University of Missouri
Pepperdine
Tigers Fall to Pepperdine in Championship
11/26/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 26, 2000
Malibu, Calif.-The University of Missouri women's basketball picks up their first loss of the season coming up just one point behind Pepperdine in an 69-68 battle. The Tigers posted their lowest numbers of the season shooting just 43 percent from the field, 47 percent from 3-point range and 50 percent from the penalty line. Pepperdine didn't fare much better despite their victory, the Waves were kept under 40 percent from the field and 3-point arc, but won the game shooting 75 percent from the freethrow line.
The Tigers battled through the first few minutes of the match, but opened up with a five-point run to lead 15-8 in the sixth minute of play. They went on another streak scoring 10 unanswered points a few minutes later to lead 29-13. That 16-point lead was the highest the Tigers would see in the game, as Pepperdine began to slowly chip away Mizzou's resolve. From the start, Missouri was plagued with fouls, giving up 11 points in the first half, including five consecutive buckets to center Nadja Morgan to end the half with a 40-32 lead.
The foul trouble continued in the second half as the Tigers struggled through the first five minutes of play. Freshman Evan Unrau and senior Marlena Williams were benched with four fouls early on in the period enabling Pepperdine more maneuverability in the paint. Mizzou pushed to come around, with Kerensa Barr and Natalie Bright scoring back-to-back 3-pointers to boost the Tigers to another 10-point lead. But, Mizzou was unable to stay on top as multiple turnovers and fouls placed the Waves on the penalty line. Overall, the Tigers committed 24 personal fouls and gave up 24 penalty points to the Waves.
Junior college transfer Aimee Michelson led the Tigers with 14 points in the game. She shot five-of-seven from the field and nailed three-of-three from 3-point range. Senior Amanda Lassiter came up second with 13 points. She also led the Tigers with nine rebounds and five steals and was selected to the all-tournament team.
"We came to Pepperdine because we knew it was a hard place to win," MU Head Coach Cindy Stein said. "We planned our schedule to help us prepare for the Big 12 and I think we gave Pepperdine a real run for their money. We come out of this game holding our heads high."
