SMU guard Sharee Shepherd (left) takes a shot past the block of Houston’s Brittani Allen (right) during last night’s exhibition game at Moody Colliseum. (Stuart Palley)

The SMU women’s basketball team will tip off regular season play tonight against nationally ranked No. 11 Texas A&M. The Mustangs began their season on Oct. 31 in an 84-58 exhibition game victory over the Houston Cougars. The team also defeated the All-Stars in a second exhibition game over the weekend, 59-57.

After being identified as the most experienced team in Conference USA, SMU returns with its entire starting lineup from last season, including redshirt senior forward Katie Gross.

All-American senior post Janielle Dodds returns to the court as well, after being named to the 2007-08 All C-USA preseason selection team. Dodds will return to the court as the sixth highest scorer in school history.

Playing in both exhibition games, Dodds proved to be a key player on offense and defense. Posting 10 points against the All Stars, Dodds took over as the team’s leading scorer. Dodds currently has 1,367 points and needs only 419 points, a number she has exceeded each season, to break into the top scoring spot in school history.

The Aggies are coming off a breakthrough season, scoring 459 total points, and sharing the co-championship title in the Big XII conference.

“When you play a team like A&M it’s not going to be pretty because of the type of game they play and the pressure they put on us, and so we’ve talked about reversing the ball, rotating the ball, and not rushing shots,” explained head coach Rhonda Rompola.

Texas A&M will pose a great threat to the Mustangs with junior guard Takia Starks returning to the Aggie roster. Starks has been recognized as one of the nation’s top 30 preseason candidates in the running for the John R. Wooden Women’s Award – the most prestigious honor in college basketball.

Starks is currently ranked eighth among league scorers, and seventh best in three-point accuracy. Starks closed out her sophomore season at A&M with 454 points, averaging 14.2 points per game.

When asked how her team needs to play against the junior, Rompola explained, “Takia can go off at any time. Our posts just need to show good health in the paint, and we’ve got to defend their guards.”

The double threat the Aggies bring into Moody Coliseum, in the form of senior guard A’Quonesi Franklin and a freshman transfer from Louisiana State, guard Tyra White, may also force the Mustangs to play a style different from what they are used to. “A&M tends to make teams play sloppy, and we’re going to try and stay away from that and not be one of those teams,” Rompola said.

Franklin was credited with seven of the 14 assists in A&M’s 76-70 victory over the Chinese National team, and averaged 9.9 points last season, and 149 assists, doubling any other teammate on last year’s roster.

“Franklin and Starks can create off the dribble and both are very dangerous with the ball in their hands, so we want them to give it up and make their other players shoot,” said Rompola.

White made her debut for the Aggies scoring 18 points in the team’s exhibition performance, and was 5-5 shooting from the floor, two of which were three-pointers.

Leading up to tonight’s game, along with keeping the ball away from Starks, the team has been working on applying more pressure on its opponent, and working together as a team.

“A&M does a great job of playing the passing lanes,” explained Rompola. “They create a lot of offense with their defense. So we’re trying to work on handling pressure, taking care of the basketball, not throwing it around the gym, and making good decisions with the ball.”

The Mustangs will also take on big-name teams such as Texas Tech in Lubbock in the middle of the season before beginning conference play. Cross-town rival TCU will also take on the Mustangs in Moody Coliseum this year. TCU holds seven straight visits to the NCAA Tournament, and is ranked second in the 2007-08 Mountain West Conference preseason media poll.

SMU will also face C-USA runner-up the University of Alabama at Birmingham near the end of its season. The team will close out regular season play when they take on the reigning C-USA champions, Tulane.

Tip off for tonight’s game is scheduled for 7 at Moody Coliseum.