Tigers Travel To Arkansas For NIT Second Round
3/16/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
March 16, 2000
2000 Women's National
Invitational Tournament
(Second Round - Saturday, March 18 - 7:00 p.m.)
TELEVISION: none
RADIO: KFRU 1400 AM (David Lile)
INTERNET: www.mutigers.com (LIVE)
ARENA: Bud Walton Arena (19,200)
Missouri Faces Familiar Foe Arkansas in Round Two of WNIT
The Missouri Tigers (18-11) will travel to Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Ark. to take on the Arkansas Lady Razorbacks (15-14) in the second round of the Women's National Invitational Tournament on Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. The Tigers advanced to the second round by defeating the Evansville Lady Aces by a score of 84-81 in overtime on Tuesday night at the Hearnes Center in Columbia. Arkansas knocked off Wichita State on Tuesday by a score of 83-63 at Bud Walton Arena.
For Missouri, Tuesday's victory was its' first post-season win since the 1986 season when the Tigers defeated none other than Arkansas in the first round of the NCAA Tounament. A win on Saturday night would equal the most victories in a season, 19, since the 92-93 season.
The Lady Razorbacks are tournament tested and are the defending WNIT Champions. Arkansas has won six straight WNIT games, dating back to last year, and have played all six of those games at home. In 1998, the Lady Razorbacks advanced to the NCAA Final Four where they were defeated in the national semi-final game by Tennessee.
Missouri and Arkansas are certainly no strangers. This will be the second meeting of the season between the two schools and the third meeting in the last two seasons. Arkansas owns the a 3-2 advantage in the all-time series.
The Lady Razorbacks claimed an 83-76 victory in Columbia on Nov. 22, the second game of the season for both teams. In a game that saw 50 fouls called between the two teams, Arkansas got 37 points from its' bench, led by freshman guard India Lewis (19 points, 4-5 3pt).
Arkansas led 36-31 at halftime, but had to survive a second-half surge by the Tigers. Mizzou played nearly the entire first half without leading scorer Amanda Lassiter and Marlena Williams due to foul trouble. Lassiter proved to be a non-factor (season-low three points) offensively, but it was Williams who led the Tigers' second half charge.
Williams, who was held scoreless in the first half, scored seven points in the first four minutes of the second stanza to tie the game at 42-42. After Williams tied the game again at 44-44, the Lady Razorbacks tallied seven straight points thanks to a jumper by Lewis and two buckets (one a three-pointer) by Wendi Willits (16 points).
Four straight free throws by Karyn Karlin (13 points, 7-7 FT) gave Arkansas its' largest lead at 70-58 at the 6:13 mark, but the Tigers would not go away.
Lassiter's defense brought Missouri back with two blocked shots and three big rebounds to lead a 7-0 run. A three-point play by Amy Monsees and four more points by Williams (21 in the half), brought Mizzou back within five points at 72-65.
Arkansas' lead reached eight points again at 77-69 at the 2:34 mark, but the Tigers still would not go away. Lassiter connected on a three-pointer for her only points of the game, and then came down and blocked another shot.
Following a steal by Kerensa Barr, the Tigers converted on a layup by Julie Helm (14 points) to get within three points again at 77-74 with 1:25 remaining.
Unfortunately for the Tigers, they had to foul to get possessions and Arkansas was hot from the charity stripe, netting six-of-seven free throws in the final minute to ice the victory.
PROBABLE MISSOURI STARTERS
| No. | Name | Pos. | Ht. | Cl. | PPG. | RPG. | OTHER | |
| 24 | Amanda Lassiter | F | 6'1 | Jr. | 13.7 | 5.6 | 68 blocks | |
| 5 | Amy Monsees | F | 6'0 | Sr. | 10.8 | 5.6 | .840% FT | |
| 55 | Marlena Williams | C | 6'0 | Jr. | 11.3 | 5.2 | 47 steals | |
| 32 | Natalie Bright | G | 5'8 | So. | 7.3 | 3.8 | 2.9 apg. | |
| 44 | Julie Helm | G | 5'11 | Sr. | 12.0 | 3.8 | .361% 3PT | |
OFF THE BENCH
| No. | Name | Pos. | Ht. | Cl. | PPG. | RPG. | OTHER |
| 22 | Tracy Franklin | F/G | 5'10 | Jr. | 5.1 | 2.4 | 38 assists |
| 45 | Ekpe Akpaffiong | F/C | 6-0 | Sr. | 5.0 | 3.0 | .509% FG |
| 15 | Kerensa Barr | G | 5'10 | Fr. | 3.8 | 2.3 | 56 assists |
| 31 | Wannette Smith | F/C | 6'1 | Fr. | 1.0 | 1.6 | 12 blocks |
GAME #2
ARKANSAS 83 MISSOURI 76 Monday, Nov. 22, 1999, Hearnes Center
MISSOURI/ARKANSAS SERIES
- 11/22/99 UA 83 MU 76 (Columbia) - 12/19/98 UA 80 MU 60 (Fayetteville) - 12/30/98 UA 80 MU 79 (Fayetteville) - 11/30/86 MU 69 UA 66 (at W. Kentucky Inv.) - 3/12/86 MU 66 UA 65 (Columbia, NCAA
Scouting Arkansas
It has been a roller-coaster like season for the Lady Razorbacks and veteran coach Gary Blair. With its' win on Tuesday night against Wichita State, Arkansas put an end to a season-long seven-game losing streak. Of those seven losses, four were against teams ranked among the top 13 in the country (LSU, Auburn (2) and Georgia) and two came against Florida, another WNIT participant.
Arkansas' balanced scoring attack led by 5-8 junior guard Wendi Willits (14.3 ppg). Willits, along with freshman reserve guard India Lewis, have combined for 127 three-point field goals this season and both are shooting 40 percent from beyond the arc.
Senior forward Karyn Karlin is the only other Lady Razorback averaging in double figures (10.8 ppg). Junior forward Lonniya Bragg is the club's leading rebounder (6.8 rpg.) and averages 9.8 points per contest.
Sophomore point guard Amy Wright averages just 4.1 ppg., but has dished out 130 assists on the year.
Missouri will have to deal with a deep Arkansas bench. Nine players average over 12 minutes of playing time per game.
Missouri's Last Time Out
The Missouri Tigers (18-11) survived last second controversy in regulation to claim an 84-81 overtime victory over the Evansville Lady Aces (23-7) in the first round of the Women's National Invitational Tournament. The win was Missouri's first post-season victory since 1986 when the Tigers defeated Arkansas in the first round of the Midwest Regional of the NCAA Tournament.
Missouri owned a 73-68 lead with three minutes, 27 seconds left in the game, but could not tally any points until the eight-second mark when Natalie Bright (17 points, 4 assists) netted one of two free throws. That free throw gave the Tigers a 74-72 lead.
Evansville's Lisa Eckart (22 points, 13 rebounds) missed a three-pointer from the top of the key with under two seconds left. The Lady Aces' Shyla McKibbon grabbed the offensive rebound and put up a successful shot as the buzzer sounded to end the game. Two officials immediately signaled the shot was taken after the horn, but the baseline official called the shot good. After close to two minutes of conferring between the officials, the basket was ruled good and the game was sent to overtime.
In the extra stanza, Evansville broke out to a 79-76 lead with three minutes, 39 seconds remaining. That is when Missouri made its' move. The Tigers, led by Amanda Lassiter (23 points, 9 rebounds) went on an 8-0 run to open up an 83-79 advantage. Mizzou upped its' lead to 84-81 with 52 seconds to go and survived two missed jumpers by Evansville, despite two missed Missouri free throws with 10 seconds remaining in the game.
Missouri led 18-11 early in the first half before the Lady Aces put up an 11-0 run covering three minutes, 30 seconds. The Evansville lead reached five points at 27-22 before the Tigers' eventually tied the game 31-31 on a Lassiter layup at the 4:07 mark of the half.
Evansville scored the next the five points to regain a 36-31 lead and led until the Tigers tied the game 38-38 with 19 seconds to go. Following a missed three-pointer by the Lady Aces' Alison Langham with five seconds to go, Natalie Bright connected on a court-long pass to Tracy Franklin. Franklin drove to the basket and was fouled by McKibbon with 0:00 showing on the clock. Franklin hit one-of-two free throws to give the Tigers a 39-38 halftime lead.
The Lady Aces' McKibbon led all scorers with 30 points and a game-high 14 rebounds. Amy Monsees added a season-high 22 points and 5 rebounds for the Tigers.
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 as well as the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. 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 29 games. She is Missouri's leader in scoring (13.7 ppg.), assists (3.3), blocks (68) and steals (84). She also leads the team in rebounding (5.6).
Lassiter has 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 (68).
Lassiter's 2.3 blocked shots per game ranks her in the among the nation's top 10.
Lassiter Heating Up Down the Stretch
Lassiter's has put together an impressive last four games for the Tigers. She is averaging 18.2 points and 6.3 rebounds while collecting 3.5 steals.
Her 23 points on Tuesday is the second-highest point total she has recorded this season. Her four steals on Tuesday gives her 84 for the season, placing her in a tie for second place on the single-season list with former All-American Joni Davis.
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 15-1 in that department and have won just twice when trailing at the half. Missouri is 1-2 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 17-0 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 11-0 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 post-season.
Helm will get to add to her career point total that now reads 1,911. 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 2,034 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 29 games, Missouri has forced an average of 22.3 turnovers per game. The Tigers have 360 steals (15 away from a school record) as a team so far, an average of 12.4 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 29 games, Bright has turned the ball over 71 times in 26.0 minutes per game. She has 83 assists and is averaging 3.8 rebounds per contest. Bright is also scoring 7.3 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 14 games during conference season, Monsees is averaging 12.7 points and 6.3 rebounds a contest. She has scored in double-figures in 11 of those games.
For the year, Monsees is averaging 10.8 points and 5.6 rebounds a game. She leads the Tigers in minutes played at 28.3 per game.
On Wednesday, Monsees tallied a season-high 22 points while leading the team with five assists in Missouri's 84-81 overtime win over Evansville.
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 96-51 as Mizzou is 18-11 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 Post-Season Awards
AMANDA LASSITER:
- Big 12 Newcomer of the Year (Big 12 Coaches)
- Big 12 Newcomer of the Year (Fort Worth Star-Telegram)
- Third-Team All-Big 12 (Big 12 Coaches)
- Three-time Big 12 Rookie of the Week
- All-Newcomer Team (Kansas City Star)
- All-Defensive Team (Kansas City Star)
JULIE HELM:
- Honorable Mention All-Big 12 (Big 12 Coaches)
- Second Team All-Big 12 (Fort Worth Star-Telegram)
- First Team Academic All-Big 12 (4.0 GPA)
AMY MONSEES
- GTE/CoSida First Team Academic/ District VII.
- Four-time Academic First Team All-Big 12.
- All-Underrated Team (Kansas City Star)
EKPE AKPAFFIONG
- Four-time Academic First Team All-Big 12
- All-Bench Team (Kansas City Star)
TRACY FRANKLIN
- Honorable Mention Academic All-Big 12
ALI JOHNSTON
- First Team Academic All-Big 12
NATALIE BRIGHT
- First Team Academic All-Big 12
MARLENA WILLIAMS
- All-Newcomer Team (Kansas City Star)
MISSOURI'S RECORD ...
| Ahead at halftime | 15-1 |
| Behind at halftime | 2-8 |
| Tied at halftime | 1-2 |
| FG% of .450 + | 9-0 |
| FG% less than .450 | 9-11 |
| Better FG% than opponent | 17-0 |
| Worse FG% than opponent | 1-11 |
| Opponent shoots less than .450 | 14-4 |
| More 3FG made than opponent | 14-4 |
| Same or Fewer 3FG made than opponent | 4-8 |
| Try more FTs than opponent | 11-0 |
| Try less FTs than opponent | 7-11 |
| Outrebound opponent | 9-6 |
| Tied or outrebounded | 9-5 |
| More TO's than opponent | 3-9 |
| Same or fewer turnovers | 15-2 |
| Make 15 or more TO's | 13-10 |
| 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. | 3-0 |
| 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. | 1-5 |
| Allow 90 + pts. | 0-2 |
| Bench outscores opponent bench | 13-6 |
| Opp. bench outscores MU bench | 5-5 |
| Overtime | 1-0 |
| vs. Top 25 teams | 2-4 |
| Home Games | 10-4 |
| Road Games | 7-6 |
| Neutral Site Games | 1-1 |
| Day Games | 4-1 |
| Night Games | 14-10 |
| Weekday Games | 9-7 |
| Weekend Games | 9-4 |
| Television Games | 4-2 |
| White Uniforms | 7-3 |
| Black Uniforms | 8-6 |
| Gold Uniforms | 3-2 |
GAMES DECIDED BY...
| 5 pts. or less | 6-1 |
| 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 |
