Nov. 27, 2002
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| TIPOFF: 5:00 p.m. CST on Friday vs. SMU; 5:00 or 7:00 p.m. on Saturday vs. Louisiana-Lafayette or host Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. | ||||
| ARENA: Circle K Court (3,500). MU is 91-66 (.580) alltime on neutral sites, and is 151-168 (.473) on an opponents' home floor. | ||||
| RADIO: KFRU-AM 1400 (David Lile, play-by-play/Jessica Jenkins, color) for both games. Also available on the Internet at www.mutigers.com. | ||||
| TV: None. | ||||
| COACHES: | ||||
| Missouri: Cindy Stein (Illinois '84), 68-52 at MU (5th season), 133-77 overall (8th season).
SMU: Rhonda Rompola (SMU '83), 208-121 at SMU and overall (12th season). TAMU-CC: Jodi Kest (Slippery Rock '84), 2-0 at TAMU-CC (1st season), 153-113 overall (11th season). ULL: J. Kelley Hall (Troy State '82), 0-2 overall (1st season). |
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MIZZOU LOOKS TO THANKSGIVING FEAST ON TEXAS GULF COAST
Coming off the 500th win in program history Tuesday night, the Missouri women's basketball team sets out to start on its next 500 wins this weekend when it participates in the Flint Hills Resources Islander Classic in Corpus Christi, Texas.
? ? ? The four-team tournament features Missouri, SMU, Louisiana-Lafayette, and the host Islanders from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Mizzou is 0-1 against SMU after falling to the Mustangs in overtime in 1990, and though TAMU-CC was a participant in last year's Unilever Tiger Classic, MU has never faced the Islanders or ULL.
? ? ? Missouri posted a nail-biting 77-76 win over Bradley on Tuesday for the program's 500th win in school history. Senior guard Kerensa Barr scored Missouri's final eight points, including the game-winning free throws with seven seconds remaining.
? ? ? A note about the tournament's format: as host, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi has reserved the right to play the 7 p.m. game Saturday night, regardless of Friday's results. If Missouri and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi both win or both lose, they will play each other at 7 p.m. Saturday. If the two teams have differing results, Missouri will play Louisiana-Lafayette at 5 p.m.
ABOUT SMU...
Rhonda Rompola's Mustangs are 2-0 following wins at their Hoops For the Cure Classic last weekend. SMU posted wins over Stony Brook and Wake Forest.
? ? ? SMU returns three starters and seven letterwinners from last year's 12-18 squad that finished seventh in the WAC. The Mustangs are led by junior post Kim Walter, who is averaging 14.5 points and nine rebounds.
ABOUT TAMU-CC...
The Islanders are also 2-0 following wins at home vs. UT-Arlington (54-51) and a 67-59 win at UT-San Antonio. TAMU-CC is 30-8 all-time at home, and is on a seven-game home winning streak.
? ? ? TAMU-CC returns three starters and eight letterwinners from last year's 16-12 squad. The Islanders, who compete as an independent, are led by senior forward Kristin Rogers, who is averaging 15.5 points and three rebounds on the young season.
ABOUT ULL...
Louisiana-Lafayette is 0-2 following a pair of home losses at the hands of Nicholls State (59-57) and Memphis (60-53).
? ? ? The Ragin' Cajuns return three starters and 10 letterwinners from last year's 7-21 squad that finished last in the Sun Belt West Division. ULL is led by junior guard Sharee Glenn, who is averaging 17.5 points and 4.5 rebounds.
SMU SERIES
Missouri leads the all-time series 4-2, including 2-1 in Columbia.
? ? ? The teams last met on Nov. 20, 1999, with the Tigers securing a 92-49 win in Peoria, Ill. That contest opened Mizzou's 1999-2000 season and began the Tigers' current streak of three straight postseason appearances.
? ? ? BU's last visit to the Hearnes Center resulted in a 73-57 Tiger win on Nov. 19, 1998; Bradley's only win in Columbia came on Nov. 27, 1994, when the Braves escaped with a 83-78 win.
TAMU-CC/ULL SERIES
When Mizzou tips off against either Texas A&M-Corpus Christi or Louisiana-Lafayette on Saturday, it will mark the first competition in women's basketball between the schools.
? ? ? TAMU-CC was a participant in last year's Unilever Tiger Classic, losing to Southeast Missouri before beating Southeast Louisiana for third place.
NEXT UP...
The Tigers return home for their annual Unilever Tiger Classic next Friday and Saturday, Dec. 6-7. Preceding Missouri's game against McNeese State at 7 p.m. on Friday, UMKC and Austin Peay will tip at 5 p.m. Regardless of the results of Friday's play, Missouri will play the 7 p.m. game on Saturday against either UMKC or APSU.
LAST TIME OUT: MU 77, Bradley 76
Senior guard Kerensa Barr hit four free throws in the final 35 seconds, including the game-winning pair with 7 seconds left, to key the Missouri women's basketball team to a 77-76 win over Bradley in non-conference action Tuesday night at the Hearnes Center. The win is the program's 500th all-time in its 29-year history.
MIZZOU JOINS THE 500 CLUB
With its 77-76 win against Bradley at the Hearnes Center on Tuesday, Nov. 26, Missouri became the 51st school in NCAA history to record 500 wins in its history.
? ? ? The Tigers are now 500-322 in their 29th year as a program.
? ? ? Only 29 schools are known to have achieved the total faster than Mizzou.
OPEN HERE
With wins in its first two games at Southwest Missouri State and at home vs. Bradley, the Tigers have continued two streaks of success.
? ? ? Mizzou has identical 22-7 (.759) records in both season-openers and home-openers. The Tigers have now won its last three and six of its last seven home-openers, and MU has won its last eight and 15 of 16 games to start a season.
BARR CLIMBING CAREER CHARTS
Senior guard Kerensa Barr is already a member of MU's career top-10 lists in 3-point field goals made and attempted, as well as assists and steals. She needs just 157 points to become the 22nd member of Missouri's 1,000-point club, and could finish her career as the Tigers' all-time assist leader, as well as the school's most accurate free-throw shooter in its history.
MIZZOU TAKES EARLY VALLEY LEAD
The Missouri Valley Conference schedule doesn't officially start until January 2, and the Tigers are still proud members of the Big 12 Conference, yet MU is 2-0 against "The Valley" with its season-opening wins this past Saturday at SMS and Tuesday vs. Bradley.
? ? ? Mizzou is now 56-25 (.691) all-time against the Missouri Valley Conference. The Tigers will have a third game against a Valley opponent this year when MU plays at Northern Iowa on Wednesday, Dec. 11.
TIGERS START NEW HOME STREAK vs. BRADLEY
Missouri had its 17-game non-conference home winning streak snapped with its WNIT loss to Alabama at the end of last season, yet the Bradley win has the Tigers started on a new streak.
? ? ? Mizzou still holds a 168-36 record against out-of-league foes at the Hearnes Center, an impressive 82.4 percent success rate at home. The Tigers are now 23-2 (.920) at home in the non-conference season in their five years under Cindy Stein.
STREAK, PT. II
With its three 3-pointers vs. Bradley on Tuesday, the Missouri streak of making at least one 3-point field goal has extended to 103 games.
? ? ? The Tigers have not been held without a trey since a 78-54 loss at Baylor on Jan. 27, 1999. At the Hearnes Center, the span of time is even longer, as the Tigers have made a 3-pointer in every home contest since an 87-76 win over Louisville on Dec. 5, 1998 - a streak of 53 straight games.
SATURDAY PROVIDES SEASON HIGHS
Just one game into a season, everything in the box score will result in a season high or low. However, there were two items of note from last Saturday's game at Southwest Missouri State.
? ? ? Mizzou's 19 steals at SMS were one higher than the Tigers had in any game last year. In addition, their 12 turnovers were two fewer than in any game last year.
FISHER's SWEET VS. OLD TEAM
Junior F/C Melanie Fisher had an excellent performance in Saturday's game against her former teammates, as the one-time Lady Bear finished with 12 points, six rebounds, and a career-high six steals. In addition, her five field goals tied a career high.
LOZIER PLUNDERS WAY TO C-H
Fisher wasn't the only one picking the pockets of SMS players on a frequent basis Saturday. Junior G Tracy Lozier recorded a career-high five steals in the Tigers' win. Lozier was fifth on the team in steals a year ago with 31. She also had seven points, two rebounds and two assists, and drew the Tigers' first charge of the season. Lozier averaged 4.1 points and 2.1 rebounds last year.
BOND ... LATOYA BOND
Freshman guard LaToya Bond has impressed folks early on with her play. The Urbana, Ill., native scored in double figures in both of Mizzou's exhibition games, including a game-high 17 points in the exhibition finale against Truman State.
? ? ? Bond made her official debut by scoring eight points and notching three steals in 17 minutes off the bench. Bond was 3-of-4 from the field, including 2-of-3 from 3-point range. She hit a key trey in each half that helped stave off SMS rallies, and added a nifty scoop layup with the shot clock winding down that provided the final points of Mizzou's first win in Springfield since 1987.
TIGERS SIGN THREE TO NATIONAL LETTERS-OF-INTENT
Three prep standouts have signed National Letters-of-Intent to enroll at the University of Missouri and play women's basketball, Head Coach Cindy Stein announced on Wednesday, Nov. 13.
? ? ? Blair Hardiek, a 5-foot-7 guard from Effingham (Ill.) High School, EeTisha Riddle, a 6-foot-3 forward from O'Fallon (Ill.) Township High School, and Carlynn Savant, a 6-foot-1 forward from Trinity High School in Euless, Texas, are Stein's newest crop of Tigers.
? ? ? "I see all three of these players having an immediate impact on our program," said Stein. "We are very excited about this class and feel strongly that they will establish themselves among Missouri's best. These three young women are talented competitors, excellent students and wonderful people. They will bring class, intensity and a strong work ethic."
? ? ? Hardiek earned First Team All-State honors from the Chicago Sun-Times, Second Team All-State plaudits from the Champaign News-Gazette and special mention on the Chicago Tribune All-State team last season, when she averaged 24.5 points and seven rebounds in leading Effingham to a school-record 20 wins. She also had a school-record 40 blocks as a point guard. Hardiek has earned Honorable Mention All-America honors from Street & Smith each of the past two years. Effingham's Most Valuable Player each of her three seasons to date and its captain this year, Hardiek chose Mizzou over USC, Kansas State, Xavier, Tulsa, and Cal.
? ? ? "Blair is a true point guard with a fierce competitiveness and confidence that is needed to be successful at this level," Stein says. "She is quick and can defend in the full court with endless energy. Blair has fine passing skills and sees the floor extremely well. She is also a scorer whether it's through penetration or spotting up for the 3-point shot."
? ? ? Riddle averaged 20.2 points and 11 rebounds and helped the Panthers to a 22-5 record last season. She also had 94 blocks, and was an 85-percent free-throw shooter. An Honorable Mention All-Stater by the Chicago Tribune and a Champaign News-Gazette Second-Team All-State member, Riddle chose Missouri over Illinois, Southwest Missouri State, Indiana and Kansas State. She is also a two-time Belleville News-Democrat first-team all-conference and all-area performer.
? ? ? "EeTisha is an excellent athlete who will just get better and better," comments Stein. "She is a force inside. She has the athleticism to jump and shoot over taller defenders, the quickness of a guard and the soft hands that can catch anything thrown her way. She is a great rebounder, and her aggressiveness on the boards is a key strength."
? ? ? Savant is a two-time Player of the Year for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram Northeast area; she earned first-team selection to the Texas Assocation of Basketball Coaches Class 5A (largest-school classification) last season, when she averaged 20.4 points and 9.6 rebounds. Savant participated last summer in USA Basketball's Women's Youth Development Festival as one of the nation's top 48 rising prep seniors, and she was recognized as an adidas Top Ten Camp Upperclass All-Star. She chose Mizzou over Arkansas, TCU, Rice and Southwest Missouri State. Carlynn's twin brother, Zach, plays high-school football.
? ? ? "Carlynn is a prolific scorer - she can score from anywhere! She has the ability to post up, penetrate to the basket or pop the 3-point shot. Her versatility will be one of her key assets in our program. Carlynn is an intense competitor with excellent court sense. She is also a tremendous student and active member of the student organizations at Trinity High School."
? ? ? The three signings comprise Missouri's complete recruiting class for the 2003-04 basketball season.
TIGERS SEEKING TO CONTINUE POSTSEASON STREAK
With its appearance in last year's Women's National Invitation Tournament, the Tigers have advanced to the postseason in each of the past three seasons. It's the longest such streak since the Tigers went to five straight NCAA Tournaments from 1981-82 through 1985-86.
? ? ? The streak of success began with a trip to the second round of the WNIT in 1999-2000 - Cindy Stein's second season as head coach at Mizzou - and continued in 2001-02 with the Tigers' first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 1994, as MU advanced to the Sweet Sixteen.
TIGERS SEVENTH, EIGHTH IN BIG 12 POLLS
Both the coaches and the media have weighed in on the Big 12 Conference race; the coaches have selected the Tigers eighth, while the media came out last week with a seventh-place prediction for MU. The Big 12 sent seven teams to the NCAA Tournament last year.
? ? ? Texas Tech was chosen by both the coaches and the media to win the Big 12 Conference regular-season title.