March 18, 2000
Box Score
COLUMBIA, Mo - The Missouri Tigers (18-12) season came to an end on Saturday night in Fayetteville, Ark. in the second round of the Women's National Invitational Tournament. The Arkansas Lady Razorbacks (16-14) defeated Mizzou by a score of 89-88 in overtime at Bud Walton Arena. The Tigers finish the season with five more victories than last season and their first trip to post-season since the 1993-94 campaign. Arkansas advances in the WNIT to host Georgia Tech.
The Tigers jumped out to an early 18-5 lead and led 38-32 at halftime. The second half proved to be an up-and-down affair. Missouri led the game 75-74 with 11 seconds to go when Arkansas' Brandi Whitehead converted a shot in the lane and was fouled. Whitehead converted the free throw to give the Lady Razorbacks a 77-75 edge.
The Tigers came down and got three cracks at the bucket. Natalie Bright missed a jumper and got her own rebound. She put up another fade-away and missed that. Missouri's Amanda Lassiter (20 points) came up with the loose ball off the rebound and sank a seven-footer in the lane with 0.6 seconds left on the clock to send the game into overtime tied at 77-77.
Mizzou was at a disadvantage heading into the overtime period, having lost senior Amy Monsees (20 points, career-high 14 rebounds) and Marlena Williams (12 points), both of whom had fouled out. A jumper in the lane by Bright (8 points) gave the Tigers a one-point lead with 17.5 seconds to go, 88-87.
Arkansas answered as Lonniya Bragg hit a turnaround jumper on the right baseline to give the Hogs an 89-88 lead with 5.1 seconds left in the overtime period.
Bright through a sideline pass to senior Julie Helm who quickly go the ball into the hands of freshman Kerensa Barr. Barr took the ball to the middle of the lane and put up a shot that was blocked by Arkansas' Lakisha Harper. It looked like Barr may have been fouled, but there was no whistle as time expired.
Mizzou out-shot and out-rebounded the Lady Razorbacks, but Arkansas took advantage of 32 free throw attempts to just nine for the Tigers. As a matter of fact, Missouri did not get to the free throw line in the second half until the overtime period.
