Nov. 30, 2002
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - Charlotte Green made four 3-pointers on her way to a career-high-tying 24 points, and Louisiana-Lafayette sank 10 3-pointers, as the Ragin' Cajuns won their first game of the season with a 67-59 decision over Missouri in the consolation game of the Flint Hills Resources Islander Classic, held Saturday night in Corpus Christi, Texas.
Green was just part of the long-distance equation for ULL. Sharee Glenn added a season-high 19 points with another four treys, and Sarah Richey had 13 points down low for ULL (1-3).
Junior forward Evan Unrau (Fort Collins, Colo. / Rocky Mountain HS) led Missouri with 16 points, while junior forward Terianne Wolford (Nixa, Mo. / Nixa HS) came off the bench to score a season-high 14 points. Junior forward Melanie Fisher (St. Louis, Mo. / Principia HS / Southwest Missouri State) had a game-high 14 rebounds to go with six points for the Tigers (2-2).
Louisiana-Lafayette shot lights-out for the entire first half, starting out at a 5-of-8 clip, including 3-of-4 from 3-point range, in staking a 13-9 lead in the first four minutes. The Ragin' Cajuns did the most damage from long range, hitting their first three baskets, and four of their first six, on 3-pointers.
Sharee Glenn, a 5-foot-6 guard, hit for 13 first-half points on 5-of-10 shooting, including 3-of-5 from 3-point range. In all, ULL was 6-of-9 from long range in the first 20 minutes.
The Tigers did get a late first-half surge from Wolford, who drew two charges as the Cajuns moved to a penetrating offense after stretching the defense out. Yet ULL shot nearly 60 percent for the half to just 35 percent for Mizzou.
In the second half, Wolford hit two long jumpers and seemed to spark the Tigers forward, yet the Cajuns seemed to have an answer for every rally for most of the second half. Senior guard Kerensa Barr (West Plains, Mo. / West Plains HS) hit a 3-pointer with 2:28 left to bring Mizzou within eight at 62-54, then freshman guard LaToya Bond (Urbana, Ill. / Urbana HS) sank an unbelievable putback of a Barr miss with 60 seconds left to cap a 6-0 run and make the score 62-57.
The Tigers return to action next Friday and Saturday, Dec. 6-7, to host the 25th annual Unilever Tiger Classic at the Hearnes Center. Mizzou will face McNeese State in the first round at 7 p.m. on Friday, and either UMKC or Austin Peay on Saturday at 7 p.m. UMKC and APSU will open the Unilever Tiger Classic at 5 p.m. on Friday. For ticket information, call 1-800-CAT-PAWS (884-PAWS in mid-Missouri).