University of Missouri
Texas
Texas Defense Holds Off Mizzou
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
February 16, 1999
COLUMBIA, Mo.- The Texas Longhorns (14-9, 8-5) outscored the Missouri Tigers (10-13, 3-10) 44-30 in the second half and took home a 64-59 victory at the Hearnes Center in Columbia. The Tigers dropped their fourth straight game despite a monster game from senior Kesha Bonds.
Missouri scored the opening basket of the game and never trailed in the first half. The Tigers took their largest lead of the game, 21-10, when Julie Helm (11 points) connected on a three-pointer at the 6:22 mark of the half. Missouri led by 11 points on three different occasions and led by nine points at halftime, 29-20. Bonds (24 points, 19 rebounds) paced the Tigers in the first half with 12 points and 9 rebounds while the Mizzou defense held Texas star Edwina Brown scoreless.
The second half was a whole different story. Texas quickly got back in the game in the first five minutes of the second half. The Longhorns used a 10-0 run over three minutes to take their first lead of the game, 32-31, at the 15:18 mark. The Tigers answered by scoring the next six points, four by Bonds, to reclaim a five point lead at 37-32. The Tigers held the lead for the next five minutes until Carla Littleton connected on jumper in the lane to tie the game at 42-42 with 9:41 left to go.
After three more ties and three more lead changes, the Longhorns took the lead for good thanks to senior guard Kim Lummus (16 points). With the Tigers leading 48-46, Lumus drilled back-to-back three pointers to give Texas a 52-48 advantage with 5:27 on the clock. Missouri got within a point three times but could not get over the hump. It was Brown (12 points, 11 rebounds) who led the charge down the stretch. A jumper in the lane with 1:36 to go put Texas back up by four points, 60-56. Texas hit 13 of their 14 free throw attempts to help claim the victory.
