Texas-San Antonio-Texas A&M Preview

3/19/2008 6:17 PM

By MIKE VOTTA
STATS Senior Writer

Texas A&M has come a long way over the last four seasons.

The eighth-ranked and second-seeded Aggies will be kicking off their third straight NCAA tournament on Saturday when they face 15th-seeded Texas-San Antonio in the Oklahoma City Regional in Baton Rouge, La.

Texas A&M (26-7) was coming off a 9-19 season when this season's senior class began its college career. The Aggies went 16-15 - but just 4-12 in the Big 12 - in 2004-05 and have since reached the NCAAs in each of the next three seasons.

Texas A&M finished with the highest ranking in school history, its 26-7 record matched the best in team history and the Aggies were rewarded with their highest seed in five NCAA appearances.

"Coming into a program at the bottom of the Big 12 as a freshman to being one of the top teams in the country as a senior is quite an accomplishment. Our hard work on the court and in practice has paid off," senior A'Quonesia Franklin said.

Franklin scored a team-high 19 points and fellow senior Morenike Atunrase chipped in 14 in Texas A&M's 64-59 win over Oklahoma State in the Big 12 tournament championship game on Saturday. The Aggies hadn't won a conference title since upsetting Texas Tech in the 1996 Southwest Conference championship game.

"We have been through a lot over the last three years and have accomplished so much," Atunrase told the Aggies' official team Web site. "All of our hard work has paid off."

Including the conference tournament, Texas A&M has won nine straight and 13 of 14. The Aggies finished tied with Oklahoma State and Oklahoma for the third-best record in the Big 12.

Sophomore Takia Starks leads the team with 16.9 points per game, while junior Danielle Gant is averaging 14.8 points and a team-high 7.5 rebounds.

"When you look at the logistics, how many No. 2 seeds tied for third place in their conference?" coach Gary Blair said. "But we earned it through our non-conference schedule, winning 13 of 14 down the stretch, and because of the growth of our program.

"We are standing tall and have accomplished something that has never happened before at A&M. When you earn a No. 2 seed, the selection committee is rewarding you for the body of your work and what the Big 12 has done as an overall conference this year."

Texas A&M last faced Texas San Antonio (23-9) in '04-'05 and won 74-48 for their ninth win in 13 meetings.

The Roadrunners are making their first appearance in the NCAA tournament. They earned their bid with Saturday's 65-56 win over Lamar in the Southland Conference tournament title game.

Onika Anderson, who leads the team with an average of 14.0 points, was held to just two, but Amanda Foster helped pick up the slack with 16 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks.

"Being a senior I thought this could be my last game," Foster said. "I just told myself, if this is going to be my last game, I don't want to leave anything on the court. I gave it everything I had."