Feb. 25, 2000
Missouri Tigers (17-8, 7-7)
-vs.-
Colorado Buffaloes (8-17, 3-11)
TIP-OFF: 8:00 p.m. CST.
RADIO/TV: KWWC 90.5 FM (David Lile)
INTERNET: www.mutigers.com (LIVE)
ARENA: Hearnes Center (13,300)
SERIES: Colorado leads the all-time series 24-20.
COACHES: Missouri - Cindy Stein (95-48 overall, 30-23 at MU)
CU:Ceal Barry (407-228 overall, 324-186 at Colorado)
Mizzou Faces Big Road Test at Colorado
No road game has been as important as the one facing the Missouri Tigers (17-8, 7-7) on Saturday in Boulder, Colo. The Tigers take on the Colorado Buffaloes (8-17, 3-11) in what is a 'must-win' game for Mizzou. Missouri is coming off of a 65-62 win over 24th-ranked Kansas on Wednesday night, thus keeping its' NCAA Tournament hopes alive.
Facing Missouri are the Colorado Buffaloes who are coming off of an overtime loss at Baylor on Wednesday night. The Buffs defeated Texas last Saturday in Boulder, and have also knocked off Nebraska this season on their home floor.
It has been 10 years since Missouri won a game in Boulder, Colo. The Tigers knocked off Colorado 58-55 in 1990, which is also the last time Missouri swept the season series from the Buffaloes. That is what Mizzou will attempt to do on Saturday night.
The Tigers defeated Colorado 65-57 at the Hearnes Center in Columbia on Feb. 12. Mizzou led just 36-34 at halftime, thanks to a buzzer-beating three-pointer by Kerensa Barr.
Amy Monsees led the Tigers with 19 points, but it was the play of Amanda Lassiter and a spark off the bench by Tracy Franklin that led Missouri down the stretch. After allowing CU leading scorer Jenny Roulier to score 16 points in the first half, Lassiter put the clamps on Roulier (18 points) in the second half.
Lassiter's offensive numbers were big as well as she tallied 17 points. She added 12 rebounds, four steals, three assists and two blocked shots to her stat line as well.
Franklin scored 11 points off the bench for Mizzou and added five rebounds while playing outstanding post defense against the bigger Buffaloes.
Four Colorado players scored in double-digits including a 15-point effort by center Britt Hartshorn and a 10-point, 11-rebound night for freshman Sabrina Scott.
PROBABLE MISSOURI STARTERS
| No. | Name | Pos. | Ht. | Cl. | PPG. | RPG. | OTHER | |
| 24 | Amanda Lassiter | F | 6'1 | Jr. | 13.0 | 5.5 | 62 blocks | |
| 5 | Amy Monsees | F | 6'0 | Sr. | 10.6 | 5.4 | .823% FT | |
| 55 | Marlena Williams | C | 6'0 | Jr. | 11.8 | 5.1 | 14 blocks | |
| 32 | Natalie Bright | G | 5'8 | So. | 7.0 | 3.8 | 2.9 apg. | |
| 44 | Julie Helm | G | 5'11 | Sr. | 12.1 | 3.9 | .729% FT |
OFF THE BENCH
| No. | Name | Pos. | Ht. | Cl. | PPG. | RPG. | OTHER |
| 22 | Tracy Franklin | F/G | 5'10 | Jr. | 5.2 | 2.3 | 33 assists |
| 45 | Ekpe Akpaffiong | F/C | 6-0 | Sr. | 5.6 | 3.3 | .519% FG |
| 15 | Kerensa Barr | G | 5'10 | Fr. | 4.1 | 2.4 | 2.2 assists |
| 52 | Melissa Statham | C | 6'2 | Fr. | 1.1 | 1.2 | 8.2 min/g |
GAME #22
Missouri 65 - Colorado 57
Saturday, Feb. 12, 2000 at Hearnes Center
CU (57) Hartshorn 6-8 3-6 15 Roulier 8-19 1-1 18 Scott 5-11 1-1 10 Nightingale 1-8 0-0 2 Carmann 5-11 0-0 10 Delepine 1-3 0-0 2 Bohman 0-3 0-0 0 TOTAL: 26-63 4-7 57MU (65) Monsees 7-12 4-4 19 Lassiter 7-18 3-4 17 Akpaffiong 1-3 0-0 2 Bright 1-4 1-2 3 Helm 1-5 0-0 2 Barr 2-4 0-0 6 Franklin 5-11 0-0 11 Statham 0-2 0-0 0 Williams 1-5 3-4 5 TOTAL: 25-64 11-14 65 HALFTIME SCORE: CU 34 MU 36
THREE-POINT FIELD GOALS: CU: 1-13 (Roulier 1-6, Scott 0-2, Nightingale 0-5) MU: 4-13 (Monsees 1-2, Lassiter 0-4, Helm 0-2, Barr 2-3, Franklin 1-2)
REBOUNDS: CU: 43 (Scott 11) MU: 38 (Lassiter 12)
ASSISTS: CU: 10 (Hartshorn 3) MU: 16 (Barr, Williams 4)
TOTAL FOULS: CU: 15 MU: 14
FOULED OUT: Williams
TECHNICAL FOULS: none
ATTENDENCE: 2,436
Scouting Colorado
Since defeating Nebraska at home on Feb. 5, the Buffaloes have dropped three of their last four games, but have been competitive in all four. Following their loss at Missouri, Colorado dropped a 62-54 game to Kansas State before upsetting Texas at home, 78-75. On Wednesday, the Buffs dropped a tough overtime loss at Baylor, 91-90.
The Tigers will have to deal with a very complicated triangle offense, very similar to the offense run by the six-time World Champion Chicago Bulls. The ring-leader is sophomore guard Jenny Roulier, who is coming off of a career-high 35-point night at Baylor Wednesday night. Roulier tallied 20 first half points and connected for five 3-pointers.
Missouri will also have to battle the Colorado trees inside, starting with 6-4 center Britt Hartshorn. Hartshorn scored 14 points and pulled down a career-high 16 rebounds at Baylor on Wednesday and has been tough on the Tigers, averaging 12.6 ppg. in three outings against Mizzou.
Freshman Sabrina Scott is making a run at 'Big 12 Freshman of the Year' as she has notched seven double-doubles this season including one against Missouri.
Missouri's Last Time Out
Led by seniors Julie Helm and Amy Monsees, the Missouri Tigers kept their NCAA Tournament hopes alive by upsetting 24-ranked Kansas 65-62 at the Hearnes Center Wednesday night. The win snapped a six-game losing streak against the Jayhawks and ended what was a current two-game drought.
Helm went 10-for-12 from the field and tallied 22 points while breaking the career three-point record at Mizzou. Monsees added 15 points and nine rebounds, and may have made the defensive play of the game when she stole the ball from KU's Lynn Pride with 10 seconds left in the game with Missouri leading 63-62. The steal led to a jump ball with the possession arrow pointing the Tigers way.
Missouri led most of the way through the first half and took a 33-27 lead into halftime. The second half was a see-saw battle. Kansas used a 10-4 run to cut a 10-point MU lead to just two points at 39-37. Another 10-0 run by the Jayhawks gave Kansas a 50-43 lead with just over 11 minutes left in the game.
Missouri would not take the lead again until the 5:04 mark when Amanda Lassiter hit Natalie Bright for a back-door lay-up to give the Tigers a one-point lead, 57-56.
Six lead changes would ensue in the final five minutes before Helm layed in a shot off of an offensive rebound to give Mizzou a 61-60 advantage with 1:04 left in the game.
Lassiter is Mizzou's Newcomer of the Year
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 on three occassions so far this season.
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 through 25 games. She is Missouri's leader in scoring (13.0 ppg.), assists (3.5), blocks (62) and steals (70). She also leads the team in rebounding (5.5).
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) and in a season (62).
Lassiter is tied for ninth in the country in blocked shots at 2.5 per game.
Lassiter's numbers have been even more impressive in Big 12 Conference play. She leads the club in scoring at 13.2 ppg. and is posting 6.1 rebounds per contest. Lassiter has also led Mizzou on the defensive end with 39 steals and 29 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 16-0 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 10-0 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 Heats Up in Stretch Run
Senior Julie Helm has literally re-written the Missouri Tiger record books in every game that she has played this season. Helm forced this SID to get out the eraser (OK, punch the delete key) once again last Wednesday night.
Helm became Missouri's all-time three-point shooter when she connected for her 117th of her career. She tallied 22 points on the night to lead the Tigers past the No. 24 Jayhawks.
Helm moved into third place on Missouri's all-time scoring list, passing Sharon Farrah a week earlier at Texas A&M. The Washington, Ind. native now has 1,866 points in her career.
Helm has been feeling it as of late. In her last three outings, she is averaging 17.3 ppg., her best three-game run since the conference season started. She was 10-for-12 from the floor on Wednesday night against KU.
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 12 home games and have drawn an average of 2,103 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 25 games, Missouri has forced an average of 23.0 turnovers per game. The Tigers have 317 steals as a team so far, an average of 12.7 per game. Missouri averaged just over 8eight steals per contest last year and totaled 243.
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 25 games, Bright has turned the ball over 58 times in 25.3 minutes per game. She has 72 assists and is averaging 3.8 rebounds per contest. Bright is also scoring 7.0 points per game.
Bright was the Missouri heroin three of the Tigers four victories during their four-game conference 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.
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 wentup 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.
Williams has played big in Missouri's last three games. She is averaging 14.7 ppg. and scored 17 big ones against Kansas.
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.
Monsees Last Stand
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 back to her steady self.
In her last 10 games during conference season, Monsees is averaging 12.9 points and 6.2 rebounds a contest. She has scored in double-figures in eight of those games.
For the year, Monsees is averaging 10.6 points and 5.4 rebounds a game. She leads the Tigers in minutes played at 28.0 per game.
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 5.6 points per game and is shooting a team-best .519 percent from the floor. Akpaffiong is also averaging 3.3 rebounds per contest while having to guard many of MU's opponent's taller post players.
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 95-48 as Mizzou is 17-8 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.
MISSOURI'S RECORD ...
| Ahead at halftime | 14-0 |
| Behind at halftime | 2-7 |
| Tied at halftime | 1-1 |
| FG% of .450 + | 8-0 |
| FG% less than .450 | 9-8 |
| Better FG% than opponent | 16-0 |
| Worse FG% than opponent | 1-8 |
| Opponent shoots less than .450 | 13-4 |
| More 3FG made than opponent | 14-3 |
| Same or Fewer 3FG made than opponent | 3-6 |
| Try more FTs than opponent | 10-0 |
| Try less FTs than opponent | 7-8 |
| Outrebound opponent | 9-4 |
| Tied or outrebounded | 8-4 |
| More TO's than opponent | 2-7 |
| Same or fewer turnovers | 15-1 |
| Make 15 or more TO's | 12-7 |
| Make less than 15 TO's | 5-1 |
| Score 50-59 pts. | 1-1 |
| Score 60-69 pts. | 5-4 |
| Score 70-79 pts. | 4-3 |
| Score 80-89 pts. | 2-0 |
| Score 90 + pts. | 5-0 |
| Allow less than 50 pts. | 7-0 |
| Allow 50-59 pts. | 3-0 |
| Allow 60-69 pts. | 5-1 |
| Allow 70-79 pts. | 2-2 |
| Allow 80-89 pts. | 0-3 |
| Allow 90 + pts. | 0-2 |
| Bench outscores opponent bench | 12-3 |
| Opp. bench outscores MU bench | 5-5 |
| Overtime | 0-0 |
| vs. Top 25 teams | 2-4 |
| Home Games | 9-3 |
| Road Games | 7-5 |
| Neutral Site Games | 1-0 |
| Day Games | 4-1 |
| Night Games | 13-7 |
| Weekday Games | 8-5 |
| Weekend Games | 9-3 |
| Television Games | 4-2 |
| White Uniforms | 6-3 |
| Black Uniforms | 8-5 |
| Gold Uniforms | 3-0 |
GAMES DECIDED BY...
5 pts. or less 5-1 6-10 pts. 2-1 11-19 pts. 2-5 20 or more pts. 8-1
BY STARTING LINEUP
Monsees, Lassiter, Williams, Bright, Helm 12-5 Monsees, Lassiter, Akpaffiong, Bright, Helm 4-1 Monsees, Franklin, Williams, Barr, Lassiter 1-0 Monsees, Lassiter, Williams,Barr, Helm 0-1 Monsees, Lassiter, Williams, Bright, Barr 0-1
THIS WEEK IN THE BIG 12
(as of Feb. 20)
| Standings | BIG 12 | OVERALL |
| Texas Tech | 11-3 | 22-3 |
| Iowa State | 11-3 | 20-5 |
| Oklahoma | 11-3 | 21-6 |
| Kansas | 10-4 | 19-7 |
| Texas | 8-6 | 17-10 |
| Nebraska | 8-6 | 14-11 |
| MISSOURI | 7-7 | 17-8 |
| Kansas State | 5-9 | 12-15 |
| Oklahoma State | 5-9 | 13-13 |
| Texas A&M | 3-11 | 11-13 |
| Colorado | 3-11 | 8-17 |
| Baylor | 2-12 | 7-17 |
THIS WEEK IN THE BIG 12
Saturday, February 26
Baylor at Iowa State
Missouri at Colorado
Kansas at Oklahoma
Kansas State at Nebraska
Texas Tech at Oklahoma State
Texas at Texas A&M
Tuesday, February 29
Baylor at Texas Tech
Wednesday, March 1
Colorado at Kansas State
Iowa State at Texas
Texas A&M at Kansas
Oklahoma State at Oklahoma
Thursday, March 2
Nebraska at Missouri