University of Missouri
Oklahoma State
Tiger Women Break Streak With 67-49 Win Over OSU
1/6/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 5, 2005
COLUMBIA, Mo. - For the first time ever, the Missouri Tigers can say they're in first place in the Big 12 Conference women's basketball race. That's because Mizzou snapped an 11-game winless streak in conference-openers Wednesday night at Mizzou Arena with a 67-49 win over Oklahoma State.
Junior C Christelle N'Garsanet (Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire / Illinois Central College) had a team-high 20 points and added seven rebounds and five blocks, and junior G LaToya Bond (Urbana, Ill. / Urbana HS) and sophomore G Tiffany Brooks (Leavenworth, Kan. / Leavenworth HS / Kansas State) each added 14 points for the Tigers (7-5, 1-0 Big 12).
The win came in large part thanks to a decisive 26-2 run early in the game. The Cowgirls (5-6, 0-1) took a quick 4-0 lead before Missouri blew the game open. From the 17:59 mark until 4:52 remained in the first half, a Lynsie Tischhauser jumper was all a ferocious Missouri defense - which forced nine turnovers and a shot-clock violation in that span - would allow Oklahoma State.
OSU senior Nina Stone, the reigning Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, broke the Cowgirl dry spell with back-to-back layups, yet N'Garsanet scored the last six points of the half on a pair of layups and another pair of free throws. That pushed the Tiger lead to its largest at 22 (32-10). The 10 points allowed were just three shy of the fewest allowed by a Missouri squad in a half, set in 1978 when Saint Louis could muster just seven points.
Although Missouri shot 50 percent in the opening 20 minutes and harassed OSU into 5-for-25 shooting (20 percent), the Cowgirls quickly zoomed off a 13-4 run in the first 5 minutes of the second half to trim the lead to 13. Less than two minutes later, the lead was down to 11 points (38-27) with 13:05 to play. Yet N'Garsanet scored five of the game's next six points, and a 9-0 run with less than 4 minutes left pushed the Tiger margin back over 20 points.
Missouri's biggest advantage came at the free-throw line, where the Tigers out-scored Oklahoma State 26-9. It's Missouri's third-highest free-throw total in the last five years.
"I'm proud of the team. I thought we had a real good first half," Head Coach Cindy Stein said. "Just winning that Big 12 opener kind of gets the monkey off your back so we can concentrate on the next game."
Missouri hosts Nebraska, an 84-62 winner vs. Colorado tonight, at 7 p.m. Saturday evening at Mizzou Arena. The game will be televised statewide over the Mizzou Sports Network (FSN Midwest statewide with blackout restrictions; Metro Sports in Kansas City, and KZOU-UPN 11 in Mid-Missouri).
