Feb. 3, 2000
Missouri Tigers (13-6, 3-5)
vs.
Kansas State Wildcats (9-12, 2-6)
TIP-OFF: 1:00 p.m. CST.
RADIO/TV: Fox Sports Net (Jim Hunter, Brenda Van Lengen)
KWWC 90.5 FM (David Lile, Sally Albers)
INTERNET: www.mutigers.com (LIVE)
ARENA: Bramlage Coliseum (13,500)
SERIES: Missouri leads the all-time series 28-27
COACHES: Missouri - Cindy Stein (91-46 overall, 26-21 at MU), KSU - Deb Patterson (55-55 overall, all at KSU)
Tigers Look to Become Road Warriors in Manhattan
Following an emotional 77-73 road win at Oklahoma State on Wednesday night, the Missouri Tigers (13-6, 3-5) will be looking for their second straight road victory when they travel to Kansas State (9-12, 2-6) on Saturday afternoon. A win by the Tigers would give them 14 victories, one more than all of last season.
Missouri's victory at Oklahoma State on Wednesday night was its first conference road win of the season and it stopped a two-game losing streak.
Kansas State has not played since last Sunday when they dropped a 68-61 decision at home against Nebraska. The Wildcats have lost four straight games, including a 63-52 loss to Missouri on Jan. 22.
Missouri forced 30 Kansas State turnovers at the Hearnes Center in their first meeting. The two teams were tied, 28-28 at halftime only for the Tigers to outscore the Wildcats 35-24 in the second stanza.
Amy Monsees paced the Tigers with 18 points to go along with six steals. Amanda Lassiter added 13 points and five steals for Mizzou.
The Tigers were able withstand a combined 32 points and 21 rebounds from senior forwards Nicky Ramage (18 points, 7 rebounds) and Angie Finkes (14 points and 14 rebounds) for KSU. The Wildcats won the rebound battle 38-32.
Scouting Kansas State
Kansas State enters Saturday's contest looking to end a season-long four-game losing streak. The Wildcats have been off since last Sunday when they fell 68-61 at home against Nebraska.
Senior forwards Nicky Ramage and Angie Finkes lead the Kansas State attack. Ramage is averaging 18.6 ppg. in her last three outings against Missouri. She scored 12 of her 18 points against Mizzou on Jan. 22 from the free throw line.
Finkes tossed in a double-double against the Tigers in their first meeting with 14 points and 14 rebounds. Finkes leads the Wildcats in scoring (14.2 ppg.) and rebounding (6.7 rpg).
The Wildcats are coached by Deb Patterson who enters Saturday's game with a coaching record of 55-55.
PROBABLE MISSOURI STARTERS
| No. | Name | Pos. | Ht. | Cl. | PPG. | RPG. | OTHER | |
| 24 | Amanda Lassiter | F | 6-1 | Jr. | 14.2 | 5.6 | 53 blocks | |
| 5 | Amy Monsees | F | 6-0 | Sr. | 10.3 | 5.3 | .831% FT | |
| 55 | Marlena Williams | C | 6-0 | Jr. | 11.8 | 5.5 | 11 blocks | |
| 32 | Natalie Bright | G | 5-8 | So. | 7.0 | 3.8 | 3.1 apg. | |
| 44 | Julie Helm | G | 5-11 | Sr. | 12.0 | 4.3 | .732% FT |
OFF THE BENCH
| No. | Name | Pos. | Ht. | Cl. | PPG. | RPG. | OTHER |
| 45 | Ekpe Akpaffiong | F/C | 6-0 | Sr. | 6.6 | 3.6 | .576% FG |
| 22 | Tracy Franklin | F/G | 5-10 | Jr. | 5.6 | 2.2 | .708% FT |
| 15 | Kerensa Barr | G | 5-10 | Fr. | 4.6 | 2.6 | 40 assists |
| 52 | Melissa Statham | C | 6-2 | Fr. | 1.4 | 1.1 | 8.5 min/g |
Missouri's Last Time Out
The Tigers are coming off of maybe their biggest win of the season on Wednesday night when they defeated the Oklahoma State Cowgirls by a score of 77-73 in Stillwater, Okla. That win erased a two-game losing streak and gave the Tigers their first conference road win of the season.
Missouri, led by a 30-point performance by Amanda Lassiter, trailed 43-36 at halftime. The Tigers began the second half with a 14-0 run and held the Cowgirls scoreless for the first 9:10 of the second half.
Oklahoma State climbed back into the game after a foul and a technical foul on Marlena Williams. OSU's Jennifer Crow buried six-of'six free throws to cut the lead to 55-51.
OSU jumped out in front 71-67 thanks to back-to-back three-pointers by Crow (27 points). But Mizzou answered with back-to-back treys by Natalie Bright (14 points) and Lassiter to take a 73-71 lead.
Following a defensive stop, Bright converted on a layup off of a feed from Lassiter to put Mizzou up 75-71.
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.
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 fourth in the country in blocked shots with an average of 2.9 per game.
Lassiter's numbers have been even more impressive in Big 12 Conference play. She leads the club in scoring at 16.3 ppg. and is posting 6.8 rebounds per contest. Lassiter has also led Mizzou on the defensive end with 25 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.
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 19 games, Missouri has forced an average of 24.4 turnovers per game. The Tigers have 252 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
MISSOURI's RECORD ...
| Ahead at halftime | 11-0 |
| Behind at halftime | 1-5 |
| Tied at halftime | 1-1 |
| FG% of .450 + | 6-0 |
| FG% less than .450 | 7-6 |
| Better FG% than opponent | 13-0 |
| Worse FG% than opponent | 0-6 |
| Opponent shoots less than .450 | 12-3 |
| More 3FG made than opponent | 10-2 |
| Same or Fewer 3FG made than opponent | 2-5 |
| Try more FTs than opponent | 7-0 |
| Try less FTs than opponent | 6-6 |
| Outrebound opponent | 7-4 |
| Tied or outrebounded | 6-2 |
| More TO's than opponent | 0-5 |
| Same or fewer turnovers | 13-1 |
| Make 15 or more TO's | 9-5 |
| Make less than 15 TO's | 4-1 |
| Score 50-59 pts. | 0-0 |
| Score 60-69 pts. | 3-3 |
| Score 70-79 pts. | 3-3 |
| Score 80-89 pts. | 2-0 |
| Score 90 + pts. | 5-0 |
| Allow less than 50 pts. | 6-0 |
| Allow 50-59 pts. | 2-0 |
| Allow 60-69 pts. | 3-0 |
| Allow 70-79 pts. | 2-2 |
| Allow 80-89 pts. | 0-3 |
| Allow 90 + pts. | 0-1 |
| Bench outscores opponent bench | 10-2 |
| Opp. bench outscores MU bench | 3-4 |
| Overtime | 0-0 |
| vs. Top 25 teams | 0-3 |
| Home Games | 6-3 |
| Road Games | 6-3 |
| Neutral Site Games | 1-0 |
| Day Games | 3-1 |
| Night Games | 10-5 |
| Weekday Games | 6-4 |
| Weekend Games | 7-2 |
| Television Games | 2-2 |
| White Uniforms | 6-3 |
| Black Uniforms | 7-3 |
| Gold Uniforms | 0-0 |
GAMES DECIDED BY...
| 5 pts. or less | 2-1 |
| 6-10 pts. | 1-1 |
| 11-19 pts. | 2-4 |
| 20 or more pts. | 8-0 |
BY STARTING LINEUP
| Monsees, Lassiter, Williams, Bright, Helm | 11-4 |
| Monsees, Lassiter, Akpaffiong, Bright, Helm | 1-0 |
| Monsees, Franklin, Williams, Barr, Lassiter | 1-0 |
| Monsees, Lassiter, Williams,Barr, Helm | 0-1 |
| Monsees, Lassiter, Williams, Bright, Barr | 0-1 |
Keeping Up With Helm
Senior Julie Helm continues to re-write the Missouri record books with every game she plays. Her numbers were expected to decrease a little bit this season with the additions of such scoring threats as Amanda Lassiter and Marlena Williams.
It has been an up-and-down season so far for the MU star. She busted out of a huge early'season shooting slump against Eastern Illinois with 30 points in 21 minutes of play. She answered that performance by leading the Tigers with 16 points in 19 minutes of action against Illinois State. Helm led Mizzou for the third straight time with a 19 point peformance against Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Helm moved into fourth place on Missouri's all-time scoring list at Saint Louis on Dec 11. She passed Nancy Rutter by scoring her 1,642nd point in the first half in MU's 78-65 victory. She now has 1,791 points for her career. Next up for Helm is Sharon Farrah, who owns third place with 1,820 points.
She is currently the career-leader in free throw percentage at 80.7 percent. She is on her way to becoming the career leader in three-point field goals. Helm currently has 110 treys and is seven away from passing all-time leader Stacy Williams.
Helm is averaging 16.7 ppg. for her career. She just passed 600 made FG plateau and the 400 rebound mark and is averaging over four boards per game for her career. Helm also passed the 400 free throw mark and just recorded her 200th assist and passed the 100 steals mark. She also eclipsed the 3,000 minutes played mark for her career. Helm played in her 100th career game against Iowa State on Jan. 5 and started her 100th career game at Oklahoma State on Feb. 2.
The Future at Point Guard is Bright and Secure with Barr
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 19 games, Bright has turned the ball over 45 times in 24.4 minutes per game. She has 59 assists and is averaging 3.8 rebounds per contest. Bright is also scoring 7.0 points per game.
Freshman Kerensa Barr, the Missouri state High School Player-of-theYear, has helped the point guard spot as well, especially at the defensive end. Barr is second on the team in steals behind Amanda Lassiter with 34 and is averaging 2.6 rebounds from the point guard spot.
Offensively, Barr continues to make strides. She went the first two exhibition games and the first regular season game against Bradley without a turnover. Since, she has turned it over 40 times, but she does have 40 assists. Barr is averaging 4.6 ppg. and has connected on 10 three-point field goals.
Last year, Missouri's point guards turned the ball over 122 times and recorded just 97 assists. Those numbers have changed dramatically this season. The Bright/Barr combination has 99 assists to 85 turnovers thus far.
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 11.8 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 21.3 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 6.6 points per game and is shooting .576 from the floor. Akpaffiong is also averaging 3.8 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 four games, Monsees is averaging 15.0 points and 6.7 rebounds a contest. She has led the Tigers in scoring in two-of-the last four games.
For the year, Monsees is averaging 10.3 points and 5.3 rebounds a game. She leads the Tigers in minutes played at 27.3 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 91-46 as Mizzou is off to a 13-6 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.
THIS WEEK IN THE BIG 12
(as of Feb. 3)
| Standings | BIG 12 | OVERALL | |
| Oklahoma | 8-0 | 18-3 | |
| Iowa State | 7-1 | 16-3 | |
| Texas | 5-1 | 14-5 | |
| Texas Tech | 5-2 | 16-2 | |
| Kansas | 6-2 | 15-5 | |
| Nebraska | 5-3 | 11-8 | |
| Oklahoma State | 4-4 | 12-8 | |
| MISSOURI | 3-5 | 13-6 | |
| Kansas State | 2-6 | 9-12 | |
| Texas A&M | 1-7 | 9-9 | |
| Colorado | 1-8 | 6-13 | |
| Baylor | 0-8 | 5-13 |
THIS WEEK IN THE BIG 12
Thursday, February 3
Texas at Texas Tech
Saturday, February 5
Texas Tech at Baylor
Colorado at Iowa State
Missouri at Kansas State
Nebraska at Oklahoma
Texas A&M at Texas
Sunday, February 6
Oklahoma State at Kansas