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Photo by Matt Sachs, TexAgs
Texas A&M Women's Basketball
* Missouri may be winless in the Big 12, but they are certainly not a horrible basketball team. They have a five player in Christine Flores who is one of the most versatile "bigs" you will find anywhere in the country and her inside-outside game was spectacular in this one. That combined with it being on the road, and you could tell from the beginning that it was going to be one of those kinds of nights for the visiting Aggies. Yes, losing to a winless team would have been disastrous. But a win is a win and I was proud to see A&M fight back the way it did and pick up the victory.
* I wonder how much of A&M's sloppy play early and for much of the game was due to a lingering effect from the Baylor loss. The Bears have the tendency of not only beating the crud out of their opponents but also leaving them searching for answers for several days after the game. A&M didn't appear on paper to have all that much confidence until they finally got hot and took care of business down the stretch. This could be a one-game situation after the Baylor beatdown. I sure hope it's just a one-game hangover.
* A win is a win and you take what you can get on the road. It's back to Aggieland for A&M, hosting OSU Saturday at 7 p.m.
"Missouri outplayed us today. They should've won the ball game. We don't communicate, and then we showed a little bit of what we are all about. [Alexia Standish] hit a big three and hit two big free throws, but all of a sudden we showed a little bit of poise right there. We ran a set play for [Tyra White] and she nailed it. This is her state, she should nail it. This is the show me state right? I was beginning to wonder if anyone was going to show me anything."
On so many missed shots...
"In the second half when you saw us miss so many wide open shots. That's because we were short arming shots. You're playing not to lose instead of playing to win. That happens a lot when you have an unranked team playing a ranked team."
On Missouri's play...
"Missouri has been in so many ball games this year. Right now they are not mature enough, and old enough to finish some of those games, but you better not give up on the team. Flores is a great player. She did great to be able to come back in after she stumbled. She went for twenty points and a double-double against kids that I recruited over her. Maybe I made a mistake. Give that kid a lot of credit."
On Missouri's bench...
"There is not a bench in the league that gets up and cheers their teammates on more than Missouri. Think about it, you are 0-12 and the bench is yelling for it. That shows great coaching. Every time I show Missouri's bench against ours, Oklahoma's, or Texas. It's easy to get a bench up and wave that towel when you're winning, but it's very special and Robin's doing the right thing. She's going to win a ball game."
Guard-Forward Tyra White
On her shot at the end of the game...
"It was kind of rough throughout the whole game. I don't think I was getting the ball and taking it aggressively from the high post. When I got it Coach Blair just told me to drive. The shot clock was going down and I just wanted to get a good shot."
On what this game meant after the loss...
"After watching film on them, their last couple of games they only lost by four or six points. We knew coming in that we didn't want to have a sad day on Valentine's. They got up the first four minutes, but after that we kept our composure and just went with the flow. I think it was good for us to come back in the second half."
Guard Alexia Standish
On missing lots of shots...
"Usually in a 2-3 zone it leaves open gaps to hit a three. We weren't shooting well, but their zone defense was good they had players covered most of the time. Naturally we had some open shots that we missed and needed to hit. They're 2-3 zone was pretty effective against us."
Missouri Head Coach Robin Pingeton
"I think it certainly helps you are the defending national champion; you have a mentality and toughness to you. You have some awfully talented players; I mean you have the number two player in the country. I certainly think it helps in that situation and you know we are still fighting out of the trenches and we are young and inexperienced and we have players on the court who have not been through that situation. No doubt about it there is an advantage there."
On learning how to win...
"You know there is not another team in the country to continue to do what these young ladies do. They have not waivered. Film sessions, practice, I feel like this is Groundhog Day and we keep talking about it. Give them credit they are better than they were a month ago. They are doing what is one of the toughest things a team that is struggling is doing. They continue to improve; they continue to work hard in practice. I am proud of them. Yes, we all want to win but we are laying a foundation. They are doing it the right way, they are competing, they are playing hard, they are making effort plays, and they are sticking together as a unit. Tough, but this is what this is all about is laying a foundation and they are better than they were a month ago."
On holding Texas A&M to a low field goal percentage...
"I was really pleased with their half court defense I think, the girls, they played with their eyes and used the scouting report and did a really nice job of clogging up the inside but also guarding the catch. We missed a couple rebounds but did a good job otherwise especially with all their athleticism. Overall, I was really pleased with their half-court defense."
Senior Forward Christine Flores
On the mood in the locker room after the loss...
"We keep fighting like Coach Pingeton said. I mean we go in and we are going to have the same mentality day in and day out. We are going to work as hard we can, we are going to eat, sleep right. I mean losses aren't fun, we don't like them, we want to win, but if we are breathing we are fighting."
* Texas A&M holds a 12-7 advantage in the all-time series with Missouri.
Matt Sachs, TexAgs
White's legacy only continues to grow after hitting the clinching three-pointer in the 2011 national title game.
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* The Aggies have won the last nine straight against the Tigers.
* A&M is 4-5 when playing Missouri in Columbia, Mo., and has won its last four visits to the Mizzou Arena.
* Texas A&M allowed 10 3-pointers, the most it has given up this season.
* A&M was 12-of-14 from the free throw line.
* The Aggies held a 22-10 advantage in the paint, an 18-9 edge in points off turnovers, an 8-0 advantage in fast break points and a 9-1 edge in points from the bench.
* White has now started in 82 straight games, a streak that started on Jan. 4, 2010 against Lamar.
* White moved into seventh place on A&M’s career points list.
* Kelsey Assarian swiped a career-best five steals in just 14 minutes of action.
* Bone scored in double figures for the 17th time this season and Standish for the first time in her career.
WBB Snippets: Late rally lifts Ags past Mizzou, 56-52
Post-game snippets
* As the old saying goes, "Never underestimate the heart of a defending national champion." Or something like that. The Aggies found themselves trailing by five points, 50-45, with just under three minutes left to play. But they never stopped fighting and got hot late, mounting an 11-0 run and walking out of Columbia with a 56-52 victory to sweep the series over Missouri. A&M is now 18-6 overall and 9-4 in Big 12 play. Mizzou is 10-14 and 0-13 in the league.
You could tell from the
beginning that it was going to be one of those kinds of nights for the
Aggies. Yes, losing to a winless team would have been disastrous. But a
win is a win and I was proud to see A&M fight back the way it did
and pick up the victory.
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could tell from the beginning that it was going to be one of those
kinds of nights for the Aggies. Yes, losing to a winless team would have
been disastrous. But a win is a win and I was proud to see A&M
fight back the way it did and pick up the victory.","Author":""}
* During that 11-0 run, A&M forced four missed shots and two turnovers, so the defensive pressure was a big part of the Aggies' ability to get the job done with a late surge. Offensively, freshman point guard Alexia Standish drained a huge three-pointer to tie it up at 50-50 in the final two minutes. She added a pair of free throws in the closing seconds to help secure a hard-fought win.* Missouri may be winless in the Big 12, but they are certainly not a horrible basketball team. They have a five player in Christine Flores who is one of the most versatile "bigs" you will find anywhere in the country and her inside-outside game was spectacular in this one. That combined with it being on the road, and you could tell from the beginning that it was going to be one of those kinds of nights for the visiting Aggies. Yes, losing to a winless team would have been disastrous. But a win is a win and I was proud to see A&M fight back the way it did and pick up the victory.
* I wonder how much of A&M's sloppy play early and for much of the game was due to a lingering effect from the Baylor loss. The Bears have the tendency of not only beating the crud out of their opponents but also leaving them searching for answers for several days after the game. A&M didn't appear on paper to have all that much confidence until they finally got hot and took care of business down the stretch. This could be a one-game situation after the Baylor beatdown. I sure hope it's just a one-game hangover.
* A win is a win and you take what you can get on the road. It's back to Aggieland for A&M, hosting OSU Saturday at 7 p.m.
Post-game quotes
Texas A&M Head Coach Gary Blair"Missouri outplayed us today. They should've won the ball game. We don't communicate, and then we showed a little bit of what we are all about. [Alexia Standish] hit a big three and hit two big free throws, but all of a sudden we showed a little bit of poise right there. We ran a set play for [Tyra White] and she nailed it. This is her state, she should nail it. This is the show me state right? I was beginning to wonder if anyone was going to show me anything."
On so many missed shots...
"In the second half when you saw us miss so many wide open shots. That's because we were short arming shots. You're playing not to lose instead of playing to win. That happens a lot when you have an unranked team playing a ranked team."
On Missouri's play...
"Missouri has been in so many ball games this year. Right now they are not mature enough, and old enough to finish some of those games, but you better not give up on the team. Flores is a great player. She did great to be able to come back in after she stumbled. She went for twenty points and a double-double against kids that I recruited over her. Maybe I made a mistake. Give that kid a lot of credit."
On Missouri's bench...
"There is not a bench in the league that gets up and cheers their teammates on more than Missouri. Think about it, you are 0-12 and the bench is yelling for it. That shows great coaching. Every time I show Missouri's bench against ours, Oklahoma's, or Texas. It's easy to get a bench up and wave that towel when you're winning, but it's very special and Robin's doing the right thing. She's going to win a ball game."
Guard-Forward Tyra White
On her shot at the end of the game...
"It was kind of rough throughout the whole game. I don't think I was getting the ball and taking it aggressively from the high post. When I got it Coach Blair just told me to drive. The shot clock was going down and I just wanted to get a good shot."
On what this game meant after the loss...
"After watching film on them, their last couple of games they only lost by four or six points. We knew coming in that we didn't want to have a sad day on Valentine's. They got up the first four minutes, but after that we kept our composure and just went with the flow. I think it was good for us to come back in the second half."
Guard Alexia Standish
On missing lots of shots...
"Usually in a 2-3 zone it leaves open gaps to hit a three. We weren't shooting well, but their zone defense was good they had players covered most of the time. Naturally we had some open shots that we missed and needed to hit. They're 2-3 zone was pretty effective against us."
Missouri Head Coach Robin Pingeton
"I think it certainly helps you are the defending national champion; you have a mentality and toughness to you. You have some awfully talented players; I mean you have the number two player in the country. I certainly think it helps in that situation and you know we are still fighting out of the trenches and we are young and inexperienced and we have players on the court who have not been through that situation. No doubt about it there is an advantage there."
On learning how to win...
"You know there is not another team in the country to continue to do what these young ladies do. They have not waivered. Film sessions, practice, I feel like this is Groundhog Day and we keep talking about it. Give them credit they are better than they were a month ago. They are doing what is one of the toughest things a team that is struggling is doing. They continue to improve; they continue to work hard in practice. I am proud of them. Yes, we all want to win but we are laying a foundation. They are doing it the right way, they are competing, they are playing hard, they are making effort plays, and they are sticking together as a unit. Tough, but this is what this is all about is laying a foundation and they are better than they were a month ago."
On holding Texas A&M to a low field goal percentage...
"I was really pleased with their half court defense I think, the girls, they played with their eyes and used the scouting report and did a really nice job of clogging up the inside but also guarding the catch. We missed a couple rebounds but did a good job otherwise especially with all their athleticism. Overall, I was really pleased with their half-court defense."
Senior Forward Christine Flores
On the mood in the locker room after the loss...
"We keep fighting like Coach Pingeton said. I mean we go in and we are going to have the same mentality day in and day out. We are going to work as hard we can, we are going to eat, sleep right. I mean losses aren't fun, we don't like them, we want to win, but if we are breathing we are fighting."
Post-game notes
* For the 12th 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 9-3 with this starting lineup.* Texas A&M holds a 12-7 advantage in the all-time series with Missouri.
Matt Sachs, TexAgs
White's legacy only continues to grow after hitting the clinching three-pointer in the 2011 national title game.
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* A&M is 4-5 when playing Missouri in Columbia, Mo., and has won its last four visits to the Mizzou Arena.
* Texas A&M allowed 10 3-pointers, the most it has given up this season.
* A&M was 12-of-14 from the free throw line.
* The Aggies held a 22-10 advantage in the paint, an 18-9 edge in points off turnovers, an 8-0 advantage in fast break points and a 9-1 edge in points from the bench.
* White has now started in 82 straight games, a streak that started on Jan. 4, 2010 against Lamar.
* White moved into seventh place on A&M’s career points list.
* Kelsey Assarian swiped a career-best five steals in just 14 minutes of action.
* Bone scored in double figures for the 17th time this season and Standish for the first time in her career.
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