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Jan. 2, 2001
Up this week
The University of Missouri women's basketball team opens Big 12 Conference play in the final game of a four-game road stint when it travels to Lubbock, Texas, to play No. 11 ranked Texas Tech Wed., Jan. 3 at 7:00 p.m.
The team returns home to host No. 18 Texas and Texas A&M. Mizzou faces the Longhorns on Sat., Jan. 6 at 1:00 p.m. and battle the Aggies Wed., Jan. 10 at 7:00 p.m.
Tickets for Tiger women's basketball are still available by calling 1-800-CAT-PAWS or at the Hearnes Center ticket office.
While in Texas
The Tigers depart for Lubbock, Texas, Tues., Dec. 2 at 7:00 p.m., on a charter flight on Ozark Airlines. They return home directly following the game on Wed., Jan. 3.
While in Texas, hotel accomodations will be provided by the Four Points Sheraton Lubbock at 505 Ave. Q (806) 747-0171.
Missouri Coverage
Missouri women's basketball is covered live on KFRU radio. David Lile, Gary Link and Jessica Jenkins offer all the action of Tiger women's hoops on 1400 AM.
Mizzou fans can also log onto the Missouri Tigers' Web site at www.MUTigers.com to get live coverage. Scroll down the left side of the MU Tigers main page and select Audio/Video. On the following page, scroll down and select the women's basketball Internet broadcast option. When the schedule of Mizzou women's basketball games is displayed, just choose the appropriate date and hit Go! (www.broadcast.com/sports/ncaa/Missouri/WomensBasketball/).
Turn on the Radio
The Cindy Stein Show features highlights of recent games, upcoming matches and player profiles. Thursday nights at 7:00 p.m., live from Johnny's Beanery in Columbia, Mo., Head Coach Cindy Stein dishes Tiger women's basketball. Listen on KFRU radio 1400 AM.
Tigers Got Game
Missouri heads into the final game of its recent road tour with two wins and a loss. The Tigers claimed an 83-63 victory over Illinois State, lost to Illinois 92-74 in the inaugural Busch Braggin' Rights rivalry and stole an 88-64 win over Wisconsin-Milwaukee to bring their record to 9-2 on the season.
Overall, the Tigers are outscoring their opponents by an average of 20.5 points. MU boasts 923 points on the season with an 83.9 point per game average. Mizzou is shooting 48 percent from the field, 40 percent from 3-point range and 69 percent from the free-throw line.
Rebounding Report
Mizzou is averaging 42.5 rebounds per game while keeping its opponents to just 37.0 boards per contest for a +5.5 rebounding margin.
The Tigers own 167 offensive and 301 defensive rebounds to date. Missouri has yet to have a game with fewer than 10 offensive and 20 defensive boards.
Tiger Talk
The Tigers have dished out 198 assists so far this season to average 18.0 assists per game to almost double their opponents who only average 11.1 dishes per match. Missouri is also above the competition in assist/turnover ratio. The Tigers are averaging 20.4 turnovers per game, while forcing their opponents to 23.9 for a +3.5 turnover margin and an 0.9 assist/turnover ratio.
Conference Season Highs
Missouri ranks in the top 40 percent in the Big 12 Conferene in 11 categories. MU is second in the league shooting 48 percent from the field. The Tigers are third averaging 4.55 blocked shots and 6.82 three-point field goals per game. They are also third with an 83.9 scoring offense. Mizzou is fourth in scoring margin and are fifth in the conference with a +5.5 rebounding margin. MU is sixth in rebounding offense and offensive and defensive rebounds. MU is also sixth with 18 assists per game.
? The Tigers set a 2000-2001 season high hitting 42 field goals against Eastern Illinois to come in second in conference records.
? Missouri owns the Big 12 season mark hitting a perfect 14-for-14 from the free throw line against Kentucky.
NCAA Division I
Missouri is popping up all over in NCAA Division I statistics. As of Dec. 19, the Tigers are eighth in the in the nation in scoring offense, are ninth in scoring margin and 11th in field goal percentage and blocked shots with 21. Missouri rankes 22nd in 3-point field goal percentage and 18th in 3-point field goals made with 6.9 per game.
? Senior Amanda Lassiter comes in 12th in the NCAA Division I in blocked shots averaging 2.3 blocks per game. She is also 30th in scoring with 20.0 points per game.
? Senior Tracy Franklin ranks fourth in the division shooting 54.3 percent from 3-point range. She ties for third with an NCAA Division I single-game high with nine steals against Southern Illinois.
Missouri Falls to Illinois
The Tiger women's basketball team rounded out Y2K with a 9-2 record after downing Wisconsin-Milwaukee 88-64. Mizzou handed the Panther's their first home loss of the season taking UWM to 4-5 on the year.
Missouri took control of the game in the first half after allowing Wisconsin-Milwaukee to an early four-point lead. The Tigers, led by Amanda Lassiter, quickly brought the score to 16-4 before allowing the Panthers another bucket. MU continued to increase the scoring differential through the period allowing UWM only three baskets in the first 10 minutes of play. Back-to-back 3-pointers by sophomore Jessica Wilhite helped bring Wisconsin-Milwaukee to just a 10 point deficit with four minutes on the clock, but a seven-point run by Lassiter and back-to-back jumpers by Marlena Williams gave the Tigers a 46-27 lead going into intermission.
The Tigers returned to a strong second half to cinch the Panthers with a 27-point deficit in the top of the period. Both teams repeatedly went to the foul line resulting in 28 combined points at the charity stripe. Missouri hit a perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line in the first half and knocked down 12-of-14 in the second. Overall, Mizzou shot 57 percent from the field and 92 percent from the free throw line in the game.
Lassiter led the Tigers with 21 points and seven rebounds. She also dished out four assists and came up with three blocks and two steals. Freshman Evan Unrau was second on the team with 16 points. Williams scored her sixth double figure game with 13 points and junior Natalie Bright posted 13 points off the bench to hit her first double-digit game of the season.
Scouting Texas Tech
Texas Tech is 9-2 on the season and tied with the Tigers in Big 12 Conference standings. The Raiders are currently ranked 11th in the NCAA as they head into league play. Since January 20, 1992, Tech has been ranked in the Top 25 in Associated Press and/or the USA Today/ESPN poll a total of 162 weeks.
The Red Raiders started 2000-2001 with a five-game win streak before taking their first loss of the season to No. 13 ranked North Carolina State 51-59. Texas Tech lost their second match of the year against Santa Clara 61-56. Texas Tech toppled two ranked opponents in No. 9 Penn State (79-71) and No. 15 Southwest Missouri State (81-77).
Texas Tech is led by Plenette Pierson who is averaging 14.1 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. She also leads the team with 11 blocks on the year. Katrisa O'Neal averages 12.9 points and Jia Perkins is contributing 12.5 points and 4.0 rebounds while leading the Raiders with 51 assists and 33 steals on the season.
The Lady Raiders finished 1999-2000 with a 28-5 record going 13-3 in Big 12 Conference play. Texas Tech was a three-way co-conference champion. They advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight where they were defeated by No. 2 ranked Tennessee 57-44.
Series Shorts
Missouri posted its first win over Texas Tech last season with a 52-49 home victory. The Lady Raiders were ranked ninth in the NCAA when the Mizzou downed the team. In the two previous seasons, Missouri kept the scoring deficit within 14 points.
Including this year's match-up, four of the six MU-TT contests have been played on the Raiders home court, in United Spirit Arena, where the team is averaging 11,949 fans per game this season to top the NCAA in women's basketball attendance.
The Lady Raiders also own the second longest home-court winning streak in Division I women's basketball. Texas has won 36 straight home games, which is tied with Kent University. Grambling leads the pack with 66 home victories.
Missouri vs. Big 12
Missouri opens the 2000-2001 Big 12 season with a 193-176 overall record in the conference. The Tigers own series records over Iowa State (39-11), Kansas State (29-27), Oklahoma (27-16), Oklahoma State (22-16) and are tied 2-2 with Texas A&M.
Last Time Against Texas Tech
Natalie Bright hit a jumper with 29 seconds left as Missouri upset No. 9 Texas Tech 52-49 for the Tigers' first win over a Top-10 team in four years. Marlena Williams scored 11 points, all in the second half, and iced the game for Missouri with two free throws and a steal in the final minute.
The game was close throughout the second half with Tech leading with one minute left. Then Tech was called for over-and-back, and Bright scored on the next possession. Tech's last-second 3-point attempt by Amber Tarr was long.
Strength of Schedule
The 2000-2001 Missouri schedule is ranked in the top third of NCAA Division I schools by the WBCA/Summerville Women's Basketball pre-season poll.
Overall, the Tigers will take on four teams ranked in the Top 25 and three schools currently receiving votes in the USA Today/ESPN Poll. The Tigers face No. 6 Iowa State, No. 11 Texas Tech, No. 17 Oklahoma and No. 18 Texas in Big 12 Conference action. MU also plays Illinois (5), Kansas (13) and Baylor (1).
Also adding to Mizzou's schedule, the Tigers face nine teams that made post-season play in 1999-2000. Arkansas who advanced to the semifinals of the WNIT, Texas, Pepperdine, Nebraska and Kansas each traveled to the NCAA first round and Illinois was an NCAA second round participant. Iowa State and Oklahoma highlighted in the Sweet Sixteen and Texas Tech advanced to the Elite Eight.
Back-to-Back Scoring
Seniors Amanda Lassiter and Marlena Williams are hitting double-figures against non-conference opponents for the second-straight year. In back-to-back seasons, Lassiter hit double-figures against Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Illinois State, Southern Illinois, Saint Louis and San Diego State. Likewise, Williams was a two-time double-digit contributor against Arkansas, San Diego State, Southern Illinois, Saint Louis, Illinois State and Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Repeating History
Sophomore Kerensa Barr has proven that history does sometimes repeat itself, the Tigers have faced Wisconsin-Milwaukee two years in a row on Dec. 30th. In both games, the guard recorded a career-high seven assists against the Panthers.
Victory Margin
The Tigers 96-43 win over Lipscomb tops the season as MU's largest margin of victory. Mizzou has topped seven teams by more than 20 points, including a 47 point triumph over Eastern Illinois and a 35 point win over Kentucky.
On the Line
Missouri is hitting 66 percent from the foul line, including a perfect game against Kentucky when they hit 14-of-14. Missouri almost repeated the feat against Wisconsin-Milwaukee when they made 22-of-24 attempts for 92 percent. Freshman Evan Unrau had a perfect game from the line going 4-for-4, while Amanda Lassiter hit 7-of-8.
Hitting the Three
The Tigers have shot 40 percent or above from 3-point range in nine of their 11 games. Missouri hit their season high 57 percent from the 3-point arc against San Diego State when the Tigers downed 8-of-14 attempts.
Season Low Turnovers
Mizzou averages 20.4 turnovers per game, posting its lowest turnover mark against San Diego State when the Tigers gave up just 16 while forcing the Aztecs to 25. In 11 contests, Missouri has only had one game with a negative turnover margin when they dropped 25-18 to Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Topping Ten
Four Tiger athletes routinely hit double-figures, including Amanda Lassiter who is 11-for-11 and has yet to hit below 13-points in a game. Marlena Williams owns eight double-digit games, senior Tracy Franklin has six and freshman Evan Unrau posts four including a career-high 16 points against Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Million Fan March
The Big 12 Conference and its member institutions will jointly embark on a fun and unique women's basketball promotional program for the 2000-01 season--The Million Fan March...to Madness.
The goal is for the Big 12 Conference to become the first to reach 1,000,000 in women's basketball attendance.
Last year the Big 12 led the nation in women's basketball attendance while setting all-time national highs in women's basketball total attendance and average attendance. The turnstiles clicked 802,419 times for an average of 4,720 fans per Big 12 contest, including the Big 12 Tournament.
In order to reach one million fans in 2000-01, the 12 schools and the conference tournament would have to increase their home attendance from last year roughly by 25 percent. Each institution would need to average about 1,500 fans per game or 16,000 over the course of the season.
Tiger Television
Catching all the action of Tiger women's basketball is now easier than ever, along with live radio coverage of every game on KFRU radio 1400 AM, six Mizzou games will be televised. Fox Sports Net and the Mizzou Sports Properties have each picked up three matches. This six game package offers the program the highest single season coverage to date.
Fox Sports Net will televise two Tiger home games, the Missouri-Kansas State game Sat., Jan. 20 and the Missouri-Kansas game Sat., Feb. 10. The network will also feature the Missouri-Baylor game in Waco, Texas, Sat., Feb. 17. All three games are scheduled to begin at 3:00 p.m.
Along with the networks 23 regular-season Big 12 game package, Fox Sports Net will also broadcast the Big 12 Tournament semifinals and championship games March 8-10.
Mizzou Sports Properties offers a similar package televising two home games and one from the road. MSP will shoot the Eastern Illinois game Fri., Nov. 17 at 5:30 p.m., the Saint Louis game Thurs., Dec. 7 at 7:00 p.m. in the Hearnes Center. It will also cover the Iowa State game Wed., Jan. 17 at 7:00 p.m. from Ames, Iowa.
The Stein Scoop
MU Head Coach Cindy Stein recorded her 100th career victory this season against Lipscomb Dec. 1, 2000. Stein entered 2000-2001 with a 96-52 record as a sixth-year head coach. The Tigers 9-2 record boosts her to 105-54.
Mizzou's success this season is due to a continually evolving program under Stein. The breakneck momentum characterizing the Missouri program for the past two seasons has proven to be effective as well as exciting. Under the tutelage of Stein and her exhilarating court style, the Tigers continue to break new ground on the Missouri hardwood. Last season, the Tigers re-wrote the record books finishing the year with an 18-12 record--Mizzou's winningest season since 1992-93. The Tigers also climbed two spots up the Big 12 championship ladder to finish seventh with a 7-9 conference record despite being predicted to finish ninth by Big 12 coaches in the preseason polls during the 1999-2000 campaign.
The Tigers up-tempo offense and full court defense also guided the team to its first-ever Women's National Invitational Tournament. Mizzou hadn't seen non-conference postseason play since 1994. The Tigers won their first game defeating Evansville 84-81 but dropped out of the tournament after falling to Arkansas in a grueling 89-88 overtime loss in Fayetteville, Ark.
Stein also led Missouri to two in-season tournament titles sweeping the Pacific Bell/San Diego State Classic and the Unilever Missouri Lady Tiger Classic.
In her first season at Mizzou, Stein guided the team to a 13-15 record. Although she was not able to incorporate her trademark style of play, she set a new standard of what was to be expected of the Missouri women's basketball program.
Riley Review
Missouri Associate Head Coach Lee Ann Riley was named the 2000 National Junior College Coach of the Year. Her appointment at Missouri ended a six-year stint with Tyler Junior College (Texas) where she led the team to the NJCAA national title last year and rounded out her coaching record with a 131-58 career mark.
Riley led the Apaches to a combined 60-7 record during the 1998-2000 season. Under Riley's tutelage Tyler was ranked in the top 25 during the past three seasons--stepping in as the No. 7 spot in 1998-99 and No. 21 in 1997-98.
Tyler was a Region XIV finalist in four of Riley's six years and won the regional title as well as the national championship last season. Riley's 1999-2000 Apaches won the Region XIV championship tournament and suffered only one conference loss on the way to the college's first national appearance since 1992. In addition to her NJCAA title, she was also named the National Coach of the Year by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association and the Region XIV Coach of the Year in 2000.
Overall, Riley coached four All-Americans, 12 all-region and 19 all-conference athletes. She also supported three Region XIV Freshman of the Year recipients, 22 academic all-conference picks and three academic All-Americans at Tyler.
2000-2001 Experiment
This season the Tigers take the floor bolsted by a unique corp of youthful athletes. Missouri has seven "rookies" on the roster looking to help build Coach Stein's program. MU has four true freshmen in starter Evan Unrau, Tracy Lozier and Terianne Wolford, who have seen minutes in all MU games so far this season and 6-foot-4 center Amy Loftus. Starter Aimee Michelson and guard Wendy Okeson serve as two junior college transfers fresh to the Tiger program and junior Christa Millham helps the squad from the bench after taking last year off as an NCAA Divison I transfer.
Big 12 Teleconferences
Big 12 women's basketball teleconferences are right around the corner, the briefings will feature seven minutes with each head coach. The first teleconference is scheduled for Jan. 9 at 10:00 a.m. Coach Stein is scheduled to begin at 10:21 a.m.