University of Missouri
Illinois
Missouri Falls to Illinois
12/20/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 20, 2000
Columbia, Mo.-The University of Missouri women's basketball team falls to 8-2 after a devastating 92-74 loss to Illinois. The Illini defeated the Tigers in the first-ever Busch Braggin' Rights series and edged the IU-MU series record 4-3.
The game was anything but tame, going back-and-forth through out the first half. Illinois tried to keep Missouri from penetrating the inside, but the Tigers managed to break through the Illini defense. Senior Marlena Williams scored 15 points in the first half, falling just one point below her season high in just 12 minutes of play. Forward Amanda Lassiter also hit double digits in the first period with 10 points. The Tigers also forced 13 Illini turnovers in the first to enter intermission with a five-point lead.
Returning in the second, a game that had been heated quickly began to lose steam as Missouri wound down and Illinois took the reigns. A Tiger turnover allowed Illinois to take a one-point lead in the 13th minute. The break gave Illinois the boost it needed to spice up their offense and go on a five-point streak to take a lead that the Tigers would not recover from.
Despite shooting just 37 percent from the field and 45 percent from 3-point range three Tigers hit double digits in the match. Lassiter rounded out the game with 23 points, Williams put in 19 points and pulled down six rebounds and senior Tracy Franklin came up with 10 points.
"We had some break downs, but I think this is a great game to learn from," MU Head Coach Cindy Stein said. "We knew Illinois was a tough team despite its record. We knew coming in that we couldn't make this a half court game, so we tried to push the tempo, but it's hard to do that when the kids are tired. But, we can't make excuses, we need to face adversity and move on."
