March 13, 2000

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COLUMBIA, Mo. - The Missouri Tigers (17-11) will play in post-season for the first time since the 1993-94 season on Wednesday night when they host the Lady Aces of Evansville (23-6) in the first round of the Women's National Invitational Tournament (WNIT). It is Missouri's first trip to the WNIT in the history of the school.

In 1994, the Tigers earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament after winning the Big Eight Tournament as the No. 7 seed. Missouri took on Texas Tech in Lubbock and fell 75-61 in the first round of the Midwest Regional.

Evansville enters Wednesday night's contest with a 23-6 record. The Lady Aces have won 12 of their last 14 games and had a nine-game winning-streak snapped last Friday night in the second round of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament by Southwest Missouri State. Evansville tied for second place in the MVC by posting a 14-4 conference record.

Evansville is no stranger to Columbia, Mo. The Lady Aces played in the Unilever Missouri Lady Tiger Classic back in early December and claimed third place in the tournament. Missouri and Evansville did not meet.

The Tigers own a 3-0 all-time advantage against the Lady Aces. The last time the two teams met was back in 1994 as Missouri defeated Evansville in the season-opener by a score of 76-67.

2000 Women's National
Invitational Tournament

TELEVISION: none
RADIO: KFRU 1400 AM (David Lile, Gary Link)
INTERNET: www.mutigers.com (LIVE)
ARENA: Hearnes Center (13,300)

PROBABLE MISSOURI STARTERS

No.	Name	Pos.	Ht.	Cl.	PPG.	RPG.	OTHER
24	Amanda Lassiter	F	6'1	Jr.	13.4	5.5	65 blocks
5	Amy Monsees	F	6'0	Sr.	10.4	5.6	.826% FT
55	Marlena Williams	C	6'0	Jr.	11.6	5.2	42 steals
32	Natalie Bright	G	5'8	So.	7.0	3.8	2.8 apg.
44	Julie Helm	G	5'11	Sr.	12.2	4.0	.366% 3PT

OFF THE BENCH

No.	Name	Pos.	Ht.	Cl.	PPG.	RPG.	OTHER
22	Tracy Franklin	F/G	5'10	Jr.	5.1	2.4	37 assists
45	Ekpe Akpaffiong	F/C	6-0	Sr.	5.1	3.0	.509% FG
15	Kerensa Barr	G	5'10	Fr.	3.8	2.3	2.0 assists
31	Wannette Smith	F/C	6'1	Fr.	1.1	1.6	6.9 min/g

Scouting Evansville
The Evansville Lady Aces enter the WNIT with a 23-6 record. Five of those six losses are against schools that are playing in post-season.

Evansville's first loss was in the Hearnes Center against Western Kentucky in the Unilever Missouri Lady Tiger Classic. The Lady Toppers, who are headed to the NCAA Tournament, defeated the Lady Aces 49-46.

Evansville went on to win 10 straight games before losing to Southwest Missouri State, 72-61, in Springfield. They then lost their following contest at Wichita State by a score of 62-59.

The only team not playing in post-season to knock off the Lady Aces was Bradley, who won 79-75 in overtime in Peoria, Ill. Evansville went on to win its' next nine games before losing to Southwest Missouri State on Friday in the MVC Tournament.

Evansville, coached by Kathi Bennett, is led by junior forward Shyla McKibbon. The 6-1 McKibbon, who was selected to the All-Tournament Team at the Unilever Missouri Lady Tiger Classic, leads the Aces in scoring (17.6 ppg.) and rebounding (8.6 rpg). She has recorded 11 double-doubles this season.

Adding to Evansville's strong frontline is 6-0 sophomore forward Lisa Eckert. Eckert averages 11.7 ppg. and 8.4 rebounds. She has led the Lady Aces in four of their last five games and has been the leading scorer in three of their last five.

Sophomore guard Shinko Ono is averaging 10.3 ppg. and leads the club with 60 three-pointers. Ono is deadly from three-point range, shooting at a .455 clip. She set the single-game Unilever Lady Tiger Classic record back on Dec. 4 with five treys against Centenary.

Missouri's Last Time Out
The Tigers will be well-rested heading into the WNIT. Mizzou has not played since Tuesday when they were knocked out in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament by Colorado, 83-68.

The two teams battled to a 36-36 tie at halftime, but the Buffaloes took over in the second half. The Tigers suffered through foul trouble the entire game while shooting just 37 percent from the floor.

Big 12 Newcomer of the Year Amanda Lassiter scored 17 points despite playing 27 minutes due to foul trouble. Julie Helm added 15 points while Amy Monsees tallied 12, all in the second half.

Colorado netted seven of 13 three-point tries and connected on 26-of-32 free throw attempts. The Buffaloes backcourt combination of Jenny Roulier and Mandy Nightingale combined for 44 points and were six-of-11 from three-point territory.

Lassiter Named Big 12 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. Last week, Lassiter was voted the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year by the Big 12 coaches. She was tabbed the Big 12 Rookie of the Week on three occassions 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 through 28 games. She is Missouri's leader in scoring (13.4 ppg.), assists (3.3), blocks (65) and steals (80). 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's 2.3 blocked shots per game ranks her in the among the nation's top 10.

Albers Back in Uniform for Mizzou
Senior Night was a little extra special for senior center Sally Albers. The 6-3 Apple Valley, Minn. native was in uniform for the first time in her career at the University of Missouri.

Albers transferred to Mizzou from Illinois last year, and according to NCAA rules, had to sit the year out.

Just weeks before Missouri's first game of the season, Albers tore both her ACL and MCL in her knee in a scrimmage on "Media Day" and was supposed to miss the entire season.

Thanks to hard work, Albers is indeed back in uniform for the first time in two years and is available to play. She entered the game with just under a minute to play against Nebraska to a standing ovation from the Hearnes Center crowd.

Albers gives the Tigers a much-needed extra body on the blocks for the remainder of the season.

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 have lost just one time when leading at halftime. The Tigers are 14-1 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 15-2 when committing the same or fewer number of turnovers than their opponents.

Helm Finally in Post-Season
Senior Julie Helm has literally re-written the Missouri Tiger record books in every game that she has played this season. Records aside, one of the most prolific players in MU history finally gets to play in a post-season game.

Helm will get to add to her career point total that now reads 1,904. She cracked the 1,900-point mark at the Big 12 Tournament last week with a 15-point performance. Helm is in third place on the Missouri all-time scoring chart behind All-Americans Joni Davis and Renee Kelly.

Helm is also the Missouri all-time leader in three-pointers. She has 123 for her career. Helm is also the seventh player in school history to record 1,500 points and 500 rebounds for her career.

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 were 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. In 1999-00, the Tigers played 13 home games and drew an average of 2,091 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 28 games, Missouri has forced an average of 22.5 turnovers per game. The Tigers have 345 steals as a team so far, an average of 12.3 per game. Missouri averaged just over eight 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 28 games, Bright has turned the ball over 67 times in 25.8 minutes per game. She has 79 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.

Marlena Williams picked up a steal giving Mizzou possession on Texas Tech's final play.

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.

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 13 games during conference season, Monsees is averaging 12.9 points and 6.4 rebounds a contest. She has scored in double-figures in nine of those games.

For the year, Monsees is averaging 10.4 points and 5.6 rebounds a game. She leads the Tigers in minutes played at 28.1 per game.

New Role for Akpaffiong
Senior Ekpe Akpaffiong has 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.

She is averaging 5.0 points per game and is shooting a team-best .509 percent from the floor. Akpaffiong is also averaging 3.0 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 95-51 as Mizzou is 17-11 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	14-1
Behind at halftime	2-8
Tied at halftime	1-2
FG% of .450 +	8-0
FG% less than .450	9-11
Better FG% than opponent	16-0
Worse FG% than opponent	1-11
Opponent shoots less than .450	13-4
More 3FG made than opponent	14-4
Same or Fewer 3FG made than opponent 3-8
Try more FTs than opponent	10-0
Try less FTs than opponent	7-11
Outrebound opponent	9-6
Tied or outrebounded	8-5
More TO's than opponent	2-9
Same or fewer turnovers	15-2
Make 15 or more TO's	12-10
Make less than 15 TO's	5-1
Score 50-59 pts.	1-1
Score 60-69 pts.	5-7
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.	2-3
Allow 80-89 pts.	0-5
Allow 90 + pts.	0-2
Bench outscores opponent bench	12-6
Opp. bench outscores MU bench	5-5
Overtime	0-0
vs. Top 25 teams	2-4
Home Games	9-4
Road Games	7-6
Neutral Site Games	1-1
Day Games	4-1
Night Games	13-10
Weekday Games	8-7
Weekend Games	9-4
Television Games	4-2
White Uniforms	6-3
Black Uniforms	8-6
Gold Uniforms	3-2

GAMES DECIDED BY...

5 pts. or less	5-1
6-10 pts.	2-2
11-19 pts.	2-7
20 or more pts.	8-1

BY STARTING LINEUP

Monsees, Lassiter, Williams, Bright, Helm	12-7
Monsees, Lassiter, Akpaffiong, Bright, Helm	4-2
Monsees, Franklin, Williams, Barr, Lassiter	1-0
Monsees, Lassiter, Williams,Barr, Helm	0-1
Monsees, Lassiter, Williams, Bright, Barr	0-1

AIAW NATIONAL TOURNAMENT

1977 - Minneapolis, Minn.
Southern Connecticut 80, Missouri 66
Missouri 60, Minnesota 39
Baylor 85, Missouri 75

NCAA FIRST ROUND

1982 - Eugene, Ore. - West Region
Missouri 59, Oregon 53

1983 - Auburn, Ala. - South Region
Auburn 89, Missouri 76

1984 - Baton Rouge, La. - South Region
Louisiana State 92, Missouri 82

1985 - Monroe, La. - South Region
Northeast Louisiana 85, Missouri 84 (OT)

1986 - Columbia, Mo. - Midwest Region
Missouri 66, Arkansas 55

1994 - Lubbock, Texas - Midwest Region
Texas Tech 75, Missouri 61

NCAA SECOND ROUND

1986 - Austin, Texas - Midwest Regional
Texas 108, Missouri 67

NCAA REGIONAL

1982 - Stanford, Calif. - West Regional
Maryland 80, Missouri 68