s success in the post tonight…
"I agree with what Kelsey Bone said. We do play different. We were moving the ball a lot today and everyone was moving without the ball. We were setting screens and we ran the plays like we needed to and executed well."
* Texas A&M moves to 8-13 in the all-time series with Kansas State.
* The Aggies’ 20-point half-time lead was its largest in conference play this season.
* The Aggies’ 56.7 field goal percentage in the first half was its best of the season.
* A&M’s 52.7 shooting percentage was its best in conference play and its second-best this season.
* A&M held K-State to a first-half season low five field goals and a 26.3 shooting percentage – the Aggies’ lowest for an opponent in Big 12 play this season.
* The Aggies also held the Wildcats to a season-low 22.7 field goal percentage and 23 turnovers – K-State’s most in Big 12 play this season.
* Thirty-one points is the largest margin of victory against K-State all-time.
* Texas A&M held a 29-7 advantage in points off turnovers, a 16-3 lead in second chance points and a 20-9 edge in bench points.
* White has now started in 80 straight games, a streak that started on Jan. 4, 2010 against Lamar.
* White earned her second career double-double tonight (13 pts, 10 reb).
* With two rebounds against K-State, Elonu moved into seventh place on the career rebounds list with 653 boards.
* Skylar Collins dished out a career-best five assists.
* Karla Gilbert matched her first-half career-best with 8 points and finished with a season-best 14 on 7 of 9 from the field. She also added eight rebounds.
* White has now scored in double figures 27 of her last 30 games, Gilbert scored double figures for the third time this season and Bone for the 16th.
WBB Thoughts: Ags roll past K-State at home, 67-36
Post-Game Thoughts
* Four words: Life on the road. The Aggies had a world of trouble against K-State in dropping the Big 12 opener a few weeks ago in Manhattan. But a completely overmatched Wildcats squad had no business being on the court with a fired up A&M squad on Wednesday night. It was over almost before it began, as Texas A&M put together first half runs of 6-0, 9-0, 8-0 and 8-0 on their way to a 39-19 halftime lead and, eventually, a 67-36 victory in front of a crowd of 5,372. With the win, the Ags improve to 17-5 overall and 8-3 in Big 12 play. KSU falls to 15-8 and 6-5 in the league.* The story in this one: Points in the paint (44), points off of turnovers (29), second-chance points and A&M's ability to crash the glass on the offensive end. The Ags pulled down 15 offensive boards, accounting for 16 second-chance points. Leading the charge on that front was Tyra White, who grabbed five offensive rebounds, directly attributing to her double-double performance. The senior finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds in the win. A&M five players Kelsey Bone and Karla Gilbert also got in on the act. Bone had 14 points and five boards, with three of those coming on the offensive end. Meanwhile, Gilbert may have played her best game as an Aggie. She grabbed eight rebounds (two offensive) to go along with 14 points off the bench. Adaora Elonu, who did not play particularly well, had had just two boards in the game but both of those game on the offensive end. She finished with eight points in 25 minutes.
* When A&M gets production from their "bigs" like they got from Bone and Gilbert, there is only a handful of teams that can beat them. The duo combined for 28 points and 13 rebounds. They both did such a good job of working without the basketball and positioning themselves to get easy looks at the basket. There was a stretch in the first half where Bone was able to score at will and grab any rebounds that she wanted. She scored seven straight points for A&M at the end of the first, helping the Ags take a 20-point lead into the locker room at halftime. Gilbert came on for Bone early after Kelsey picked up a quick foul and she was as nimble and active as I've seen her. She scored eight first half points and was able to have her way with whomever tried to guard her. I've been really impressed with what Karla has been able to give the team off the bench this season ... especially over the past couple of weeks. Much needed productivity because she's got more "game" than Kelsey Assarian and you just never know when Bone is going to have one of those subpar games or get herself in foul trouble. Gilbert needs to be waiting in the wings, and she's been able to do that very well of late.
* Give Vic Schaefer and the A&M defense a lot of credit for what they've been able to do on that end over the past three or four games. This program was built on defense and they have made tremendous strides in that department as the season has rolled along. In this one, A&M held KSU to just 22.7 percent shooting and a 25.0 percent clip from beyond the arc. The Aggies forced 23 turnovers in the game as well. They left the 'Cats open on a few too many threes, but for the most part made things extremely difficult on the visiting team. It's great to see the Aggies playing so well on that end of the floor because they're going to have to play one heck of a great game on both ends to give themselves a chance at pulling off an upset at Baylor on Saturday.
* Saturday at 5 p.m. in Waco, the top two teams in the Big 12 butt heads for the first time this season. It will be the women's basketball nation's first opportunity to see Brittney Griner vs. Kelsey Bone. The former Houston-area rivals have a long history and will give the Battle of the Brazos additional spice ... as if this contest needed any additional storylines. Baylor is the best team in the country and A&M certainly has their hands full. But if the Ags play like they did on Wednesday, they will have a shot at pulling off the upset.
Post-Game Quotes
Head Coach Gary BlairOpening Statement…
"Our five position is very, very much improved. That’s the best we’ve looked all year with both our bigs in there at the same time. We got production out of them this time. K-State didn’t have the depth in the post position, but they both played very well and they were aggressive. We executed our man offense very well to start the ball game. This was a huge, must win for us."
On holding Chambers to 11 points and on A&M’s defensive performance…
"We did a heck of a job on her (KU’s Brittany Chambers). Tyra (White) guarded her probably 80 percent of the game. She needed that. The last game we had Carter on Chambers and Carter did a great job, but she has been doing such a great job on the other team’s point guard and she did it again on (KU’s Mariah) White. The defense looked like last year. Coach Schaefer’s been pushing them a lot the last couple weeks. We press to set the tone and we got the 5-second count to start the game. That gives you a lot of confidence right there. They had to shoot a lot of shots that were not in their offense. They had to create and that was not Kansas State."
On Tyra White’s performance…
"We’re trying to get Tyra down low a little bit more because she’s such a good rebounder and finishes once I get her down there. She got in and she got aggressive. She saw early that 3-point shot was not going and I told her to drive the ball, get inside and score easy and she did a great job."
On the key to A&M holding its big lead…
"We’re getting mentally tough. The last key on the board (before the game) was tough love. When we teach and coach, there is a lot of tough love. I used that as an example of “TL” because we just lost a great Aggie in Tommy Lohman. We buried him today. He just meant so much to our program and to these girls. He was a great man. We tried to use tough love and what “TL” has meant to this school to inspire our kids and I think they really reacted."
On A&M’s improved defense…
"It’s trust. I think Carter is learning to get smarter. The difference is she has had to get used to guarding the other team’s point guard. Another key is Bone is a lot better. The combination of Bone and Karla together, when they’re both on, we’re pretty good. I like my team right now and I’m proud of them. We needed a win like this to relax."
Guard-Forward Tyra White
On her jumpers in the paint…
"That was key. Last game I didn’t have that many rebounds, so that was my big goal coming in, getting easy baskets."
On the team’s solid play…
"That comes with the maturity that we’re going through, playing so many Big 12 games now. We know that it’s time. Like Coach Blair tells us, February is an important month to get us to March. Then when March comes, it’s not an easy path, but we’ve learned to play together, we’ve matured and we’re playing as a team."
On A&M’s defensive performance…
"That’s just how we play. It was a challenge for us; since they had 19 points (at the half) we wanted to keep them to 38. When we play good defense we’re one of the best in the country and it helps us on the offensive end."
Center Kelsey Bone
On the A&M’s success in the post tonight…
"We’ve been working a lot on understanding how teams are going to play us and our teammates did a very good job of looking for us and finding us when we were open. It’s all part of the chemistry we’re building – how to get it to us, when to get it to us – because we’re (including Karla Gilbert) both kind of different. Karla came in and gave us big minutes off the bench."
On the difference of this K-State game from the last…
"Tonight our coaches stressed on us to not overlook this team, because K-State was a team that already beat us this year. We put a lot of focus into this team. When we played them first time, it was my first Big 12 game. Now we’re 11 games later and I think that just goes in with the chemistry that we’re building with one another. I can’t stress that enough because that is something we really need. We’re starting to be aware of each other on the court and our high-low game is really working. In order for our team to be successful, we have to have an inside game."
On A&M’s defensive performance…
"Coach Schaefer said if you want to get some people’s attention hold them 19 more points. That was something our coaches put in front of us and that we something we wanted to do."
Center Karla Gilbert
On the A&M’s success in the post tonight…
"I agree with what Kelsey Bone said. We do play different. We were moving the ball a lot today and everyone was moving without the ball. We were setting screens and we ran the plays like we needed to and executed well."
Post-Game Notes
* For the 10th time this season, Texas A&M used the starting lineup of Alexia Standish, Sydney Carter, Tyra White, Adaora Elonu and Kelsey Bone…The Aggies are 8-2 with this starting lineup.* Texas A&M moves to 8-13 in the all-time series with Kansas State.
* The Aggies’ 20-point half-time lead was its largest in conference play this season.
* The Aggies’ 56.7 field goal percentage in the first half was its best of the season.
* A&M’s 52.7 shooting percentage was its best in conference play and its second-best this season.
* A&M held K-State to a first-half season low five field goals and a 26.3 shooting percentage – the Aggies’ lowest for an opponent in Big 12 play this season.
* The Aggies also held the Wildcats to a season-low 22.7 field goal percentage and 23 turnovers – K-State’s most in Big 12 play this season.
* Thirty-one points is the largest margin of victory against K-State all-time.
* Texas A&M held a 29-7 advantage in points off turnovers, a 16-3 lead in second chance points and a 20-9 edge in bench points.
* White has now started in 80 straight games, a streak that started on Jan. 4, 2010 against Lamar.
* White earned her second career double-double tonight (13 pts, 10 reb).
* With two rebounds against K-State, Elonu moved into seventh place on the career rebounds list with 653 boards.
* Skylar Collins dished out a career-best five assists.
* Karla Gilbert matched her first-half career-best with 8 points and finished with a season-best 14 on 7 of 9 from the field. She also added eight rebounds.
* White has now scored in double figures 27 of her last 30 games, Gilbert scored double figures for the third time this season and Bone for the 16th.
Never miss the latest news from TexAgs!
Join our free email list
