Texas A&M
15-2, 3-1
Texas Tech
13-5, 1-3
No. 9 Aggies Top Lady Raiders Behind Adams' Triple-Double
Jan 23, 2010 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 23, 2010
Box Score 
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Box Score |
Photo Gallery 
COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS (AP) - Danielle Adams had 27 points, 12 rebounds and 10 blocks to lead No. 9 Texas A&M to a 69-54 win over Texas Tech on Saturday.
Adams is the 10th player in Big 12 history to record a triple-double and the second at Texas A&M. Her 10 blocks are a school record and her performance came in her first start in a conference game.
She joins Toccara Williams as the only player in school history to record a triple-double. Williams had 13 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists in a game in 2002.
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Danielle Adams & Sydney Colson [mp3] Texas Tech Head Coach Kristy Curry with Players Monique Smalls & Ashlee Roberson [mp3] |
The win puts the Aggies back on track after last week's defeat at No. 13 Oklahoma and is Texas Tech's second straight loss.
Texas A&M (15-2, 3-1) jumped out to an early lead and never trailed in this one. Texas Tech (13-5, 1-3) its deficit to seven points several times in the second half, but couldn't get any closer.
The last time Texas Tech got within seven, A&M went on a 10-3 run to push the lead to 65-51 and put the game out of reach with less than four minutes remaining.
The Lady Raiders didn't have an answer for the 6-foot-1 Adams on Saturday and last year's junior college player of the year was simply too strong for Texas Tech to contend with.
One of her blocks came after she hustled to her feet after being knocked to the ground by a Lady Raider seconds earlier and she also had a pair of steals.
Tanisha Smith added 13 points for A&M and Tyra White added 11.
The Aggies fought off several comeback attempts by Texas Tech. The Lady Raiders closed the gap to seven points with about 12 minutes remaining before Texas A&M went on a five-point run capped by a steal and 3-point play by Adams that made it 52-40.
Texas Tech's Jordan Murphree, who entered the game averaging 13 points, had four fouls by halftime and finished with no points. Kierra Mallard had nine points and 11 rebounds for the Lady Raiders and Tilmila Martin had eight points.
The Aggies jumped out to a 10-0 lead before Texas Tech finally got going and score five straight points. The Lady Raiders cut the lead to 20-16 after four straight free throws with about eight minutes remaining in the first half. Texas A&M responded with eight straight points to extend its lead and was up 37-28 at halftime.
POSTGAME NOTES
• For the third time this season, Texas A&M used the starting lineup of Tanisha Smith, Damitria Buchanan (3-0). Adams made her fourth career start and first in Big 12 Conference play.
• With the victory, the Aggies have now won seven out of the last eight meetings with Texas Tech and picked up only their 15th win in the all-time series. They have also won five-straight when playing the Lady Raiders at home at Reed Arena.
• Texas A&M had the fifth-largest crowd in school history with 7,279 fans in attendance at Reed Arena.
• Damitria Buchanan (7 blocks vs. Duke on Nov. 15, 2009). Adams is currently on a nine-game double-digit scoring streak. It marked the eighth time for Adams to lead the team in scoring this season.
• Adams also registered her first career triple-double by adding a career-high 12 rebounds to become only the second A&M player in school history to accomplish the feat. Former player Toccara Williams (2000-04) recorded 13 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists in 2002. It marks the third triple-double this season in league play next to Baylor's Brittney Griner vs. Oral Roberts on Dec. 16, 2009 and Iowa State's Alison Lacey vs. Iowa on Dec. 10, 2009. Adams is the 10th all-time Big 12 player to record a triple-double on 15 occasions since the league's inception in 1996-97.
POSTGAME QUOTES
Texas A&M Head Coach Gary Blair
On the game ...
"We had some unforced turnovers and that's a little uncharacteristic for us. We had seven turnovers in the first half with all three of my guards. But, we made some adjustments and we only had five turnovers in the second half. Give their point guard a lot of credit. Monique Smalls kept them in the ballgame. She is going to build Texas Tech back to that top 25 stature. She understands the point guard position. (Ashlee) Roberson did a good job with 22 points and was a monster on the boards. We did a pretty good job on (Kierra) Mallard and (Jordan) Murphree. It wasn't the prettiest basketball by either team, but both teams played extremely well and it was your typical Big 12 game. Our half-court defense was pretty dog gone good. Tech was just coming off an emotional (double overtime) loss to Texas and we are just fortunate to come out with a win today."
On Danielle Adams' triple-double ...
"Danielle Adams' triple-double - I've never had a player in my 25 years of coaching have one that way with 10 blocks. She just keeps getting better and better. The kid is a good basketball player that understands the game. She is a good kid, down to earth and low maintenance. She is pretty special for us right now."
Texas A&M Junior Forward/Center Danielle Adams
On the game and making her first career Big 12 start ...
"I was just executing. I had a couple of jump shots and I just tried to power it in there. I don't mind starting or coming off the bench. I just try to go out and execute each play. I didn't even know I played 35 minutes today."
Texas A&M Junior Point Guard Sydney Colson
On Danielle Adams' triple-double ...
"That was pretty ridiculous. I think a lot of her play goes unnoticed sometimes. She does a lot of stuff that we haven't always gotten from a five player. She takes charges and she had a beautiful steal in the game. It was nice to see her shine out there today."
Texas Tech Head Coach Kristy Curry
On the game ...
"I never thought we could get it under seven the whole game. We got off to a poor start. I thought Kierra (Mallard) played really hard today. I thought the two next to me (Monique Smalls and Ashlee Roberson) played really hard. They competed at a really high level today. If you come in here passive, your kids are going to be passive. You have to come out and be aggressive. The bottom line is, we made too many mistakes, whether it was a turnover or our spacing. You can't do that against a veteran team. We will take this (loss), because each experience is an opportunity. We will be better from today."
Texas Tech Senior Forward Ashlee Roberson
On the game ...
"You have to give credit to their (Texas A&M's) defense. They are aggressive. They get in the passing lanes. I think we did a good job overall, but couldn't get it done today."
