Feb. 14, 2000
Missouri Tigers (16-6, 6-5)
-vs.-
Texas A&M Aggies (10-11, 2-9)
TIP-OFF: 7:00 p.m. CST.
RADIO/TV: KFRU 1400 AM (David Lile)
INTERNET: www.mutigers.com (LIVE)
ARENA: Reed Arena (12,500)
SERIES: Missouri leads the all-time series 2-1.
COACHES: Missouri - Cindy Stein (94-46 overall, 29-21 at MU)
TAMU: Peggy Gillom (17-31 overall and at Texas A&M)
Missouri Seeks Fifth Straight Big 12 Win
The Missouri Tigers (16-6, 6-5) will attempt to win their fifth straight Big 12 Conference game on Wednesday night when they take on the Texas A&M Aggies (2-9, 10-11) at Reed Arena in College Station, Texas. The Tigers have won four straight heading into Wednesday night, their longest conference winning streak since the 1991-92 season. Already, Missouri is enjoying its' winningest season since the 1992-93 campaign.
You would have to go back 10 years to the 1989-90 season, the year Missouri won the Big Eight title, to find the last time the Tigers had won five straight conference games. That same year was the last time Mizzou had one three straight conference road games, another milestone the Tigers hope to accomplish on Wednesday night.
After winning road games at Oklahoma State and Kansas State, Ol' Mizzou returned home this past week and upset seventh-ranked Texas Tech and then defeated Colorado on Saturday night.
Texas A&M is 2-9 in the Big 12 Conference and 10-11 overall. The Aggies have lost nine of their last 10 games, with their only conference victories coming against winless Baylor.
Missouri won't take Texas A&M lightly. Last year in Columbia, the Tigers needed clutch free throw shooting down the stretch to hold off the Aggies 68-63.
The Tigers trailed 27-26 at halftime, but shot a sizzling 54 percent from the floor in the second half. Amy Monsees (17 points) netted back-to-back three-pointers in the second half to give Missouri the lead. Texas A&M, behind 24 points from Prissy Sharpe, tied the game at 51-51, but could never regain the lead.
Kesha Bonds tallied 15 points and 18 rebounds for Missouri while Julie Helm (14 points) and Ekpe Akpaffiong (12 points) both scored in double-figures.
PROBABLE MISSOURI STARTERS
| No. | Name | Pos. | Ht. | Cl. | PPG. | RPG. | OTHER |
| 24 | Amanda Lassiter | F | 6'1 | Jr. | 13.7 | 5.8 | 55 blocks |
| 5 | Amy Monsees | F | 6'0 | Sr. | 10.6 | 5.1 | .833% FT |
| 45 | Ekpe Akpaffiong | C | 6'0 | Sr. | 6.0 | 3.5 | .546% FG |
| 32 | Natalie Bright | G | 5'8 | So. | 7.4 | 3.8 | 3.0 apg. |
| 44 | Julie Helm | G | 5'11 | Sr. | 11.4 | 3.9 | .726% FT |
OFF THE BENCH
| No. | Name | Pos. | Ht. | Cl. | PPG. | RPG. | OTHER |
| 55 | Marlena Williams | C | 6'0 | Jr. | 11.4 | 5.3 | 12 blocks |
| 22 | Tracy Franklin | F/G | 5'10 | Jr. | 5.6 | 2.4 | .708% FT |
| 15 | Kerensa Barr | G | 5'10 | Fr. | 4.5 | 2.5 | 48 assists |
| 52 | Melissa Statham | C | 6'2 | Fr. | 1.2 | 1.2 | 8.6 min/g |
Scouting Texas A&M
Second-year coach Peggy Gillom has seen her Texas A&M Aggies struggle this season, but there is talent to be dealt with. The Aggies are led by one of the Big 12's top newcomers in Jaynetta Saunders. Saunders leads the Aggies with 14.9 ppg. and 7.1 rebounds. She joins junior Prissy Sharpe, who has seen her scoring drop this season to 13.4 ppg., but remains one of the leagues top rebounders at 8.8 rpg.
Senior Kera Alexander is also averaging double-figures (11.0 ppg.) for the Aggies.
Missouri's Last Time Out
Missouri made it four-in-a-row on Saturday night with a 65-57 win over Colorado at the Hearnes Center in Columbia. Amanda Lassiter led the Tigers with a double-double, 17 points, 12 rebounds, while compiling three assists, four steals and two blocks.
Missouri, who is undefeated when leading at halftime, needed a a three-point buzzer-beater by Kerensa Barr to take a 36-34 halftime lead.
The second half belonged to Mizzou. Amy Monsees scored a team-high 19 points while Tracy Franklin sparked the Tigers off the bench with 11. Franklin scored eight straight Missouri points during one stretch of the second half.
Mizzou's defense was once again the key. The Tigers held CU's leading scorer Jenny Roulier to two second half points after she burned the Tigers for 16 in the first half. Missouri also forced 22 turnovers in the game.
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. For the third time this season, Lassiter was honored by the Big 12 as the Rookie-of-the-Week last week following strong performances at Oklahoma State and Kansas State.
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 22 games. She is Missouri's leader in scoring (13.7 ppg.), assists (76), blocks (55) and steals (65). She also leads the team in rebounding (5.8).
Lassiter 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 tied for fifth 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 14.7 ppg. and is posting 6.8 rebounds per contest. Lassiter has also led Mizzou on the defensive end with 34 steals and 22 blocked shots.
Numbers Don't Lie
For those statistical fanatics out there, here are some interesting numbers regarding the Missouri women's basketball team so far this season.
The Missouri Tigers are undefeated when leading at halftime. The Tigers are 14-0 in that department and have won just twice when trailing at the half. Missouri is 1-1 when tied going into the halftime break.
The Tigers are also undefeated when they shoot a higher field goal percentage than their opponents. Missouri is a perfect 15-0 when out-shooting its opponents, and have won just one time when an opponent has topped the Tigers in that department.
Two other categories of note. Missouri is a perfect 9-0 when attempting more free throws than an opponent. The Tigers are also 15-1 when committing the same or fewer number of turnovers than their opponents.
Helm Watch Continues
Senior Julie Helm has literally re-written the Missouri Tiger record books in every game that she has played this season. She enters Wednesday night's game with a chance to add another feather to her cap.
Helm enters Saturday's game with 1,814 points in her career. She is just seven points away from becoming Missouri's third all-time leading scorer. Sharon Farrah currently holds the No. 3 spot with 1,820 points.
The other record to watch is the all-time three-point field goals mark. Helm has 111 treys for her career and is just six away from becoming Missouri's all-time leader. Stacy Williams is the current all-time leader with 116 three-pointers.
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 11 home games and have drawn an average of 2,119 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.
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.
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 22 games, Missouri has forced an average of 23.8 turnovers per game. The Tigers have 292 steals as a team so far, an average of 13.2 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
- 34-0 vs. Centenary
- 31-0 vs. Illinois State
- 30-0 vs. Wisconsin-Milwaukee
- 23-1 at San Diego State
- 14-0 at Oklahoma State
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 22 games, Bright has turned the ball over 51 times in 24.9 minutes per game. She has 65 assists and is averaging 3.8 rebounds per contest. Bright is also scoring 7.4 points per game.
Bright has been the Missouri hero in three of the Tigers four victories during their current four-game win streak. She scored 14 points, 12 in the second half to lead the Tigers down stretch on at Oklahoma State. She also added a career-high seven assists. Against Kansas State, Bright poured in a career-high 24 points, 15 of them in the second half including 7-of-12 free throws. Last Tuesday night, Bright had been held without a field goal until 30 seconds left in the game when she buried a short baseline jumper to give Missouri a 50-49 lead over Texas Tech.
Big Time Pep
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.
Lately, Williams has struggled with foul trouble, but she re-emerged in a huge way in the Tigers' 52-49 upset of No. 7 Texas Tech. Williams scored all 11 of her points in the second half and turned out to be a hero in the final seconds of the game. After Missouri went up 50-49, Pep picked off a pass and was fouled immediately. She stepped up to the free throw line and buried both free throws to give the Tigers a three-point lead.
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.
Eight Minutes of Fame
All 5-7 sophomore guard Ali Johnston knew heading into Missouri's game against No.7 Texas Tech was that coach Cindy Stein told her to be ready. At the 16:20 mark of the second half, Johnston, averaging 5.3 mintes per game in just four appearances in Big 12 contests go the call.
Johnston entered the game with Missouri trailing 35-24. Texas Tech missed two shots and Johnston, who's career high in rebounds entering the game was two, pulled down both rebounds.
Two minutes later, the Red Raiders had a chance to go up 12, but a missed shot was rebounded by Johnston marking a new-career high in rebounds. The Tigers brought the ball up the floor and Johnston found herself open for an open jumper and drilled it to cut the lead to eight.
Missouri cut the lead to seven, when Tech missed another shot and sure enough, it was the 5-7 Johnston there for the rebound. The Tigers scored on their next possession to cut the Red Raiders lead to 37-32.
The next trip down the floor, Marlena Williams picked up a steal giving Mizzou possession. The Tigers ran a play and the ball ended up in Johnston's hands for an open three-point attempt. She nailed it, giving her a career-high five points to cut the lead to two, 37-35.
Before her eight minutes were up, the Evergreen, Colo. native added a steal and another rebound to her credit.
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 6.0 points per game and is shooting a team-best .546 percent from the floor. Akpaffiong is also averaging 3.5 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 seven games, Monsees is averaging 14.0 points and 5.5 rebounds a contest.
For the year, Monsees is averaging 10.6 points and 5.1 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 94-46 as Mizzou is off to a 16-6 start in 1999-00, including an upset win over seventh-ranked Texas Tech. 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.