COLLEGE STATION, Texas
Howard credits her success on the boards to wanting to play hard for her mother on a special day.
"About 10 years ago my mom, she was in the hospital, and her line was flat," Howard said. "So March 19th has always been a day for sacrifice and accomplishment with her and I, and a lot of other things have happened on March 19th. That one, of course, is the one that sticks out the most, and I just really did it for her. I didn't know I had it in me, but I played really hard for her, and I'm glad I could get the accomplishment for her."
Before the game the fourth-seeded Aggies suspended Walker and Shlonte Allen indefinitely for a violation of team rules. They are eligible to practice with the team while suspended. Coach Gary Blair said they wouldn't play Monday in the second round against Florida State.
Howard shattered the NCAA record for rebounds of 23 set by Cheryl Taylor in 1985 for Tennessee Tech against Georgia. She also had nine points. The rebound total was the most ever by an A&M player, besting the previous record of 21 set by Michell Tatum in 1985.
Missouri State came out of halftime down 25-23, but a 29-point third quarter by the Aggies created a margin too large to overcome.
"Obviously, we were able to play with Texas A&M for large portions of the game," said coach Kellie Harper, "just not 40 minutes. They were able to score quite a bit there in that third quarter. That just put us behind the 8-ball."
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