Feb. 7, 2000
COLUMBIA, Mo. - The Missouri Tigers (14-6, 4-5) return to the Hearnes Center on Tuesday night when they host seventh-ranked Texas Tech (18-2, 7-2). The Tigers are coming off of back-to-back road wins at Oklahoma State and Kansas State. It is the first time that Missouri has won back-to-back conference road games since the 1993 season when they capped off the regular season with wins at Oklahoma State and Oklahoma.
The Lady Raiders of Texas Tech enter Columbia riding an eight-game winning streak. Texas Tech has not lost since Jan. 8 when they were defeated by Big 12 leader Oklahoma by a score of 82-76 in Norman, Okla. The Lady Raiders only other loss came at the hands of Iowa State, 62-37 in Ames.
Missouri and Texas Tech are meeting for the fifth time in the school's history. Mizzou has never defeated Texas Tech.
Last year in Lubbock, Texas, the Tigers came just short of pulling one of the biggest upsets of the season. Texas Tech, who led 19-1 to start the game, went into halftime with a 36-27 advantage. The Lady Raider lead ballooned to 22 points at the 11:14 mark of the second half before Missouri went on an unthinkable run.
Missouri held Texas Tech scoreless for nearly six minutes before coming within two points with under two minutes to go in the game. The Tigers were forced to foul late in the game and Texas Tech connected from the charity stripe to edge Missouri 74-68.
All-American and Big 12 Player-of-the-Year Angie Braziel led scorers with 28 points. Rene Hanebutt added 18 points for the Lady Raiders.
Missouri had four players in double-figures led by Kesha Bonds' 18 points. Amy Monsees added 16 points while Ekpe Akpaffiong contributed 13 points and seven rebounds.
#7 Texas Tech Lady Raiders (18-2, 7-2)
vs. Missouri Tigers (14-6, 4-5)
TIP-OFF: 7:00 p.m. CST.
RADIO/TV: KFRU 1400 AM (David Lile, Gary Link)
INTERNET: www.mutigers.com (LIVE)
ARENA: Hearnes Center (13,300)
SERIES: Texas Tech leads the all-time series 4-0.
COACHES: Missouri- Cindy Stein (92-46 overall, 27-21 at MU)
TTU: Marsha Sharp (424-131 overal and at Texas Tech)
PROBABLE MISSOURI STARTERS
| No. | Name | Pos. | Ht. | Cl. | PPG. | RPG. | OTHER |
| 24 | Amanda Lassiter | F | 6'1 | Jr. | 14.1 | 5.6 | 53 blocks |
| 5 | Amy Monsees | F | 6'0 | Sr. | 10.4 | 5.2 | .823% FT |
| 55 | Marlena Williams | C | 6'0 | Jr. | 11.7 | 5.4 | 11 blocks |
| 32 | Natalie Bright | G | 5'8 | So. | 7.9 | 3.9 | 3.0 apg. |
| 44 | Julie Helm | G | 5'11 | Sr. | 11.9 | 4.3 | .717% FT |
OFF THE BENCH
| No. | Name | Pos. | Ht. | Cl. | PPG. | RPG. | OTHER |
| 45 | Ekpe Akpaffiong | F/C | 6'0 | Sr. | 6.3 | 3.6 | .544% FG |
| 22 | Tracy Franklin | F/G | 5'10 | Jr. | 5.5 | 2.3 | .708% FT |
| 15 | Kerensa Barr | G | 5'10 | Fr. | 4.5 | 2.5 | 42 assists |
| 52 | Melissa Statham | C | 6'2 | Fr. | 1.3 | 1.1 | 8.5 min/g |
Scouting Texas Tech
Despite losing three starters from a year ago, the two-time defending Big 12 champions have reloaded in 1999-00. Marsha Sharp's Lady Raiders have won eight straight games and are once again ranked among the nation's top 10.
Texas Tech is led by senior forward Keitha Dickerson. Dickerson is averaging a double-double for the year, 11.8 points and 10.1 rebounds.
Junior College transfer Plenette Pierson is one of the Big 12's top newcomers and leads the Lady Raiders in scoring at 13.9 ppg. while pulling down seven rebounds a game.
Senior Aleah Johnson is the hottest of the Lady Raiders. She is averaging 13.8 ppg. and has led Texas Tech in scoring in three of their last four games.
Missouri's Last Time Out
Missouri is coming off of its second straight road victory. After knocking off Oklahoma State in Stillwater on Wednesday night, the Tigers went into Manhattan, Kan. and defeated Kansas State 72-68 on Saturday afternoon.
After trailing 11-2 early, the Tigers quickly got back into the game and led 35-34 at halftime.
The second half belonged to sophomore point guard Natalie Bright. Bright scored 15 of her career-high 24 points in the second half. She hit seven-of-eight shots from the field and went 7-for-12 from the free throw line late to clinch the win.
Kansas State made the game interesting late. Mizzou led by 12 points with 2 1/2 minutes remaining, but K-State drilled three straight three-pointers while Missouri connected on just 7-of-14 free throws in the final two minutes.
Lassiter Does it all for Mizzou
Junior forward Amanda Lassiter has been everything the Tigers could have hoped for when she transfered to Mizzou from Central Arizona Junior College. She has been tabbed the Big 12 Rookie-of-the-Week twice this season. (AT THE TIME OF PRINT, LASSITER WAS NOMINATED FOR BOTH PLAYER AND ROOKIE-OF-THE-WEEK FOR THIS PAST WEEK.)
Lassiter, who received very little notice when the pre-season votes were tallied for the Big 12 Newcomer-of-the-Year, has done it all for the Tigers in her first 18 games. She is Missouri's leader in scoring (14.2 ppg.), assists (68), blocks (53) and steals (56). She is also averaging 5.6 rebounds per contest.
She has already broken a Big 12 record for steals in a game (11) and has set a new Missouri record for blocks in a game (7).
Lassiter entered this week ranked sixth in the country in blocked shots with an average of 2.7 per game.
Lassiter's numbers have been even more impressive in Big 12 Conference play. She leads the club in scoring at 15.7 ppg. and is posting 6.6 rebounds per contest. Lassiter has also led Mizzou on the defensive end with 27 steals and 20 blocked shots.
Lassiter is coming off of a career-night on Wednesday in Stillwater, Okla. She poured in a career-high 30 points and pulled down 9 rebounds in 39 minutes of action. Lassiter also added four assists, four blocked shots and two steals.
She added another steady performance against Kansas State on Saturday. Lassiter netted 11 points, pulled down five rebounds and added three assists and two steals.
Coach Stein Rewarded Contract Extension
Cindy Stein was rewarded with a two-year contract extension by Director of Athletics Mike Alden. Her new contract will carry her through the 2004 season.
Alden said that "the University was not taking this step just because of the success on the court, but because of the total success of her program." Alden stated that Stein's student-athletes "were doing well in school and the community, as well as on the basketball court."
Fans Are Taking Notice at MU
The University of Missouri began selling season tickets for women's basketball for the first time this season. Over 500 season tickets have been sold. But it has been more than the season ticket holders that are taking notice of the turnaround at the University of Missouri in women's basektball.
The Tigers drew over 1,000 fans seven times at the Hearnes Center last season. So far in 1999-00, the Tigers have played eight home games and have drawn an average of 2,146 fans.
Missouri used "Pokemon Night" on Dec. 30 to draw 2,242 fans against Wisconsin-Milwaukee. That was followed by an attendance of 2,463 for the conference opener against Iowa State.
Last Saturday against Oklahoma, Missouri broke the single-game attendance mark at the Hearnes Center when 6,227 fans braved four inches of snow to support the Tigers. Despite over 4,000 no-shows, Missouri officials will accomodate those fans who could not make it.
On Feb. 8 when Mizzou hosts Texas Tech, those fans that were not able to use their tickets will be able to use their ticket to the Oklahoma game for the Texas Tech game. And in appreciation for those who did fight the elements, those fans will be able to redeem their ticket stubs for a $1 ticket to the Texas Tech contest.
Tigers Turn the Tables in the Turnover Department
She calls it 'Organized Chaos.' Cindy Stein's style of basketball is in full effect in 1999-00. Many basketball followers might compare it to the Arkansas men's "40 Minutes of Hell." In 20 games, Missouri has forced an average of 24 turnovers per game. The Tigers have 262 steals as a team so far, an average of 13.1 per game. Missouri averaged just over 8 steals per contest last year and totaled 243.
Yes, the Tigers have already eclipsed last year's total number of steals.
Dare We Say "Spurtability?"
So this SID is a Clark Kellogg fan.
Missouri has been a team that has been able to literally bury it's opponents with one big spurt.
Just ask the San Diego State Aztecs as to how devastating Mizzou's full court press can be. The Tigers took a 2-1 lead just 47 seconds into the game. In just five minutes, 11 seconds and 10 turnovers later, Missouri's lead was 25-1. The Aztecs were forced to call three of their five timeouts during that span.
Centenary also provides a sample of the Tigers disruptive press. The Ladies led Missouri 6-4. The next thing they knew, the Tigers had gone on a 34-0 run to take a 38-6 lead.
Illinois State also fell victim to the Tigers relentless press. Missouri jumped out to a 34-1 lead against the Redbirds and held ISU without a field goal for the first 13 minutes, 37 seconds of the contest. The Tigers led 3-1 and went on a 31-0 run forcing 13 turnovers in the process. At one point, ISU had 14 turnovers and had attempted just 12 shots.
And then there was Wisconsin-Milwaukee, who trailed the Tigers just 30-27 at halftime, and tied the game 34-34 before getting hit with a 37-5 run, and more impressive, a 30-0 run. Missouri found themselves up 71-39.
Most recently, the Tigers put on another impressive spurt at Oklahoma State. Down 43-36 at halftime, Mizzou began the second half with a 14-0 run covering 9 minutes, 10 seconds. OSU came back to take the lead in the game, but Mizzou prevailed in the end.
MISSOURI'S LONGEST SPURTS
Helm Closing in on Third Place
Senior Julie Helm continues to rewrite the Missouri women's basketball record book in every game that she plays. But the number that is most important down the stretch for Helm followers is her career point total.
On Saturday against Kansas State, Helm became just the fourth player in MU school history to record 1,800 points. When she takes the floor on Tuesday night against Texas Tech, Helm will need just 20 points to pass Sharon Farrah (1,820) for third place on Missouri's all-time scoring list.
Bright Days for Missouri Point Guard
Sophomore point guard Natalie Bright has been one of the biggest factors in the vast improvement of the Missouri Tigers women's basketball team. Bright played in every game as a freshman last year and gained valuable experience, although struggling at times with turnovers.
Things have changed so far this season as Bright is playing with much more confidence and a better feel for the game. In 20 games, Bright has turned the ball over 46 times in 24.7 minutes per game. She has 60 assists and is averaging 3.9 rebounds per contest. Bright is also scoring 7.9 points per game.
Bright is coming off of perhaps her biggest two-game stretch of her career. In Missouri's two road wins this past week, Bright averaged 19 points and 4 assists in the two victories and was the hero in both games.
Bright scored 14 points, 12 in the second half to lead the Tigers down stretch on Wednesday night at Oklahoma State. She also added a career-high seven assists. On Saturday, Bright poured in a career-high 24 points, 15 of them in the second half including 7-of-12 free throws.
Just Call Her 'Pep' and Enjoy
If you love basketball, you love to watch Marlena "Pep" Williams play. The 6-0 junior college Kodak All-American plays hard and wants to win worse than the average player. She is what Cindy Stein calls a perfectionist, and anything less than perfection irritates 'Pep.'
Williams played her first career game for the Tigers in her own backyard in Peoria, Ill. at Bradley. Williams scored 13 points in 18 minutes and had tears in her eyes as she left the floor after fouling out.
In her Hearnes Center debut against Arkansas, some 1,300 Missouri fans got to see what 'Pep' is all about. Williams picked up her second foul less than four minutes into the game and sat out the rest of the half with 0 points and 1 rebound. Those who know 'Pep' knew what to expect in the second half.
Williams scored 21 points in the second period, 7 of them in the first 4:14 of the half. She staggered Arkansas with points in the post as well as several one-on-one moves from the top of the key.
Williams is third on the club in scoring at 11.7 ppg., despite playing with chronic shin splints that may nag her the entire season. What is eye-popping about that figure is that she is only playing 21.0 minutes per game because of foul trouble, shin splints and Mizzou blowouts.
Where does this all come from? Basketball talent runs through the blood of the Williams family. Most notible is her brother Frank, a McDonald's All-American and the starting point guard for the University of Illinois.
New Role for Akpaffiong
Senior Ekpe Akpaffiong has also had to adjust to a new role this season. After starting 59 games in three seasons for Missouri, Akpaffiong has been coming off the bench this season and has been a real spark.
She is averaging 6.3 points per game and is shooting a team-best .554 percent from the floor. Akpaffiong is also averaging 3.6 rebounds per contest while having to guard many of MU's opponent's taller post players.
Monsees Heating Up
Senior captain Amy Monsees is bound and determined to make her final season at MU a memorable one. After struggling in early January with a sprained ankle, Monsees has been red-hot as of late.
In her last five games, Monsees is averaging 14.4 points and 6.2 rebounds a contest. She has led the Tigers in scoring in two-of-the last five games.
For the year, Monsees is averaging 10.4 points and 5.2 rebounds a game. She leads the Tigers in minutes played at 27.5 per game.
Tigers Ink Three in Early Signing Period
Missouri has already signed three blue-chip recruits in the early signing period. The Tigers inked Missouri high school standout Terianne Wolford of Nixa, Mo., Evan Unrau of Ft. Collins, Colo., and Tracy Lozier of Blue Valley North High School in Overland Park, Kan.
Wolford, a 6-0 forward, enters her senior season at Nixa High as a three-year starter. A second team All-State selection last season, Wolford is averaging 18 points per game and is shooting over 59 percent for her career. She is also averaging over seven rebounds for her career. Wolford is a three-time, first team All-Conference pick and was named the AAU Missouri Player-of-the-Year as a sophomore. She has also been selected as an honorable mention AAU All-American.
Unrau will enter Missouri as one of the top high school players out of the state of Colorado. The 6-1 post player is a three-year starter for Rocky Mountain High School and is a two-time All-Conference performer. Unrau averaged 16.2 ppg. last year to along with 9 rebounds per contest.
Not only is Unrau a great basketball player, she is an All-State soccer goalie as well as a finalist for the state volleyball Player-of-the-Year. Rocky Mountain High won the Colorado state title.
Lozier is a 5-10 guard that can play both the point and shooting guard positions. One of the most heralded players coming out of the state of Kansas, Lozier has helped lead her team, Blue Valley North High, to two straight Class 6A state titles. She averaged 15 points, 8 assists and 7 steals last season and is a two-time Kansas City All-Metro selection. Lozier won the DiRenna Award this past season recognizing her as the top player in the Kansas City metropolitan area. She claimed the award over teammate and Nebraska signee Shahidrah Roberts, who had won the award the previous season. Lozier was also a high school teammate of current Tiger Wannette Smith.
Head Coach Cindy Stein
Missouri coach Cindy Stein enters her second season as head coach of the Missouri Tigers. Stein led her Tigers to a 13-15 record in her first season at MU and a first round Big 12 Tournament victory over seventh seeded Baylor. Missouri also knocked off the likes of Nebraska in Columbia and Oklahoma in Norman. The Tigers also came close to knocking off Big 12 Champion Texas Tech in Lubbock.
Stein's career coaching record is 92-46 as Mizzou is off to a 14-6 start in 1999-00. She spent three seasons at Emporia State University as she led her club to a 65-25 record and a trip to the NCAA Division II national championship game in 1998. Her 1997-98 team finished 33-1as Stein was selected the MIAA Coach-of-the-Year. She was tabbed National Coach-of-the-Year by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association.