Dec. 9, 2001

Final Stats?|? Quotes?|? Notes

COLUMBIA, Mo. - The University of Missouri women's basketball team opened Sunday's non-conference game against Northern Iowa with a 9-0 run and did not look back as the Tigers recorded a 79-61 victory over the Panthers at the Hearnes Center.

Missouri, which improved to 7-1 this season, was led by Evan Unrau's 16 points and 10 rebounds. Unrau, who posted her third double-double of the season and seventh of her career, was one of four Tigers to score in double figures. Kerensa Barr added 15 points to record her 11th consecutive game scoring in double figures. Melanie Fisher had 13 points and 11 rebounds to post her second double-double of the season while Natalie Bright scored 12 points.

The Tigers, buoyed by the efforts of Unrau and Fisher, had a 47-31 edge in rebounds. Unrau, who did not start for the first time in her career due to a team disciplinary rule, scored 13 points in the first half as MU took a 40-31 lead.

"We knew that Northern Iowa was probably going to try to take away Evan and Kerensa and they were going to make other people hit those shots for us to win, said MU head coach Cindy Stein. "The play of Angie Carter (nine points) and Melanie (Fisher) had some key baskets, those are the kinds of things we have to have. Natalie hit key buckets, obviously the more people we can have scoring, the better we're going to be as a team."

UNI cut the lead to four points, 42-38, early in the second half. MU built the lead up to nine points, 50-41, after a UNI technical foul. The Tigers eventually pulled away from the Panthers with solid free throw shooting (15-of-18).

Missouri made 27-of-33 shots from the free-throw line in the win.

The Tigers are off until Dec. 20 when they face Arkansas-Pine Bluff.