Talkin' Hoops with Gary Blair -- Show #7

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Coach Gary Blair on the Missouri and Texas wins...
“We had a slow start against Missouri. Danielle Adams missed her first 8 shots, but then she came rolling back in the second half and finished with 19 points. Danielle had 30 relatives and Tyra White had 12 family members at the game, so with their low crowd and our loud Aggies, it felt like we were home. I thought we played well overall. Kelsey Assarian came off the bench and did a good job for us. When you look at our stats on our bench, every kid but one is shooting over 40 percent. The Texas game was the typical Texas-Texas A&M rivalry game. It doesn’t matter who the favorite is, it’s who plays best under pressure. In the Texas game, they came out with a great game plan, spread the floor and played one-on-one with the guards. The freshman, Chassidy Fussell, did an outstanding job with 26 points, but we wore her down in the second half. We shut down Yvonne Anderson and Ashleigh Fontenette. It came down to the inside game ... we outscored them 40-10 in the paint. A lot of the points were Danielle Adams, but then a lot of those paint points came off of our press, shooting driving layups. I challenged them at halftime, saying we couldn’t have played any worse in the first half. The biggest change I made was having Maryann Baker playing instead of Elonu at the four spot. I was very proud of our second half play overall.”

On Maryann Baker’s offensive energy off the bench and being used as a four player vs. Texas...
“If you were a football team, you’d call her a safety, not a cornerback. She’s all over the court, sometimes out of position, but she’s always where the ball is and she makes things happen. She knows how to play the game, has tremendous energy and is great team player. She had 21 against Oklahoma State and 14 against Texas. I’m not sure we could’ve won that game if it hadn’t have been for Maryann Baker.”

On whether Danielle Adams’ 34-point, 12-rebound effort was her best game ever at A&M...
“It was not her best game shooting percentage-wise, but she played well. She played through cramps in the second half. The trainer wanted to take her out, but she wanted to keep playing. She found a way to stay in the ballgame and make the key plays, even when she was hurting. She was taking so much attention from the Texas defense, that it left a lot of other players open. In the second half, we needed a run, which we had and it was fueled by our crowd, especially the students.”

On pushing Sydney Colson to play 30 minutes and her responding with 30 solid minutes on the floor...
“Texas was running a spread offense and she got into foul trouble. She was guarding Fontenette, who’s a great player, but she made the plays down the stretch and wanted the ball. She made a few mistakes, but she had five steals, seven assists and six points. She’s our leader and that’s who we’re going with.”

On the upcoming road test against Iowa State...
“Iowa State has had a whole week off to prepare for us, and I know they will be playing a zone and have the stands packed. We will have our hands full, but one of our goals before the season was to win at Iowa State. We’ve never won at Iowa State. We want to go in there and find a way to win and adjust to the game situation as it goes on. They have a great season ticket base and fan base, so it’ll be a tough environment.”

On the respect he has for Bill Fennelly and the success of his Iowa State team...
“He graduated three starters, but he’s right back in the top 20. Kelsey Bolte is one of the top six players in the league, Anna Prins is a 6-6 outside and inside player, and Chelsea Poppens does a great job on the boards with her strength and athleticism. Honestly, Bill could run for governor of Iowa and win. He is the most well respected person in the state of Iowa.”

On Iowa State being the most important game so far this season...
“All we’ve done was hold serve. We’ve played the bottom three teams in the league and beat Texas at home. Now the tough part starts. We’ve got two in a row at two of the toughest places to play in the league, besides Baylor, in Oklahoma and Iowa State. We’ve got our work cut out for us, but I’m looking forward to it. Our team is relatively healthy. Danielle Adams was banged up a little bit and Sydney Carter took a bang to the head on Wednesday, but that’s how we play.”