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Feb. 13, 2001
Up Next
The University of Missouri women's basketball team faces Nebraska for the second time this season Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. in the Hearnes Center. The Tigers defeated Nebraska in Lincoln (65-58) to win its first game in the Bob Devany Center since 1990.
Following the MU-NU game, Mizzou travels to Waco, Texas to play Baylor Sat., Feb. 17 at 3:00 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on Fox Sports Net and is the last of the Missouri women's basketball television package.
Tickets for Missouri women's basketball are available by calling 1-800-CAT-PAWS or at the Hearnes Center ticket office.
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 match-up and player profiles. Thursday nights at 7:00 p.m., Head Coach Cindy Stein dishes Tiger women's basketball live from Johnny's Beanery in Columbia, Mo. Listen on KFRU radio 1400 AM.
Special Promotions
The Missouri-Nebraska game Tuesday is couples night. In spirit with the Valentines Day holiday, tickets for couples will be two for the price of one. Bring a guest and come watch the Tigers face the Huskers.
Missouri vs. Nebraska
Missouri (15-7) continues Big 12 Conference action after its second back-to-back come-from-behind victory. The Tigers defeated Kansas 89-84 in an overtime thriller in front of a record-breaking crowd (10,126). Mizzou also defeated the Kansas State Wildcats 63-54 in their second come back game of the year. The Tigers wins came off losses to No. 10 Oklahoma (82-62) and No. 7 Iowa State (73-63). In conference play, four of Mizzou's losses have been to Top 15 competitors. The Tigers have defeated one ranked team in then No. 12 Texas (68-52).
Nebraska is 10-14 on the year with a 2-9 Big 12 Conference record. The Cornhuskers only league wins were over Kansas (73-62) and Kansas State (67-58) both at home.
Much of the Missouri-Nebraska game will be decided on the boards. The Huskers average 41.4 rebounds per game while giving up 39.3 to their opponents. The Tigers average 41.2 boards and allow 39.2 opponent rebounds per contest. Missouri however averages 15.4 offensive boards per game while Nebraska only pulls down 13.8. In their previous game, both teams had over 50 boards.
Another factor in the game will be the Tigers' characteristic attack of the basket. One of the key components in many of MU's close games this season has been repeated shot attempts. Although the Tigers only post a .440 field goal percentage, the Tigers have knocked down 647-of-1,472 attempts while leaving their competitors to just 526-of-1,319 buckets attempted. Nebraska has only made 592 baskets this season shooting 42 percent from the field.
The Tigers also look to dominate from 3-point range. Missouri is shooting 37 percent from beyond the arc netting 144 baskets to date. Nebraska is shooting 33 percent with just 98-of-299 attempts made.
During conference play Missouri is taking care of the ball allowing just 15.5 turnovers per game. The Tigers have also recorded two games with as little as eight turnovers against Nebraska and Iowa State. Mizzou has been forcing 18.5 opponent turnovers during league action for a +3.0 turnover margin to lead the Big 12. Nebraska has averaged 22.1 turnovers per contest during Big 12 play to rank 12th in the league with a -7.55 turnover margin.
Scouting the Cornhuskers
Nebraska is led be center Casey Leonhardt who averages 13.4 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. She also leads the shooting 55 percent from the field. Leonhardt is 14th in the Big 12 in overall scoring, fifth in field goal percentage and 16th in rebounding.
The Cornhuskers have nine players on their roster that average over five points per game. Shannon Howell is second on the team with 8.2 points. She is eighth in the conference with a .808 free throw percentage. Amanda Went is third for Nebraska with 7.7 points per game. She leads the team from the 3-point arc shooting 37 percent.
Last season, Nebraska finished 18-13 with a 10-6 Big 12 Conference record to finish fifth in league standings. The Huskers traveled to the NCAA First Round where they were defeated by Boston College 93-76. Paul Sanderford is in his fourth season as head coach of the Huskers.
Series Shorts
Nebraska leads the MU-NU series 30-20. The series began in 1977 as part of Big Eight Conference parings. Missouri has won just two games against Nebraska in the last 10 years. The Huskers went on a 19-game win streak from 1991-99 before the Tigers defeated NU 74-66 in Columbia. The Huskers won both games last season 80-63 in Lincoln, and 80-66 in Columbia. The Tigers defeated the Cornhuskers earlier in the year in Lincoln, Neb. It was the first win Mizzou as claimed in the Bob Devaney Center since 1990.
Last Time Against Nebraska
Missouri was 13-5 with a 4-3 Big 12 Conference record after defeating the Nebraska Cornhuskers 65-58. The win was Missouri's second over Nebraska since 1991 and the first victory in the Bob Devaney Center since 1990 when the Tigers defeated the Huskers 64-60. Nebraska still leads the series however, 30-20.
Much of the first period was a neck-and-neck battle. Senior Amanda Lassiter started the game with a block and a jumper on their way to scoring 20 points in the half. The Tigers and Huskers kept pace with a 2-point game for the majority of the period, until Missouri rallied for a six-point run with six minutes to go. MU kept the momentum to leave the half with a 40-27 lead. The competition was extremely heated resulting in 24 fouls, including three technical fouls in the first 20 minutes.
The Tigers struggled at the beginning of the second half allowing the Huskers to post nine points, while only scoring two. Missouri played solid defense in the game rebuilding a solid lead that it would not relinquish. The foul trouble continued in the second period, with two Nebraska players fouling out. Jointly, the teams committed 23 personal fouls.
Lassiter led the Tigers with 27 points, nine rebounds and six blocks. The Tigers knocked down 12 blocks overall to set a Missouri single-game record. Lassiter also advances as the fifth-leading shot blocker in school history with 120 career blocks. She is the only Tiger in the Top 10 who has set her career mark in under four years. Senior Marlena Williams played a solid game on the inside scoring eight-points and recording three blocks. Freshman Evan Unrau had seven rebounds and sophomore Wannette Smith tied her career-mark pulling down eight boards.
Missouri Defeats Kansas in Overtime Thriller
Rivalries prove the best catalyst for exhilarating competition. The Tiger women's basketball team showed its competitive edge against the Kansas Jayhawks pulling out an 89-84 overtime thriller. The win culminates a game in which Mizzou topped four highs, including a new all-time attendance record with 10,126 fans.
Missouri started the game with a rough first half shooting just 44 percent from the field. Kansas shot 68 percent scoring its first 16 points netting 8-for-8 attempts. Despite the low field goal percentage, the Tigers knocked down 6-for-11 3-pointers to stay in the game. Senior Tracy Franklin led Mizzou in the half reaching double digits sinking a 3-pointer with 39 seconds to go. She ended the period with 11 points and closed the Jayhawks' lead, 44-35.
The Tigers jumped into the second half with their characteristic fire. Mizzou started the period with six unanswered points. The teams battled through a back-and-forth struggle. Despite being down by as much as six points, the Tigers continued their fight. With 36 seconds left in the game, senior Marlena Williams nailed a jumper to tie the game 78-78 and send the contest into overtime.
Missouri dominated the extended game--its first this season. Williams scored six of MU's final points to seal the Tigers' 89-84 victory.
Missouri shot 49 percent from the field and 50 percent from 3-point range in the game. The Tigers also set a Missouri season record netting 11 3-point field goals. The mark tops their previous record of 10 set against Iowa State (1/17). The win brings Mizzou to 15-7 with a 6-5 Big 12 Conference mark on the year. Kansas is 9-13 and 6-6 in league play.
Missouri had four players score in double figures. Franklin led the Tigers with 24 points setting a new career-high. The feat tops her previous career-high of 18 points against Eastern Illinois earlier in the season. Franklin shot 58 percent from the field netting 7-of-12 shots. She also downed 5-for-8 from 3-point range.
Senior Amanda Lassiter was second on the team scoring 22 points. It marks the 13th 20-point game for the forward and her 22nd in double figures. Lassiter was 4-for-7 from the 3-point arc.
Williams and Kerensa Barr each scored 13 points in the game. The mark is a career-high for Barr. She tied her previous career mark with 12 points against Arkansas. She was 5-for-8 from the field and 1-for-2 from 3-point range. MU's starting point guard also played 41 minutes without a single turnover.
Freshman Evan Unrau led the Tigers with seven rebounds. She also scored nine points hitting 100 percent from the floor with 4-for-4.
In the Record Books
? Senior Amanda Lassiter has set another Missouri record netting 48 3-point field goals in a single season. Julie Helm set the previous record during the 1996-97 season with 32. In conjunction, Lassiter also topped MU's record for 3-point field goal attempts in a single-season with 132 (previously set by Stacy Williams with 100 in 1991-92). She ranks third in MU record books with 83 career 3-pointers.
? Missouri set a new single-game attendance record with 10,126 fans came out to support the Tigers against Kansas. The mark tops MU's record set last season when 6,227 fans cheered for Mizzou against Oklahoma.
? The Tigers tied a single-game team record for 3-point field goals made for the second time this season with 11 against Kansas. The mark tops their previous record when they knocked down 10-of-25 shot from 3-point range against the Cyclones.
? The Tigers set a season single-game team record with 12 blocked shots against Nebraska. The standing record was set in 1983-84 when Missouri had 14 blocked shots against Iowa State.
? Senior Tracy Franklin looks to set a new record in 3-point field goal percentage this season. She is shooting 43 percent from 3-point range. She has netted 37-of-86 3-point attempts this season and ranks11th in the Big 12 in 3-point field goal percentage. The record is held by Sandi Prophete who shot 41 percent (13-31) during the 1987-88 season.
Big 12 Player of the Week
Senior Tracy Franklin was named Big 12 Player of the Week for the week of Feb. 12-18. She led the Tigers to a come-from-behind victory over Kansas with a career-high 24 points, topping her previous career-high of 18 points against Eastern Illinois earlier in the year. The 5-10 senior guard shot 58 percent from the field, netting 7-of-12 shots in the game including 5-of-8 from 3-point range. Against Kansas State, Franklin scored 15 points while playing 37 minutes without a single turnover. The Mexico, Mo., native has scored in double digits in 10 games, including her only 20-plus point game against Kansas. She is third on the team in scoring with 10.3 points per game and leads the Tigers in 3-point field goal percentage, shooting 43 percent (37-of-86) from behind the arc.
Joni James, Assistant Director of Media Relations, Big 12 Conference
Seeing Double
Evan Unrau has posted four double-doubles in her inaugural year on the Mizzou squad. She scored a career-high 18 points and pulled down 13 rebounds against No. 12 Texas shooting 80 percent from the field (8-of-10) and 100 percent from the foul line.
The forward also recorded double-double games this year with 16 points and 20 rebounds against Texas A&M, 15 points and 10 rebounds against Southern Illinois and with 14 points and 13 rebounds against Illinois State.
Senior Amanda Lassiter has also posted four double-double games in 2000-2001. She led the day in MU's 68-52 victory over Texas with 22 points and 10 rebounds. She also recorded doubles against Arkansas (22-11), Kentucky (19-10) and San Diego State (31-11).
Both Unrau and Lassiter are tied for fifth in the conference in double-double games. Baylor's Danielle Crockrom leads the pack with 14 double-doubles and Iowa State's Angie Welle is second with 11 double bracket outings.
Looking at Lassiter
Senior Amanda Lassiter leads the Tigers with 20.0 points and is second on the team with 7.0 rebounds per game. Lassiter has scored in double digits in all 22 games this season including setting a career-high with 31 points against San Diego State. She owns 13 games scoring 20-or-more points including 7-of-11 conference games. She recorded 21 points against Texas Tech, 22 points against Texas, 28 points against Colorado, 21 and 20 points against No. 7 Iowa State, 27 points versus Nebraska and 22 points against Kansas.
The forward is second on the team with 153 rebounds, including a team-high 120 defensive boards. She also tops the Tigers with 69 steals and is second with 56 assists.
Blocking Report
Lassiter has 57 blocks this season to lead the team and top the Big 12. Her six blocks against Nebraska set the Big 12 Conference 2000 single-game high. Lassiter set the Missouri single-game high with seven against Western Kentucky last year and set the single-season blocked shots record as a junior with 69. She moves up as Missouri's third all-time blocker (126) to top Nikki Smith who had 125 blocks from 1992-95. Her season mark also ranks third in season-blocked shots, just 12 away from her record high. Lassiter is the only athlete appearing in the Top 10 who has played under three years. She is averaging 2.59 blocks per game.
In the NCAA
Lassiter continues to top the charts as one of the country's finest players. According to the latest NCAA statistics released Feb. 6., the senior is ranked sixth in the nation in blocked shots and is 24th in overall scoring.
Watching Williams
Center/forward Marlena Williams is taking the Big 12 Conference by storm. In four league games this year she has posted season highs in points and rebounds. She had a career-high 24 points against Colorado hitting 10-of-19 from the field and 1-for-1 from 3-point range. She also had five assists in the game. Against Iowa State last Wednesday, Williams led the team with 20 points to record her second highest career mark. She came just one point (17) and one rebound (7) shy of tying her previous season marks against Texas A&M and had season-highs with eight rebounds and five steals against Texas.
The senior sparked Missouri's 65-60 come-from-behind victory over Kansas State scoring four points, two rebounds and an assist in two minutes of play. Before fouling out with 41 seconds left in the game, Williams scored 10 points, had six rebounds and three assists. Against Kansas, Williams scored six of the last 11 overtime points to help the Tigers defeat the Jayhawks 89-84.
Williams has averaged over 10 points in the last 10-of-12 games, including two +20 point games against Colorado and Iowa State. She has also scored in double figures in 8-of-11 conference games. Williams is second on the team averaging 12.2 points per game. She also has 11 blocks on the year.
Unrau Update
Evan Unrau has scored in double figures in six games, including her career- high 18 points against then No. 12 ranked Texas. She also scored 16 points against Wisconsin-Milwaukee shooting 6-for-7 from the field and 4-for-4 from the foul line against the Panthers. She pulled down a season-high 11 defensive boards against Arkansas and had nine offensive boards against Illinois State.
Unrau leads the Tigers shooting 57.9 percent from the field netting 73-of-126 attempts. The freshman has 11 games on the season shooting 60 percent or above, including perfect games against Eastern Illinois and Kansas (4-for-4). Unrau was 7-of-8 against Southern Illinois and also owns five perfect games from the free throw line.
Bringing Down the Boards
Unrau recorded a career best 20 rebounds, including 11 offensive boards against Texas A&M. That marked the first time a Mizzou player has had 20 rebounds in a single game since the 1998 season when Kesha Bonds had 23 boards against Colorado. Unrau leads the Tigers with 66 offensive and 160 total rebounds on the season. She also tops the charts averaging 7.3 rebounds per game.
Barr Brief
Starting point guard Kerensa Barr is making a name for herself on the Mizzou hardwood as the floor leader. Barr recorded her fifth double-digit game of the season scoring a career-high 13 points against Kansas. It marks her second consecutive game in double figures as she also scored 11 points against Kansas State (1/20). She also tied her season-high with seven rebounds against the Wildcats. The sophomore leads the Tigers with 107 assists on the year. Barr is just five dishes away from appearing in the MU top 10 in season assists (Amy Fordham is 10th with 112 assists during the 1991-92 season). Barr averages 4.86 assists per game and hit her season-high with nine against No. 7 Iowa State (1/17). She has 206 career assists to date.
Barr is fifth on the team averaging 6.5 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. She is second on the team with 43 offensive rebounds and 36 steals.
Franklin Forecast
Guard Tracy Franklin scored a career-high 24 points to lead the Tigers come-from-behind victory over Kansas and post her first 20-point game. It is the second time the senior has broken her scoring mark this season. Franklin scored 18 points against Eastern Illinois for her previous career-high. She also hit season marks against Southern Illinois pulling down 11 rebounds and grabbing nine steals. In conference play, Franklin has slowly emerged from a slump. She scored eight points against Colorado and hit her seventh double-digit game of the year against Iowa State with 11 points (1/17). Against Nebraska, she scored seven points and pulled down six rebounds. In her second match-up against the Cyclones, Franklin scored eight points and grabbed two steals. The senior as second on the team with 11 points against No. 10 Oklahoma and 15 points against Kansas State (2/7).
Franklin is third on the team averaging 10.3 points per game. She tops the charts hitting 37-of-86 shots from 3-point range to lead the team shooting 43 percent from behind the arc. Franklin also leads the Tigers with a .786 free throw percentage. Her nine steals against SIU set a Big 12 Conference 2000 season single-game record.
Bright Spot
Natalie Bright is proving her versatility in her new role on the Tigers' squad this year. The junior started 28-of-30 games she played in last season to average 7.3 points and come in second on the team with 86 assists.
This year, Bright has come off the bench as one of the key contributors. Against Iowa State (1/17) the junior rejuvenated the team's efforts hitting two key 3-pointers. She scored eight points in the game and had two steals. Against Texas, she once again revamped the Tigers with five points and three rebounds in 14 minutes of play.
Bright hit double figures against Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Texas Tech. She had a perfect game against the Panthers hitting 4-for-4 from the field, 1-for-1 from 3-point range and 4-for-4 from the free throw line. In the conference opener against the Lady Raiders, Bright downed 3-for-4 from the field, was 2-for-3 from 3-point range and 5-for-5 from the foul line.
The junior has started two games this season against Nebraska and Iowa State (1/31). She scored four points for the Tigers with six rebounds, three assists and three steals against the Huskers. Bright scored nine points and pulled down four boards against the Cyclones.
Bright is shooting 42 percent from the field overall and from 3-point range. She averages 5.1 points and 2.4 rebounds per game. She also has 49 assists on the season and five blocks.
Tigers Got Game
Missouri (15-7) are halfway through Big 12 Conference toting a 6-5 record. The Tigers got off to its best conference start in history this season taking wins over Texas, Texas A&M, Kansas State and Nebraska.
In conference action, the Tigers are 4-1 on the home court defeating then No. 12 Texas (68-52), Texas A&M (69-61), Kansas State (65-60) and Kansas (89-84 OT). Missouri has suffered four of its conference losses on the road, falling to Texas Tech (82-64) in Lubbock, Colorado (98-90) in Boulder, Iowa State (68-67) in Ames and Oklahoma (82-62) in Norman. The Tigers' only home loss this season was to Iowa State, 73-63 (1/31).
Mizzou averages 76.8 points per game with a +10.0 scoring margin.
Rebounding Report
Mizzou is averaging 41.2 rebounds per game, including a season-high 59 boards against Texas A&M. Freshman Evan Unrau recorded 20 rebounds in the game, including 11 offensive boards.
The Tigers are keeping their opponents to just 39.2 rebounds per contest for a +2.0 rebounding margin. Missouri owns a season mark against the Texas Longhorns with 33 defensive rebounds. The Tigers pulled down 26 offensive boards against Texas A&M for the season-high.
Assist Average
The Tigers have dished out 355 assists so far this season to average 16.1 assists per game to top their opponents who only average 12.5 assists per outing. In their first five games this season, the Tigers out assisted their opponents 94-42. Missouri recorded 26 assists against Eastern Illinois (11/17) and 24 against Wisconsin-Milwaukee (12/30).
Block Breakdown
Missouri is topping the charts with 101 blocks on the year to average 4.6 blocks per game. MU's opponents have only knocked down 61 blocks this season. The Tigers have recorded 13 games in 2000-2001 with five or more blocks, including their season-high 12 blocks against Nebraska. Missouri has also knocked down six blocks against Pepperdine, Lipscomb, Illinois State, Colorado, Iowa State and Kansas State.
Colorado leads the conference with 114 blocked shots, Texas A&M is second with 104 and Missouri comes in third. In their match-ups against Texas A&M and Colorado, the Tigers bested both the Aggies (5-to-3) and Buffaloes (6-to-4).
Conference Season Highs
Missouri is currently tied for fifth in the Big 12 Conference with a 6-5 league record. Iowa State and Oklahoma lead the pack with 10-1 conference records. Texas Tech is second going 9-2 and Colorado is fourth with an 8-3 mark. Missouri is tied with Texas in fifth-place.
? The Tigers set a 2000-2001 season high hitting 42 field goals against Eastern Illinois. That mark ranks second in conference season records.
? Missouri had a season mark with 12 blocked shots against Nebraska to rank second in the league.
? Missouri went 14-for-14 from the free throw line against Kentucky to lead the Big 12 in single-game free throw percentage.
Tigers in the NCAA
In the most recent NCAA statistics released Feb. 6, Mizzou was 22nd in the nation with 6.4 3-point field goals made per game. Senior Amanda Lassiter also tops the charts as the country's sixth leading blocker. She is also 24th in overall scoring.
Victory Margin
The Tigers' 96-43 win over Lipscomb tops the season as MU's largest margin of victory. The biggest margin an MU team has won by is 98 points versus Bethany College in 1977.
Mizzou has defeated seven teams this year by more than 20 points, including a 47-point triumph over Eastern Illinois and a 35-point win over Kentucky.
Missouri is repeating history opening this season with seven 20+ wins. In 1999-2000, the Tigers also recorded seven victories scoring 20-or-more points over their opponents.
Tigers vs. Ranked Opponents
Missouri's 13-point triumph over then No. 12 Texas was the largest winning margin over a ranked team since the 1995-96 season when the Tigers defeated No. 20 Kansas 86-66. In the last six seasons, Missouri has claimed seven victories over ranked opponents, all in the Hearnes Center.
Off the Bench
Missouri is relying heavily on the production of its bench this season. The MU bench corps has scored 432 of its 1,688 season points to average 19.6 points per game. In comparison, only 16.5 points per game were scored by the opponent's substitutions.
Mizzou in the Rankings
For the fifth week this season, the Tigers have received votes in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll. After defeating No. 12 Texas, Missouri received 18 votes from AP writers. Following a come back victory over Kansas State, and their 65-60 triumph over Nebraska, the Tigers received 13 votes. With losses to two ranked teams last week, MU made the Top 50 garnering just two votes. With two more come-from-behind victories over Kansas State and Kansas the Tigers received six votes from AP writers.
The Tigers come in 41st in the NCAA Ratings Percentage Index, which ranks teams according to strength of schedule versus that of their opponents. Missouri was 63rd at the beginning of the season, and climbed into the 35th slot after their one-point loss to ISU. There are seven Big 12 schools ranked in the Top 50.
Hitting the Three
The Tigers have shot 40 percent or above from 3-point range in 13 of their 22 games. Missouri hit a season-high 57 percent from the 3-point arc against San Diego State when the Tigers downed 8-of-14 attempts. Missouri shot 50 percent from the arc against Kansas setting a new MU record with 11 field goals made (22 attempted). Tracy Franklin leads the team shooting 43 percent from 3-point range (37-of-86). Natalie Bright is second for Tigers shooting 42 percent (15-of-36). Amanda Lassiter leads the Tigers with 48 3-point field goals made and 132 shots attempted (36 percent).
Topping Ten
Four Tiger athletes routinely hit double figures, including Amanda Lassiter who is 22-for-22. She scored a career-high 31 points against San Diego State. Marlena Williams owns 16 double-digit games, including two +20-point games. She scored a career-high 24 points against Colorado and 20 points against Iowa State (1/31). Tracy Franklin has 10 double figure games and freshman Evan Unrau posts six. Franklin and Unrau hit career-highs with 24 points against Kansas and 18 points against then No. 12 Texas, respectively.
Making the Grade
The Tiger women's basketball team is proving they can get it done on and off the court. Junior Christa Millham, an elementary education major, was one of 25 Missouri athletes to post an athletic department-high with a 3.82 grade point average for the 2000 fall semester. Joining Millham in the spotlight, seven other athletes were named to the Student-Athlete Dean's List: Kerensa Barr, Tracy Franklin, Amy Loftus, Tracy Lozier, Wendy Okeson, Evan Unrau and Terianne Wolford.
Tiger Cheering Section
The Missouri women's basketball program is on the rise and fans are taking notice. The Tigers began selling season tickets for the first time last year and recorded over 500 season purchases in 1999-2000. Midway through this season, Missouri has upped its season ticket numbers to over 800 holders. The Tigers average 2,603 fans to rank 37th in the nation in women's basketball attendance.
Missouri has boosted its season high with each Big 12 Conference game. In the home opener against Texas, 2,422 fans populated the Hearnes Center for Toy Day. Missouri had its third-largest crowd of the year when 2,062 fans cheered on the Tigers in their win over Kansas State. Missouri hit a new season high against Iowa State (1/31) with 2,654 spectators.
Mizzou set a school record against Kansas on Saturday when 10,126 fans cheered the Tigers to an overtime victory over the Jayhawks. The previous record was set at 6,227 last year against Oklahoma. The record is the nation's 45th largest crowd attending an NCAA Division I women's basketball game this season.
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 take on five teams ranked in the Top 25 in the USA Today/ESPN Poll. The Tigers face No. 7 Iowa State, No. 10 Oklahoma, No. 11 Texas Tech, No. 18 Texas and No. 21 Colorado in Big 12 Conference action.
In the Associated Press poll, Iowa State (6th), Oklahoma (10th), Texas Tech (14th), Texas (18th) and Colorado (19th) represent the Big 12 Conference. Baylor (32) joins Missouri (6) receiving votes.