University of Missouri
Basketball Travelers
James, Unrau Pave Way to 31-Point Win Over Czechs
11/16/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 16, 2003
COLUMBIA, Mo. - Senior forwards Stretch James (Colmbus, Ohio / Tyler JC) and Evan Unrau (Fort Collins, Colo. / Rocky Mountain HS) combined for 43 points, and the Tigers held Sparta Praha to just two field goals in the final 11 minutes en route to a 86-52 win in their exhibition finale Sunday afternoon at the Hearnes Center.
Sparta Praha got on the board first, taking a 2-0 lead when Zuzana Melicharova hit a jumper from the top of the key. Sparked by James' play in the paint, the Tigers opened up an 11-6 lead on the visitors from the Czech Republic.
After a Jana Novakova jumper brought Sparta Praha to within 11-8 with 14 minutes, 35 seconds left, the Tigers rolled off a 22-6 run over the next 10:43 to take a 33-14 advantage. After that streak was broken by a pair of Lucie Lisakova free throws, the Tigers went on another 8-2 run to make it 41-18 with 1:28 to play.
Mizzou held Sparta to just 10 field goals - and no 3-pointers - in the opening 20 minutes, limiting the Czech team to just 38.5 percent shooting in the first half, in taking a 43-22 lead into the locker room. In addition, the Tigers' suffocating defense forced 16 first-half turnovers; on the offensive end, MU used an 8-to-5 assist-to-turnover ratio to remain in control.
Unrau had 15 of her points at the break on 7-of-12 shooting, and James scored 10 first-half points to go with seven rebounds after going 5-of-9 from the field.
Sparta Praha played solidly to start the second half, going on an 18-8 run over the first 8:43 of the final frame to pull within 11 (51-40). The Tigers took over from that point, holding Sparta without a field goal for a span of 9:29. Mizzou went on a 29-5 run in the meantime to boost the lead to 80-45 with less than 2 minutes left.
James tallied 22 points and 11 rebounds to lead all participants in both categories. Sophomore guard LaToya Bond (Urbana, Ill. / Urbana HS) joined James and Unrau (21 points, eight rebounds) as the only Tigers to score in double figures, recording 12 points. Bond also led all participants in assists and steals, with four and five, respectively.
As a team, the Tigers shot 46.6 percent from the floor in the contest, and 33.3 percent from beyond the arc. Mizzou forced 32 Sparta Praha turnovers, including 17 steals, and held their opponent to only 10 percent (1 for 10) shooting from 3-point distance.
"I thought our core people really stepped up when they were putting their charge on," said Head Coach Cindy Stein. "I thought it taught our young people a lesson. They can't just come in and take it easy."
The Tigers begin their 30th season of competition this next Sunday, Nov. 23, at Bradley. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. at Robertson Field House. Mizzou's home opener is next Wednesday, Nov. 26, vs. Southern. For ticket information, call 1-800-CAT-PAWS (573-884-PAWS in Mid-Missouri). Holders of the KMIZ-ZOU Spririt Pass, as well as the student All-Sports Pass, get into all women's basketball games free.
