University of Missouri
Texas Tech
Texas Tech Halts Mizzou, 63-56
3/7/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
March 7, 2009
LUBBOCK, Texas - The University of Missouri women's basketball team closed out the regular season with a 63-56 loss to the Texas Tech Red Raiders on Saturday afternoon in Lubbock, Texas. The loss drops Mizzou to 13-16 overall and 4-12 in Big 12 Conference play.
Senior Alyssa Hollins paced the Tigers with 16 points while sophomore RaeShara Brown recorded nine points, eight rebounds, a career high tying six assists and four steals. Sophomore Shakara Jones also swiped four steals to tie her personal mark.
The two teams traded baskets in the opening minutes as neither squad built more than a three-point advantage. After Hollins nailed a three-pointer for a 20-18 Tiger advantage with 6:25 on the clock, Tech's Maria Moore sank a layup to knot the game at 20-20 13 seconds later.
A three from redshirt freshman Bekah Mills a jumper from Hollins gave Mizzou its biggest lead of the first frame, 25-20, with just under five minutes left. The Red Raiders cut their deficit to three, 25-22, when LaVonda Henderson made a jumper but freshman Christine Flores answered with a jumper of her own to give the Tigers a 27-22 advantage with 1:25 on the clock. Neither team found the basket over the final minute for a 27-22 Mizzou halftime advantage.
Texas Tech scored the first two points of the second half on two free throws by Dominic Seals but the Tigers ran off six straight points on baskets from Mills, sophomore RaeShara Brown and junior Jessra Johnson to take a nine-point lead, 33-24, with 15:22 on the clock.
The Red Raiders came storming back to tie the score at 41-41 when Jordan Murphree hit two free throws at the 10:24 mark. Baskets by Hollins and Brown reclaimed the lead for Mizzou, 45-41, one minute later.
A 9-0 run by Tech gave the home team its first lead of the second frame, 50-45, with just over seven minutes remaining.
Flores hit a layup for a 50-47 Tiger deficit but Texas Tech made four straight baskets to go up 54-47 at the 5:46 mark. Three minutes later Brown hit a three-pointer to put the score at 54-50.
The Red Raiders hit their free throws over the final minutes to secure the 63-56 victory.
The Tigers travel to Oklahoma City, Okla., for the 2009 Phillips 66 Big 66 Big 12 Championship next week. First round play kicks off on Thursday, March 12 with games at 11 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Regular season champion Oklahoma is the only school that has wrapped up its seed, as the remaining 11 seeds depend on this weekend's results.
