Jan. 29, 2002
COLUMBIA, Mo. - The University of Missouri women's basketball team continues play in the Big 12 Conference this week against:
*Wednesday
*MU (12-6, 3-4 Big 12) vs. No. 16/12 Iowa State (15-5, 3-5 Big 12)
*7 p.m., Hilton Coliseum, Ames, Iowa
*Saturday
*MU (12-6, 3-4 Big 12) vs. Nebraska (12-8, 2-5 Big 12)
*7:05 p.m., Bob Devaney Sports Center, Lincoln, Neb.
Wednesday's Foe: Iowa State is 15-5 overall and 3-5 in the Big 12. The Cyclones opened the season with 12 straight wins but suffered a loss to (now ranked) No. 9/10 Kansas State at home to open Big 12 Conference play. Since the loss to Kansas State, ISU has won three of its last seven games. ISU defeated Nebraska 82-71 last Saturday. Lindsey Wilson and Angie Welle have been an outstanding 1-2 punch for the Cyclones again this season. Wilson averages a Big 12-best 20.1 points and 6.3 assists per game while Welle, who leads the nation in field goal percentage at 72.4 percent, averages 19.8 points and a league-high 10.6 rebounds per contest. Head coach Bill Fennelly is 153-55 in seven seasons at Iowa State and has a 319-108 career mark in 14 years.
MU-Iowa State Series: Missouri holds a 39-13 edge in the series. ISU has won the past seven meetings. MU has won 14 of the 22 meetings at Iowa State but the Tigers' last win in Ames was a 62-61 decision on Jan. 22, 1995.
Last Meeting - MU vs. Iowa State (in Ames): (AP) Iowa State's Tracy Gahan scored the go-ahead basket in the final minute and sank a key free throw with 12.6 seconds left as No. 7 Iowa State survived a late scoring drought to beat Missouri 68-67 on Jan. 17, 2001. Iowa State went on a 15-0 run to open a 64-52 lead with less than six minutes remaining, then made the plays it needed at the end after Missouri ran off 13 straight points to regain the lead. Natalie Bright's 3-pointer with 42.7 seconds left gave the Tigers a 65-64 lead. Lindsey Wilson, who led Iowa State with 21 points, then drove to the basket, drew the defense to her and shoveled a pass to Gahan, who made a layup with 28.2 seconds remaining to put the Cyclones up 66-65. Missouri's Amanda Lassiter put up a quick 3-point attempt from the right corner with 6-foot-4 Angie Welle running at her and the ball sailed over the basket. Erica Junod rebounded for Iowa State, and Welle and Gahan each hit a free throw to put the Cyclones up by three. Evan Unrau scored on an uncontested putback with two seconds left after Lassiter missed a 3-pointer. Lassiter led MU with 21 points, including 16 in the first half.
The Matchup: Iowa State and Missouri both like to shoot 3-point field goals. ISU averages 23.35 attempts per game (making a league-best 8.9 per game) while the Tigers average 16.7 attempts (and 5.28 makes) from beyond the arc. ISU's Lindsey Wilson, who scored 25 points against Missouri in Columbia last season, has made 53 3-point field goals while Tracy Gahan has made 52 3's this season. Mary Cofield and Tracy Paustian have made 25 and 24 3-point field goals, respectively. MU's Natalie Bright has made 32 3-point field goals this season while Kerensa Barr (21) and Evan Unrau (15) are also long-distance threats. Both teams also take care of business in rebounds, Iowa State averages 41.5 rebounds per game and a league-best margin of 9.5 over its opposition while the Tigers snare 39 rebounds per game and hold a 4.6 margin over its opponents. ISU's Angie Welle (10.6) and Tracy Gahan (7.4) lead the rebounding efforts while MU is led by Evan Unrau (7.6), Melanie Fisher (6.1) and Kerensa Barr (5.8).
Missouri's Last Time Out: The Tigers suffered a 78-56 setback to No. 20/19 Colorado on Jan. 26 in front of 2,521 fans at the Hearnes Center. The loss was Missouri's third straight of the season and each one has been to a team ranked in the nation's top 20. MU had not lost three straight games since the 1999-2000 season when it lost 72-64 to Colorado on Feb. 26, 80-66 to Nebraska on March 2 and 83-68 to Colorado on March 7 in the Big 12 Conference Tournament. Colorado opened the game with a 22-9 run behind the play of senior guard Jenny Roulier who scored 14 of the Buffaloes' first 16 points. The Tigers answered with an 11-2 run to make it 24-20. Melanie Fisher scored five of those points and Amy Loftus added four points during MU's run. The scoring outburst was a sign of things to come from Loftus, who finished with a career-high 16 points.
Tough Stretch: Wednesday's game against Iowa State marks Missouri's fourth-straight game against a team ranked in the nation's top 25. In fact, the Tigers' remaining nine regular-season games feature seven teams ranked in the Associated Press and USA Today/ESPN/WBCA Coaches polls. Dating back to the Baylor game (1/19), Missouri's last 12 games feature nine ranked opponents. In the 1998-99 season, Missouri also played four straight ranked teams (according to the AP Poll). Missouri faced No. 22 Kansas (KU 48, MU 37) on Feb. 7, No. 5 Colorado (CU 74, MU 62) on Feb. 9, No. 7 Texas Tech (TT 74, MU 68) on Feb. 22 and No. 25 Texas (UT 64, MU 59) on Feb. 16 that season.
Single-Season Marks: Natalie Bright and Kerensa Barr continue making an assault on the single-season Missouri records. Bright ranks fifth all-time with her 32 3-point field goals made and her 91 attempts also rank fifth. Barr's 74 3-point field goal attempts rank ninth all-time at MU. Barr's free throw percentage mark of 92.9 percent would be the program's all-time best mark if the season would end before the Iowa State contest.
Last Time ...: It has been a while since MU had lost three straight games. The last time it happened was during the 1999-2000 season when it lost 72-64 to Colorado on Feb. 26, 80-66 to Nebraska on March 2 and 83-68 to Colorado on March 7 in the Big 12 Conference Tournament. And the last time Missouri failed to score at least 60 points in a game as in the 1996-97 campaign. MU scored 50 points in a 61-50 setback at Iowa State on Jan. 4, 52 points in a 78-52 loss at Colorado on Jan. 8, and 53 points in a 67-53 defeat to Oklahoma State on Jan. 11. The last time MU has lost four consecutive games came in the 1998-99 season when the Tigers fell to Kansas, 48-37, on Feb. 7, to Colorado 74-62 on Feb. 9, to Texas Tech, 74-68 on Feb. 13, and to Texas, 64-59 on Feb. 16.
Now Out: Missouri did not receive a vote the Jan. 28th Associated Press poll. MU had appeared seven times in the last eight 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.
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 75.0 points and 19.0 turnovers per game and shoot an impressive 50.6 percent from the field. By comparison, MU, when it loses, averages 56.0 points and 21.67 turnovers per game while shooting 36.6 percent from the field.
A Win Would ...: If Missouri defeats Iowa State, it would ...
*be Missouri's second win over a ranked opponent this season
*push head coach Cindy Stein's record at MU to 66-43
*give Missouri 497 all-time victories
*be Missouri's first win at Iowa State since Jan. 22, 1995
*give Missouri 40 wins in the MU/Iowa State series
NCAA Picks: From the 'I guess it's never too early to talk about the NCAA Tournament' department ... CollegeRPI.com predicted that Missouri will make the NCAA's field of 64 and face Iowa in the first round of the East Region. That game will take place somewhere in Connecticut is that region's top seed, UConn, plays Cornell in the other pairing. By the way, Missouri was the eighth seed in the East as the Big 12 Conference had an NCAA-best eight teams picked for the 'Big Dance' as did the SEC.
Offensive Rebounds: Evan Unrau has made the most of second opportunities this season. Of her team-high 136 rebounds, Unrau has snared 63 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 392 turnovers this season (average of 21.77). Opponents have committed 20 or more turnovers in 12 of Missouri's 18 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 175-of-219 foul shots (79.9 percent). Barr's performance this season (if it ended prior to the Colorado game) would set a school record. Barr's mark of 79-of-85 free throws for 92.9 percent easily surpasses the previous mark of 84.6 percent by Lisa Plummer in the 1980-81 season. Barr saw her streak of 26 consecutive made free throws fall against Colorado (1/26) but enters the Iowa State game with one make. She also had a streak of 23 consecutive made foul shots earlier this season.
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 91 games.
In the starting lineup: Kerensa Barr has started 53 games and has made a team-high 50 consecutive starts in her career. Natalie Bright leads the Tigers with 59 all-time starts and Evan Unrau has made 49 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.
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 497 games while Maine has won 496 games to also be in the race for 500 wins.
Tough At Home: The Tigers are an impressive 260-83 during their 27 seasons in the Hearnes Center. Missouri has won its last 18 non-conference home games. MU, which suffered its first loss at home this season against Baylor, is 8-2 this season and has won 22 of its last 25 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 93.8 percent (75-of-80) leads the nation.
Here's a list of the Tigers' rankings:
*Free throw percentage, 25th, 74.5 percent (245-of-329)
*Rebound margin, 21st, +7.2
*Scoring margin, 34th, +11.65
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.
Career leaders: Kerensa Barr and Natalie Bright continue to make an impact on the Tigers' all-time career charts. As a result of her outstanding performance this season from the free-throw line, Barr is now the all-time career leader at Missouri. She has made 175-of-219 free throws for a mark of 79.9 percent. Barr is on a record pace of 92.9 percent (79-of-85) this season. After making a career-high six 3-point field goals against Kansas (1/12), Bright has now made 88 in her career to rank fourth in that all-time category at Missouri while Barr has made 51 to rank sixth. Bright ranks fourth with 251 3-point field goal attempts. Barr ranks seventh with 155 attempts. Bright ranks fourth in 3-point field goal percentage at 35.1 percent while Barr is ninth at 32.9 percent. Barr and Bright both rank in the Tigers' all-time career lists for assists. Barr's total of 285 assists ranks seventh while Bright's 280 career assists rank eighth. Barr is three assists shy of tying Julie Helm (1997-2000) for sixth place at MU.
Rankings: Missouri was picked by both the Big 12 Conference coaches and the media covering the league to finish 10th in the 2001-2002 league standings. The Tigers were picked 43rd nationally by Basketball News, a publication which chose the schools it feels will make the 2002 NCAA Tournament.
Rankings II: Missouri is ranked 51st in this week's Sagarin RPI rankings with a mark of 81.50. MU fell nine spots from last week's rating. CollegeRPI.com ranks the Tigers 41st (.5936) while the Collegiate Basketball News has MU 42nd at .5736. In the WBCA/Summerville RPI Rankings, MU is 40th (.58549).
Radio Coverage: Missouri women's basketball is covered live on KFRU (1400 AM), KWWC (90.5 FM), KLIK (1240 AM) or on the Tiger Network. David Lile, Jessica Jenkins and Gary Link offer all the action. A majority of the Tigers' games can be found on KFRU but various games will be on KWWC and KLIK. Mizzou fans can also log onto the Missouri web site, www.mutigers.com, for coverage.
Tough Schedule: Nine opponents - #4 Oklahoma, #9 Kansas State, #10 Baylor, #11 South Carolina, #13 Texas Tech, #14 Texas, #16 Iowa State, #17 Colorado and RV Illinois - are in the Associated Press poll and 10 (although in a different order) - #4 Oklahoma, #9 South Carolina, #10 Kansas State, #11 Baylor, #12 Iowa State, #14 Texas, #16 Texas Tech, #17 Colorado and RV Illinois and UW-Green Bay - are in the USA Today/ESPN/WBCA Coaches poll. The win over Texas Tech marked the first time Missouri faced a ranked team this season (South Carolina was not in either poll either as a ranked school or receiving votes at the time of the game). Missouri is 1-3 this season against ranked teams. The Tigers are 1-0 against schools (MU 61, SMS 57) which are only receiving votes at the time of the game.
Youth is Served: Missouri's active roster of 11 consists of one senior (Natalie Bright), two juniors (Kerensa Barr and Wannette Smith), five sophomores (Tracy Lozier, Evan Unrau, Terianne Wolford, Amy Loftus and Melanie Fisher) and three freshmen (Lauren Podratz, Angie Carter and Megan Roney).
Last Year: The Tigers posted a 22-10 record and advanced to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen.
Radio Show: Tiger Talk with Cindy Stein is on Mondays from 7 to 8 p.m. The show originates from Harpo's (in Columbia) and is aired by KFRU.
Signings: MU head coach Cindy Stein announced on Nov. 14 the signing of Latoya Bond and Cherice Mack to National Letters of Intent.
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 average 1,987 fans per game this season, well above last season's average of 1,566 during the same number of home games.
Who's Next? Missouri will play at Nebraska at 7:05 p.m. Saturday. After this weekend's game, MU will face No. 9/10 Kansas State at 7 p.m. on Feb. 5 before taking on Kansas at 3 p.m. on Feb. 9. Both games will be played at the Hearnes Center. Fans can attend the Kansas State game for $2 with the donation of a clothing article as Missouri's men's and women's golf teams are having a clothing drive to benefit the Salvation Army. And, the Kansas game is Missouri's annual "Head to the Hearnes" contest. Tickets for that game are $1.