Jan. 15, 2005

We opened up conference play on the road against Texas A&M. We were determined to start the second part of our season off on a good note, as well as finishing what the football team had started against the Aggies. We had an amazing crowd of green and gold to represent Baylor and they competed with A&M's second largest crowd in their women's basketball history. It was a very physical game and we bumped and battled until the very end. There were emotions flaring and tempers erupting, but that goes along with the territory of the Big 12. We left College Station with a 14-point victory and that was the plan. With them behind us we moved our focus onto yet another tough opponent, Texas.

We almost didn't have to do a scouting report against them because we know the personnel so well. The tradition between this match-up in the short time I have been here is always very heated and emotional. The battle for I-35! It's fun to be a part of a rivalry because it gives you the chance to get the crowd and community involved. Anytime it comes around to play UT in the schedule, people from all over come together and rally behind whatever sporting event maybe occurring. So with that said, the Baylor fans, students and families came together and packed the Ferrell Center to its history making capacity.

Me, myself personally (inside joke with Sophia) have never been on the upper hand of a crowd that large before. We had the great turnout in Norman last year but it was a neutral site. It felt great to be at home and see your community and peers unite behind you in such an awesome amount. Seriously, I think the crowd was definitely our sixth man on the floor that night and I honestly hope that wasn't the last time.

The game was exactly what we thought it would be. We played hard, they bumped us, we bumped back, we traded runs and basically it came down to the better defensive team winning. The game itself was very much defensive in that it was pretty low scoring for the numbers both teams were capable of putting up. So, back and forth we went until the final minutes came running down. There were some crucial possessions that didn't go in our favor but that's just the nature of the game, and we know all about how important last possessions are.

So, with the ball in their hands, Texas got off two last chance shots, but when that buzzer sounded it was the moment we had been waiting for. We finally came out on top of a big game that went down to the wire. I think that was a confidence booster for us and a sign of our maturity as an older basketball team. We were winning the games we were supposed to.

After the game there was a get together in the VIP room, which was a ton of fun! It was good to see everyone all together, especially after a win like that. Everyone had good things to say and thankfully they had good things to eat as well. There was an unbelievably delicious looking cake with the entire Lady Bear roster on it, and I was seconds from tearing into but it was too pretty. I think everyone had some family or friends in town for the game and so afterwards we all went our separate ways to eat and celebrate. Later that night Sophia, Victoria, Abi and Latoya) and my friend from high school Brandon hung out at my house, watching TV and talking. Jordan came home later with a movie, Anchorman, so we watched that until we all finally crashed. It was a pretty eventful Saturday and we had Sunday off to do as we pleased and so on that note we would start the new semester early Monday morning.

Classes were fun, as usual, the first day routine was the same and I'm not going to lie, I think I am pretty excited about this semester in terms of learning. Getting further into my major, I find I am taking classes I really care about so that's good stuff. We did have to miss the first Wednesday because Tuesday after classes we headed off to Lincoln, Nebraska. It was definitely not the 70-degree weather we left in Waco but it was fun to see all the snow and ice. Without going into detail, we had an off night on the road and put ourselves in a tough situation to get out of on top. It reminded me of a quote I came across once:

"Men succeed when they realize that their failures are the preparation for their victories." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Our season isn't going to come down to this game, but unfortunately it will be remembered as one we let get away. The emotions we felt after that game we will use to motivate us throughout the season because I never want to feel that way again. We are going to learn from it as we always do from past games and move on.

Now we are back in Waco and getting things straightened out for the Oklahoma game on Sunday. We had an intense practice on Thursday and today as well, worked on a lot of what Baylor needs to do to be successful with the remainder of the season.

So here we are Friday night and I am getting ready to go see the new movie Coach Carter with Sophia, Victoria, Abi, Chelsea, Chelsea's mother (she's our chaperone), Chisa and Angela. Hopefully it will be a good movie; I'll let you know in my next journal.

Until then, get ready for Sunday, I expect no less than 10,000 from now on since we have shown how capable we are of filling up those seats. Just kidding, but seriously I hope everyone can make it out to the game and enjoy a nice Sunday afternoon while we try to send OU home SOONER instead of later!

- Chameka