Jan. 21, 2002
COLUMBIA, Mo. - The University of Missouri women's basketball team continues play in the Big 12 Conference this week.
*Tuesday
*MU (12-4, 3-2 Big 12) vs. No. 12/12 Texas (13-3, 5-1 Big 12)
*7 p.m., Erwin Center, Austin, Texas
*Saturday
*MU (12-4, 3-2 Big 12) vs. No. 22/19 Colorado (13-6, 3-3 Big 12)
*7 p.m., Hearnes Center, Columbia, Mo.
Tuesday's Foe: Texas is coming off of an 89-69 loss to No. 3/2 Oklahoma. The Longhorns opened Big 12 Conference play with five-straight wins and had an overall win streak of six games snapped with the loss to OU. Head coach Jody Conradt is in her 26th season at Texas with a mark of 663-189. Overall, Conradt is in her 33rd season with an mark of 779-251. Stacy Stephens, who was named the Big 12's Player of the Week last week, had 20 points and 12 rebounds against Oklahoma while freshman Kala Bowers added a career-high 17 points. Stephens, a 6-foot-1 sophomore forward/center, is the Longhorns' leading scorer (14.6 pgg) and rebounder (9.2 rpg). Heather Schreiber, a 6-foot-2 freshman forward, averages 14.5 points per game and has team-high totals in steals (27) steals and 3-point field goals (27). Senior guard Kenya Larkin averages 5.75 assists per game.
The MU/Texas Series: Texas holds a 7-1 lead in the series, which started in 1980 with a 77-74 UT win in Austin. Texas has won all five meetings in Austin. Since the formation of the Big 12, UT is 2-0 at home as it defeated Missouri, 80-64, on Jan. 15, 2000, and 53-44 on Jan. 20, 1998. Missouri recorded its first win in the series when it handed then-No. 12/17 Texas a 68-52 loss last season at the Hearnes Center.
Last Meeting - MU vs. Texas: Amanda Lassiter (22/10) and Evan Unrau (18/13) combined for 40 points and 23 rebounds to lead the Tigers to the 68-52 upset win over nationally ranked Texas at the Hearnes Center. Missouri rebounded from a 32-24 halftime deficit with an 8-0 run to open the second half and later added a 30-16 run to put the game away. Lassiter scored 12 of her points during the latter run. Stacy Stephens had 16 points and 16 rebounds for the Longhorns while Tai Dillard had a game-high 24 points. In the second half, Texas made 9-of-33 shots.
Saturday's Foe: Colorado is 13-6 overall and 3-3 in the Big 12. The No. 22/19 Buffaloes, who have the conference's longest win streak at three games, play No. 14/9 Iowa State on Wednesday in Boulder before making the trip to Columbia. Senior guard Mandy Nightingale is one of three players scoring in double figures. She averages a team-high 15.2 points per game and has team-high honors in assists (84) and steals (28). Sophomore center Tera Bjorklund averages 12.3 points and 4.9 rebounds per game while senior guard Jenny Roulier averages 11.7 points per game. CU has six players averaging between 4.2 and 4.9 rebounds per game. Head coach Ceal Barry has 361-203 mark in 19 seasons at CU and has an overall mark of 444-245.
MU-Colorado Series: Saturday's game will be the 50th meeting between the two schools with Colorado holding a 28-21 lead. CU won two of the three games last season but Missouri knocked off the No. 17/21 Buffs, 78-61, in Columbia on Feb. 28, 2001. Missouri had five players score in double figures, led by Amanda Lassiter and her 16 points.
Last Meeting - MU vs. Colorado: In last season's Big 12 Tournament, Mandy Nightingale scored 18 points as No. 20 Colorado beat Missouri 83-72 in the quarterfinal round on March 7. Britt Hartshorn scored 17 points, Jenny Roulier 15, Linda Lappe 13 and Eisha Bohman 12 for Colorado. MU's Marlena Williams scored 14 points and Evan Unrau and Natalie Bright each added 13. Missouri went on a 9-0 run and cut a 20-point deficit to 50-39 with 14:14 left. Colorado made 18 straight free throws to seal the win.
Missouri's Last Time Out: Baylor closed the first half with a 27-9 run and never looked back in recording an 80-59 win over Missouri at the Hearnes Center on Jan. 19. The loss snapped MU's 12-game home-court win streak. Kerensa Barr led MU with 18 points while Evan Unrau recorded her fourth double-double of the season with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Melanie Fisher had a career-high 13 rebounds. Sheila Lambert led Baylor with 27 points, 11 of those coming during the run to end the first half.
Great Start: Missouri's 12-4 start ties its best-ever mark through 16 games under head coach Cindy Stein. MU also had a 12-4 mark during the 1999-2000 season. The Tigers were 11-5 last season through 16 contests.
Tough Stretch: Saturday's game against Baylor started a stretch of Missouri facing four ranked teams in four games. In fact, the Tigers' 12 remaining regular-season games feature nine teams ranked in the Associated Press and USA Today/ESPN/WBCA Coaches polls.
Back in Poll: Missouri received six votes the Jan. 14th Associated Press poll. MU has now appeared six times in the last seven editions of the AP poll. The Tigers had received votes for three consecutive weeks in the USA Today/ESPN/WBCA Coaches poll but that streak ended with the Dec. 24 poll.
Streaks Snapped: Missouri's 80-59 loss to Baylor snapped MU's streak of 12 straight wins at home. The loss also marked the first time in six games that Missouri was outrebounded (44-38) and the first time MU had committed fewer turnovers than its opponent and lost. Baylor's 49 first-half points were more than Missouri allowed in its past two games, 48 vs. Kansas and 41 vs. Nebraska.
In Wins, In Losses: In Missouri's 12 wins this season, the Tigers average 77.0 points per game and allow opponents only 55.8 points. MU shoots 43.5 percent from the field when it wins and forces opponents into shooting 39.7 percent and committing an average of 23.6 turnovers per game. When the Tigers lose, opponents average 72.8 points and 17.75 turnovers per game and shoots an impressive 51.6 percent from the field. By comparison, MU, when it loses, averages 57.2 points and 23.25 turnovers per game while shooting 35.8 percent from the field.
A Win Would ...: If Missouri defeats Texas, it would ...
*be Missouri's second win over a ranked opponent this season
*push head coach Cindy Stein's record at MU to 66-41
*give Missouri 497 all-time victories
*be Missouri's first win at Texas and its first-ever win in the state of Texas in Big 12 Conference play
Three: Missouri has made 23 3-point field goals, over one-fourth of its season total of 88, in its past three games. MU made six 3-point field goals in the first half against Nebraska, a number that equaled or surpassed the Tigers' total in nine games.
Offensive Rebounds: Evan Unrau has made the most of second opportunities this season. Of her team-high 122 rebounds, Unrau has snared 59 offensive caroms this season.
Offensive Rebounds II: Missouri grabbed a season-high 23 offensive boards in the win over Texas Tech (1/9). MU's previous high of 18 offensive rebounds came against Southeast Missouri (12/1) and UMKC (11/16). The Tigers recorded 20 offensive rebounds (38 total) against Baylor.
Forcing Turnovers: Missouri has forced opponents to commit 349 turnovers this season (average of 21.8). Opponents have committed 20 or more turnovers in 11 of Missouri's 16 games this year.
Barr and Free Throws: Kerensa Barr is now Missouri's all-time career leader in free throw percentage as she has made 171-of-214 foul shots (79.9 percent). Barr's performance this season (if it ended prior to the Texas game) would set a school record. Barr's mark of 75-of-80 free throws for 93.75 percent easily surpasses the previous mark of 84.6 percent by Lisa Plummer in the 1980-81 season. And, yes, I know this next comment will probably jinx the streak but ... Barr has made her last 23 free throws.
Deja Vu?: Similar to last season, Missouri lost its first Big 12 Conference game of the season before beating a nationally ranked team at home in its second league contest of the year. In the 2000-2001 campaign, Missouri lost its Big 12 season opener at Texas Tech, 82-64, but rebounded to pick up a 68-52 triumph over No. 12/17 Texas at the Hearnes Center. This season saw Missouri suffer a 73-57 setback at Oklahoma State and defeat No. 10/12 Texas Tech, 82-71, at home.
Long Time, No Three: Missouri went almost 33 minutes without making a 3-point field goal against Texas Tech (1/9). Natalie Bright finally made one with 7:24 left in the game to break the shutout. While the one 3-point field goal ties the low this season (also done against Davidson on Nov. 24), the last time MU was blanked in the 3-point field goal category was on Jan. 27, 1999, in a 78-54 loss at Baylor. Missouri's last time at home without a 3-pointer came on Dec. 5, 1998, in an 87-76 victory over Louisville. Since the Baylor game, the streak of Missouri making at least one 3-point field goal in a game is at 89 games.
In the starting lineup: Kerensa Barr has started 51 games and has made 48 consecutive starts in her career. Natalie Bright leads the Tigers with 57 all-time starts and Evan Unrau has made 47 starts.
Television Coverage: MU improved to 4-0 this season on TV with the win over Kansas. MU's next game on TV will be the Feb. 9 Kansas game.
Career Years: Natalie Bright has made more 3-point field goals (29) this season than she has in any other season in her career. She is on pace for 51, which would almost equal her career total of 56 coming into this season. On a similar wavelength, Kerensa Barr has made 21 3-point field goals, equaling her mark from last season. If she continues on her current pace, Barr will make 37 3-point field goals, more than her career total (32) coming into this season.
Nearing 500: Missouri has won 496 games in its 28 seasons and could become the 50th NCAA Division I program to surpass the 500 win total. Notre Dame has also won 496 games while Maine has won 495 games to also be in the race for 500 wins.
Tough At Home: The Tigers are an impressive 260-82 during their 27 seasons in the Hearnes Center. Missouri has won its last 18 non-conference home games. Missouri, which suffered its first loss at home this season against Baylor to fall to 8-1 this season, has won 22 of its last 24 games at the Hearnes Center. Ranked teams have also found the going tough in the Hearnes Center. MU has defeated three of the last five ranked teams in the past two seasons.
NCAA Leader: Kerensa Barr is the nation's leader in free throw percentage, according to the statistical report released by the NCAA through games of Jan 14. Barr's mark of 93.6 percent (73-of-78) leads the nation. She made two foul shots against Nebraska to raise her mark to 93.75 percent.
Here's a list of the Tigers' rankings:
*Free throw percentage, 16th, 75.4 percent (224-of-297)
*Rebound margin, 23rd, +7.7
*Won/loss percentage, 32nd (tie), 78.6 percent
*Scoring margin, 32nd, +12.9
Top Performances: Evan Unrau's 5-of-5 effort from beyond the 3-point field goal line against Southeastern Louisiana ranks as the top mark in the Big 12. Kerensa Barr's 17 made free throws (and her 18 attempts) are the most this season in one game in the Big 12. Barr's 10-of-10 effort from the free-throw line against Southwest Missouri State is one of four such performances in the Big 12 this season. Missouri's 32 made free throws against Davidson are the most this season in the Big 12.
Big 12 Stat Leaders: In addition to Kerensa Barr leading the Big 12 in free throw percentage (93.6 percent), MU leads the league in 3-point field goal percentage defense (26.5 percent) for all games.
Fans, Fans, Fans: Missouri ranks 44th in the 2001-02 National Women's Basketball Home Attendance Poll. This poll is an unofficial and voluntary collection of NCAA Division I home attendance statistics compiled weekly by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Sports Information Office. The Tigers are averaging 1,928 fans per game this season, well above last season's average of 1,446 during the same number of home games.
Who's Next? Missouri will play at No. 14/9 Iowa State on Jan. 30 and at Nebraska on Feb. 2.