TEXAS A&M AGGIES 65

KANSAS STATE WILDCATS 63

OKLAHOMA CITY- Kansas State coach Deb Patterson may want to begin purchasing stock in basketball rims.

The Wildcats (24-7) were eliminated for the second time in two years on a last second shot that just would not go down.

“Very much deja vu, you know, a last second shot that I think all of us felt was in popped out,” Patterson said.

“You have to be glad you got the look, and made a great late play by our basketball team in the scramble situation to keep the possession out and get a quality shot, unfortunate for us it didn’t drop.”

Texas A&M (24-6) won the second match-up of the two teams 65-63, paced by 22 points and 14 rebounds by forward Danielle Gant, as both teams shot over 48-percent from the field.

Texas A&M was able to overcome a Wildcat comeback, and two missed free throws from Aggie guard Sydney Colson with 40 seconds left. Colson was 95-percent from the line during the conference season.

During the final sequence, K-State guard Shalee Lehning drove into the lane with five seconds left and lost the ball, which created a scrum on the floor for the final shot. The fumble was recovered by Wildcat forward Ashley Sweat, who had scored 19 points, and a mid-range jump shot as the buzzer went off hit the front, then the back of the rim, then bounced out from the front side.

A well-played and close game with 14 lead changes and six ties saw players diving for balls, and taking every shot with emotion, but 17 total turnovers by both teams ensured a clean, late season contest.

Texas A&M’s quick-fire offense got hot in a hurry against the methodical Wildcats, shooting 80% for the first 8 minutes, but Kansas State’s floor general Lehning wouldn’t let the Aggies pull away, scoring 7 consecutive KSU points in just over two minutes.

In the two teams’ first match-up, Texas A&M governed the tempo and anything that might fall inside the rim, beating the Wildcats 71-45 in Manhattan, Kan.

Kansas State showed in the first few minutes that it wasn’t ready to duplicate that finish, and the nationally ranked No. 10 Aggies and No. 22 Wildcats played back and forth basketball in the first half.

The Cox Convention Center cleared some space after the hometown Sooner crowd left the first game of the day victorious, but with K-State’s caravan of fans, and Texas A&M’s yell leaders and pep band on the floor, the arena was as raucous as the action on the court.

Each team has played top-tier defense this season, with K-State only allowing 52 points per contest, and A&M just a little bit higher, at 54 points per game. The game was close throughout the second half, and now A&M will have to look to have leading scorer Takia Starks healthy after pulling up injured late in the game. Aggie coach Gary Blair said that even injured, Starks is a great decoy for the team, but looks for her competitiveness to put her on the floor tomorrow.

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Danielle Gant, Texas A&M (22 points, 14 rebounds, 8 offensive rebounds)

Gant took over the game in the paint, and hit the game winning lay in from the post with 23 seconds left. Also in an offensive battle with KSU forward Marlies Gipson, who added 22 points in the blocks as well.

QUOTABLE:

“We got a great look, and I’m telling you, her shots always seem to hit that back rim in practice and they always fall. They always hit the back rim and fall…same emotions, it hits and you’re like ‘Oh my gosh this is great’, and then it rolls out.” -Shalee Lehning about final sequence

“She just has that mentality that refuses to lose. She had to guard everybody on that team, because Micheaux had trouble guarding Gipson, Adaora [Elonu] couldn’t guard Gipson…We’ve got to do a little bit better job, of the rest of our kids taking care of their business. We’re better than that. Gant is Gant. There’s not a 5’10 player in the country that plays harder or better than her.” -Texas A&M coach Gary Blair regarding Danielle Gant

WHAT THIS MEANS:

No. 1 Oklahoma vs. No. 4 Texas A&M

12:00 pm, Saturday March 14, Fox Sports Net

A&M’s pressure and team defense will look to slow down the inside presence the Sooners have had all year, and 5-foot-10 Danielle Gant against Courtney Paris will be the sideshow of the matchup. The Aggies may be tired with just 20 hours to prepare for the nations No. 2 team, and while the A&M had an up-down match-up with Kansas State, Oklahoma skipped past Kansas with its starters on the bench for the last 10 minutes. The teams have contrasting styles, but both teams will scrap it out for a shot at the finals.