Feb. 4, 2002

COLUMBIA, Mo. - The University of Missouri women's basketball team continues play in the Big 12 Conference this week against:

*Tuesday
*Missouri (13-7, 4-5 Big 12) vs. No. 11/10 Kansas State (20-3, 8-2)
*7 p.m., Hearnes Center, Columbia, Mo.

*Saturday
*Missouri (13-7, 4-5 Big 12) vs. Kansas (5-18, 0-10)
*3 p.m., Hearnes Center, Columbia, Mo.

Tough Stretch: Missouri's game against Kansas State marks the Tigers' fifth time they will face a ranked team in their last six contests.

Tuesday's Foe: Kansas State enters the contest after dropping an 86-72 decision to No. 16/12 Iowa State in Manhattan, Kan., on Feb. 2. The Wildcats, who are an impressive 20-3 this year, have used a starting lineup of either four freshmen and a sophomore or three freshmen, one sophomore and the program's lone senior this season. Head coach Deb Patterson is 91-79 in six seasons at Kansas State. Freshman Laurie Koehn, the nation's leader in 3-point field goals per game, averages a team-high 18.4 points per game. Koehn has made 90 3-point field goals this season and is shooting 45.5 percent from beyond the arc. Sophomore Nicole Ohlde, the 2001 Big 12 Conference Freshman of the Year, averages 18.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.17 blocked shots per game. Freshman Kendra Wecker averages 16.4 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. As a team, KSU is shooting 50.3 percent from the field and 42.5 percent from beyond the 3-point field goal arc.

MU-KSU Series: As a result of winning the past four meetings, Missouri holds a 31-27 edge over Kansas State in this series, which has been dominated by the home team. Missouri is 18-6 against Kansas State in Columbia while Kansas State is 19-7 against the Tigers in Manhattan. The teams have split the eight meetings on neutral courts. Since Missouri head coach Cindy Stein took over the Tigers, MU is 4-2 against the Wildcats.

Last Meeting (in Columbia) - MU vs. Kansas State: Missouri used an 18-6 run over the game's final seven minutes to erase a seven-point deficit and record the 65-60 win. Amanda Lassiter scored 15 points and snared nine rebounds to lead the Tigers. Kerensa Barr had 11 points and seven rebounds while Marlena Williams netted 10 points. A box score of that game is in the left-hand column.

Last Time MU vs. a ranked KSU: It was the 1983-84 season and Missouri recorded a 66-62 home win over the then-No. 10 Wildcats on Feb. 8. Kansas State, then ranked 11th, later recorded a 100-84 win over Missouri on March 3 and an 84-75 win over MU on March 10 when KSU was No. 7. Missouri was also ranked in each one of those meetings, as high as seventh and as low as 12th. Rankings are from the Associated Press polls.

The Matchup: Missouri's defensive efforts will be pushed by Kansas State's abilities to shoot the basketball, particularly from 3-point field goal range. While the Tigers allow opponents to shoot 29.4 percent from the 3-point arc, Kansas State makes 42.5 percent of its shots from beyond that distance. When Missouri's opponents make less than 40 percent of their shots from the field, MU is 8-0. KSU enters the game shooting 50.3 percent from the field. The Tigers also allow opponents to score 63 points a game while KSU averages 78.5 points per game, one of the top marks in the Big 12 and in the nation. Missouri will be a threat on the offensive glass as the Tigers have snared 40 percent of their total (315 of 786) on the offensive end.

Missouri's Last Time Out: Missouri women's basketball team used a 14-2 run to close Saturday's (Feb. 2) game against Nebraska and record a 69-54 victory over the Cornhuskers at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. The victory was Missouri's fourth straight over Nebraska. The Tigers have not won that many consecutive games against Nebraska since a seven-game win streak from 1981 to 1984. MU got five points each from Kerensa Barr and Evan Unrau during its game ending run. Barr finished with 22 points while Unrau recorded her fifth double-double of the season by scoring 18 points and snaring a season-best 14 rebounds. Natalie Bright added 11 points for MU. Unrau scored nine of MU's first 19 points.

60,000 Points: Missouri has now scored 60,070 points during its time as a women's basketball program. Kerensa Barr scored the program's 60,000th point on a free throw this season at Iowa State (1/30).

Rebounds: Evan Unrau has led the Tigers in rebounds the past four games and 10 games overall this season.Unrau, a sophomore forward, is averaging 8.0 rebounds per game this season after leading the 2000-2001 Tigers in the same category with an average of 7.2 rebounds per game.

Sound Familiar?: For the third time in the last five years, Missouri will play Kansas State and Kansas in back-to-back games. This season marks the second time that will happen at home. The first time it happened, Missouri defeated Kansas State, 72-56, on Jan. 13, 1998, but the Tigers suffered a 74-62 loss to Kansas on Jan. 17, 1998.

Sound Familiar II?: Missouri has a 13-7 overall mark and a 4-5 Big 12 Conference record for the second-straight season as the Tigers had an identical record after the same number of games in 2000-2001. After 20 games in the 1999-2000 season, Missouri was 14-6 overall and 4-5 in the Big 12.

Single-Season Marks: Natalie Bright and Kerensa Barr continue making an assault on the single-season Missouri records. Bright ranks tied for third all-time with her 35 3-point field goals made and her 99 attempts rank tied for fourth with Amanda Lassiter (1999-2000). Bright is tied for third place all-time at MU with Julie Helm (1998-99) and Amanda Lassiter (1999-2000). In third place on the all-time 3-point attempt charts is Stacy Williams (1991-92) with 100. Barr's 24 made 3-pointers rank her tied for 10th with Amy Fordham who sank 24 in the 1992-92 and 1993-94 seasons. Barr's 81 3-point field goal attempts rank eighth all-time at MU. Barr's free throw percentage mark of 90.8 percent would be the program's all-time best mark if the season would end before the Kansas State contest. In case you were or were not wondering, Barr needs 42 more made foul shots to crack the program's top 10 list for made free throws in a season.

Now Out: Missouri did not receive a vote the Feb. 4th Associated Press poll. MU had appeared seven times in the last nine 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 13 wins this season, the Tigers average 76.4 points per game and allow opponents only 55.6 points. MU shoots 42.7 percent from the field when it wins and forces opponents into shooting 39.1 percent and committing an average of 23.2 turnovers per game. When the Tigers lose, opponents average 76.7 points and 18.4 turnovers per game and shoot an impressive 50.5 percent from the field. By comparison, MU, when it loses, averages 56.7 points and 21.43 turnovers per game while shooting 36.5 percent from the field.

A Win Would ...: If Missouri defeats Kansas State, it would ...
*give Missouri its fifth-straight win over the Wildcats and extend MU's lead in the series to 32-27
*even MU's Big 12 Conference mark at 5-5 for the third-straight season
*push head coach Cindy Stein's record at MU to 67-44
*give Missouri 498 all-time victories

NCAA Picks: From the `I guess it's never too early to talk about the NCAA Tournament' department ... CollegeRPI.com has Missouri making the NCAA's field of 64. On Jan. 21, it predicted Missouri will face Iowa in the first round of the East Region as the region's eighth seed. On Jan. 28, CollegeRPI.com predicted that Missouri will play Virginia Tech in the Midwest Region. The Tigers are the region's 12 seed. This week's prediction removed Missouri from the tournament field.

Offensive Rebounds: Evan Unrau has made the most of second opportunities this season. Of her team-high 159 rebounds, Unrau has snared 72 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 (1/19) and had 21 (47 total) against Nebraska (2/2).

Forcing Turnovers: Missouri has forced opponents to commit 431 turnovers this season (average of 21.6). Opponents have committed 20 or more turnovers in 13 of Missouri's 20 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 185-of-232 foul shots (79.7 percent). Barr's performance this season (if it ended prior to the Kansas State game) would set a school record. Barr's mark of 89-of-98 free throws for 90.8 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). She also had a streak of 23 consecutive made foul shots earlier this year.

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 28. Barr's mark of 92.9 percent (79-of-85) leads the nation. Barr technically is tied with Cincinnati's Valerie King on percentage points, but King is 78-of-84 from the foul line. As a team, MU is 25th in free throw percentage at 74.5 percent (245-of-329)

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 93 games.

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 as MU has defeated three ranked teams (out of five games) in the past two seasons.

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.

Individuals in the Big 12: Here's a list of the Tigers' rankings in the Big 12 for all games:
Scoring: Kerensa Barr, 10th, 15.9 ppg, Evan Unrau, 19th, 12.9 ppg, Natalie Bright, 23rd, 12.0 ppg
Rebounds: Evan Unrau, 6th, 7.9 rpg, Melanie Fisher, 12th, 6.2 rpg, Kerensa Barr, 17th, 5.8 rpg
Assists: Kerensa Barr, 11th, 4.30 apg, Natalie Bright, 13th, 3.80 apg
Steals: Kerensa Barr, 11th, 2.05 spg
Free Throw Percentage: Kerensa Barr, 1st, 90.8 percent (89-of-98)
3-Point FG Made Per Game: Natalie Bright, 10th, 1.75 fgm/g
3-Point FG Percentage: Natalie Bright, 15th, 35.4 percent (35-of-99)
Assist/Turnover Ratio: Natalie Bright, 14th, 1.12

In the starting lineup: Kerensa Barr has started 55 games and has made a team-high 52 consecutive starts in her career. Natalie Bright leads the Tigers with 61 all-time starts and Evan Unrau has made 51 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 Saturday's (2/9) Kansas game.

Nearing 500: Missouri has won 497 games in its 28 seasons and could become the 50th NCAA Division I program to surpass the 500 win total. The Tigers' main competition for the honor is Notre Dame, which has won 499 games and plays Pittsburgh Tuesday.

Tournament Success: Missouri won this year's Unilever Lady Tiger Tournament. The win gave MU its 17th win in 24 championship game appearances of the Missouri tournament.

100 and counting: MU scored 100 or more points for the fourth time under head coach Cindy Stein in the Tigers' 102-47 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Dec. 20. MU hung 101 points on Davidson on Nov. 25. MU has scored 100 or more points 33 times in its history. Missouri is 4-0 under Stein when topping the century mark and 32-1 all-time.

Record Setter: Kerensa Barr set the Missouri all-time record for free throws made in a game as she sank 17 against Davidson on Nov. 25. Barr's mark broke the previous record of 16 by Erika Martin against Kansas on Feb. 4, 1996.

First Win Over ...: MU's 61-57 win over Southwest Missouri State marked the first time in the program's history the Tigers have defeated a team which advanced to the Final Four the year before. MU did play defending national champion Texas Tech in the first round of the 1994 NCAA Tournament but suffered a 75-61 loss.

State Champs: With the 64-53 win over Saint Louis, Missouri improved to 4-0 this season against the state's NCAA Division I schools (UMKC, Southwest Missouri State, Southeast Missouri State and Saint Louis). This performance marks the first time in the same season Missouri has defeated each one of the other NCAA Division I in-state schools.

Free Throws: To put it mildly, Missouri has been successful at the foul line this season. The Tigers have been getting to the free-throw line early and often this year in their wins. Missouri has made 23 or more free throws six times this season. They are:
*23 - vs. UMKC (W)
*24 - vs. SMS (W)
*32 - vs. Davidson (W)
*27 - vs. Northern Iowa (W)
*23 - vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff (W)
*23 - vs. Texas Tech (W)

In addition, Missouri has shot 80 percent or better (when shooting more than two attempts) from the line five times this season. They are:
*82.1 percent (23-of-28) vs. UMKC (W)
*87.5 percent (7-of-8) vs. South Carolina (L)
*84.6 percent (11-of-13) vs. Southeast Missouri (W)
*81.8 percent (27-of-33) vs. Northern Iowa (W)
*88.5 percent (23-of-26) vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff (W)

Scoring Power: The Tigers' starting five average 75.5 percent of the team's scoring per game (1,050 of 1,390 points). MU has used six different starting lineups this season. They are (in alphabetical order):
*Barr, Bright, Carter, Fisher, Unrau
*Barr, Bright, Fisher, Podratz, Unrau
*Barr, Bright, Fisher, Smith, Unrau
*Barr, Bright, Fisher, Lozier, Unrau
*Barr, Bright, Fisher, Unrau, Wolford
*Barr, Bright, Fisher, Lozier, Smith

Missouri Head Coach: Cindy Stein is in her fourth season at the helm of the Tigers. She has a mark of 66-44 with Missouri and is 131-69 in seven seasons as a head coach. Stein, who has an all-time mark of 26-31 in Big 12 regular season play, is assisted this season by: associate head coach Betsy Yonkman, assistant coach Tanya Warren and assistant coach Edith Thompson. Former Missouri standouts Amanda Lassiter, Marlena "Pep" Williams and Tracy Franklin are serving as student assistants.

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 185-of-232 free throws for a mark of 79.74 percent. After making a career-high six 3-point field goals against Kansas (1/12), Bright has now made 91 in her career to rank fourth in that all-time category at Missouri while Barr has made 54 to rank sixth. Bright ranks fourth with 259 3-point field goal attempts. Barr ranks seventh with 162 attempts. Bright ranks sixth in 3-point field goal percentage at 35.3 percent while Barr is ninth at 33.3 percent. Barr and Bright both rank in the Tigers' all-time career lists for assists. Barr's total of 292 assists ranks sixth with while Bright's 287 career assists rank eighth.

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 48th in this week's Sagarin RPI rankings with a mark of 81.87. CollegeRPI.com ranks the Tigers 48th (.5834) while the Collegiate Basketball News has MU 48th at .5673. In the WBCA/Summerville RPI Rankings, MU is 46th (.58028).

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 South Carolina, #10 Baylor, #11 Kansas State, #12 Iowa State, #13 Colorado. #15 Texas Tech, #17 Texas and RV Illinois -- are in the Associated Press poll and 10 (although in a different order) -- #4 Oklahoma, #9 South Carolina, #10 Kansas State and Iowa State, #12 Baylor, #13 Colorado, #15 Texas, #17 Texas Tech, 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 1-4 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 48th 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? MU will face Kansas at 3 p.m. on Saturday in the annual Head to the Hearnes game. The game will be televised by the Mizzou Sports Network and available on the following cable outlets: Metro Sports (Kansas City), Mediacom (Columbia), Pax 44 (Joplin), St. Joseph Cablevision and Charter Communications (St. Louis). The Tigers then hit the road, playing Colorado on Feb. 13 at 8 p.m. (Central) in Boulder, Colo., before taking on Texas A&M on Feb. 16 at 1 p.m. The Missouri/Texas A&M game will be televised by Fox Sports Net.