Five Thoughts: Texas A&M 71, Wichita State 45

Katy (Pounds) Lee gives TexAgs.com a special appearance by sharing her 'Five Thoughts' on the Lady Ags' first round win over the Wichita State Shockers. Katy was a member of Gary Blair's first recruiting class at Texas A&M, along with A'Quonesia Franklin, Patrice Reado and Morenike Atunrase.

1. The Freshmen - Kelsey Bone has undoubtedly been the focus of Gary Blair's team when opposing coaches prepare for a pre-game scouting report against the Aggies. But during yesterday's game (and most of the season), the freshmen stepped up and proved to be the spark plugs needed to jump start the tournament.

With Kelsey Bone being fronted in the post with a shadow defender on the backside, Courtney Williams found herself open along the perimeter, knocking down three jumpshots and keeping the Ags in the game early. Courtney Walker and Peyton Little followed Williams' lead as they provided depth and offensive prowess as well as good minutes at the defensive end of the court. Jordan Jones came off the bench to give Adrienne Pratcher a rest. Jones' offensive game isn't as refined as Pratcher, but her intensity on defense makes up for it.

This freshmen class has the potential to be extremely good as they have already proven they are a big piece to this year's success.

2. Zone Breakers - Wichita State started the game in a 1-3-1 zone defense. They tried to stop Kelsey Bone from catching the ball - and did a good job in the first half - but that allowed the Aggies to find holes and attack the basket in other ways. Second chance points and offensive rebounds were a huge part of breaking down the Shockers zone. Another factor that pulled Wichita State out of their 1-3-1 set was A&M's success in getting the ball to Kristi Bellock and her knocking down the easy 10 foot jumper.

3. Turning Point - The Shockers tried to slow down the Aggies' offense by playing zone and walking the ball up the court. Their game plan worked Gary Blair went with a small line up with 12 minutes remaining in the first half. With quicker guards on the floor, the Ags pushed the ball in transition and didn't allow Wichita State to set up its defense each time down the floor. A&M went on a 16-2 run, scoring in a multitude of ways, but mostly off layups and open shots in transition.

4. Free Throws - They may have been the game changer in this game, but the Ags are going to run into some close contests in the very near future and free throw shooting will play a big part in whether they win or lose. Last night, the Ags went 6-for-6 from the stripe in the first half. They continued their hot shooting from the line in the second half as they finished the game 16-for-18 (88.9%) as a team.

5. Patience is Key - We started the five thoughts talking about Kelsey Bone and we're ending the thoughts with Kelsey Bone. This game was a very impressive display of her maturity. She started the game being shadowed by two Shocker defenders at all times and received two quick fouls in the first half. Instead of trying to force the action at the offensive end, she allowed herself to be the decoy and stayed patient with her teammates.

Last year, we may have witnessed Bone take some bad shots and force herself into the flow of the game. But this year, we saw a mature player, wait her turn and attack when the time was right. She ended the game with 10 points and three rebounds, but her presence opened the floor for her teammates.