Dec. 17, 2002
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| TIPOFF: 1:30 p.m. CST. | ||||
| ARENA: Savvis Center (22,135). MU is 91-68 (.572) all-time on neutral courts, including 0-2 against the Illini at Savvis Center. | ||||
| RADIO: KFRU-AM 1400 (David Lile, play-by-play/Gary Link, color). Also available on the Internet at www.mutigers.com. | ||||
| TV: None. | ||||
| RANKINGS: Illinois received votes in the Dec. 17 Associated Press Poll. | ||||
| COACHES: | ||||
| Missouri: Cindy Stein (Illinois '84), 71-55 at MU (5th season), 136-80 overall (8th season).
Illinois: Theresa Grentz (Immaculata '74), 137-88 at UI (8th season), and 598-243 overall (29th season). |
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TIGERS BRACE FOR "BRAGGIN' RIGHTS" TEST SATURDAY
The Missouri women's basketball team, after completing its fall-semester final exams, prepares for another test on Saturday when the Tigers play Illinois (6-2) in the annual "Busch Braggin' Rights" game at Savvis Center in St. Louis.
? ? ? Mizzou (4-3) hasn't played since a solid 89-77 win at Northern Iowa last Wednesday, Dec. 11. In that game, junior guard Tracy Lozier made each of her five 3-point tries on her way to a career-high 19 points.
? ? ? Illinois is coming off of a 72-67 loss to No. 15 Mississippi State in Chicago last Saturday. The Illini had 23 turnovers in the game.
ABOUT ILLINOIS...
The Fighting Illini are 6-2 on the year, yet their two losses have come in the last three games. In addition to the MSU loss, Illinois also fell at Arizona by two points two weeks ago.
? ? ? Illinois has five players -- and four starters -- scoring in double figures, led by guard Tiffanie Guthrie's 14.6 points-per-game average. Forward Cindy Dallas is just one rebound shy of averaging a double-double for the year (12.0 ppg / 9.9 rpg).
ILLINOIS SERIES...
For as close as the two schools are to each other, the Missouri-Illinois series is just eight games old. This is the third straight year the two schools have played at Savvis Center, and the second time the women's game has been played as a doubleheader with the men.
? ? ? Saturday's game is the ninth between the states bordering the Mississippi River, and Illinois leads the all-time series by a 5-3 count.
? ? ? The series has been streaky, to say the least. Mizzou won the first three games by an average of over 11 points per game, yet Illinois has won the last five -- including both games at Savvis Center -- by an average of 17 points.
STEIN FACES ALMA MATER FOR THIRD TIME
Missouri Head Coach Cindy Stein goes against her alma mater's squad for the third time in her coaching career on Saturday.
? ? ? Stein, a 1984 UI graduate, wore the Orange and Blue for two years (1981-82 and '82-83), and posted what are still the second- and fourth-highest single-season assist totals in Illini history.
PAIR OF ST. LOUIS NATIVES SUIT UP FOR SAVVIS SHOWDOWN
Saturday's game isn't just a border battle; it's also a homecoming for two of Missouri's players.
? ? ? Before transferring to Mizzou from Southwest Missouri State, junior forward Melanie Fisher prepped at Principia, where she earned all-state honors after averaging 18 points and 14 rebounds as a senior.
? ? ? Freshman Cherice Mack makes her first trip to the Savvis as a collegian after starring for four years at St. Charles High. Mack was a two-time St. Charles County Player of the Year, and averaged 17.8 points and 9.1 rebounds for her career.
? ? ? Fisher and Mack are the only St. Louis-area natives on either team.
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BARR FINALIST FOR SOCRATES AWARD
Kerensa Barr has been selected as one of eight finalists for the fourth annual Socrates Award, given annually by Sporting News Radio and the March of Dimes to the college athlete who best exemplifies excellence in athletics and academics. Barr was the only women's basketball player in the nation to be included among the eight.
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BOND GOES VS. HOMETOWN FOE
Freshman guard and Urbana, Ill., native LaToya Bond will play her hometown's university for the first time this Saturday.
? ? ? Bond was an honorable mention all-state selection by the Chicago Tribune, and helped Urbana to the 2001 IHSA Class AA Sweet 16.
? ? ? Bond has played in all seven games for the Tigers to date, and is sixth on the team with her 6.3 points per game. She has also made half of her 12 3-point attempts, which leads the team.
NEXT UP: BIG TEN CHALLENGE
Missouri is not participating in the challenge games set up by the Big Ten and Big 12 Conferences this year (those games will be played between Iowa/Kansas State and Ohio State/Texas on Jan. 5), yet the Tigers have their own challenges ahead of them against the Big Ten these next two weeks. After the Tigers' game with Illinois, Mizzou plays at Iowa on Sunday, Dec. 29.
? ? ? Missouri is 13-13 all-time against the Big Ten; the Tigers' last game against a foe other than Illinois from that league was a 71-68 win against Wisconsin in the first round of the 2001 NCAA Tournament in Athens, Ga. That win led to the Tigers' upset at No. 4-ranked and second-seeded Georgia, which put Mizzou into the Sweet Sixteen for just the second time in school history.
LAST TIME OUT: MU 89, UNI 77
Behind a career-high 19 points from sophomore guard Tracy Lozier, the Missouri women's basketball team registered a solid 89-77 win at Northern Iowa in non-conference action last Wednesday, Dec. 11, at the West Gym in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Lozier's night included a career-high five 3-pointers - on five attempts - and was 6-of-7 overall for MU (4-3).
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 can claim the early lead in "The Valley" with wins to start the season at SMS and vs. Bradley, and again last Wednesday at Northern Iowa.
? ? ? Mizzou is now 57-25 (.695) all-time against the Missouri Valley Conference.
TIGERS TAKING CARE OF THE BALL
Any coach will tell you that preventing turnovers are paramount to the success of a team, and the Tigers are doing that better this year than at any point in Cindy Stein's five years at Mizzou.
? ? ? This season's team has committed 103 turnovers in its seven games, an average of 15.3 per game. Helping the average was Mizzou's 10 turnovers against Austin Peay; those 10 were MU's fewest in a game since January 31, 2001 -- a span of 48 games -- when the Tigers had six vs. Iowa State. Here's how MU's 15.3 turnovers a game ranks against Coach Stein's previous four years at MU:
Season Gms. TO TO/Gm. 1998-99 28 571 20.4 1999-00 30 560 18.7 2000-01 32 556 17.4 2001-02 29 558 19.2 4-Yr. Avg. 119 2,245 18.9 2002-03 7 107 15.3As a result of fewer turnovers, Missouri's team assist-to-turnover ratio has also improved from previous years:
Season Ast TO Ratio 1998-99 428 571 0.75 1999-00 490 560 0.88 2000-01 507 556 0.91 2001-02 426 558 0.76 4-Yr. Avg. 1,851 2,245 0.82 2002-03 103 107 0.96
UNRAU's REBOUNDING DOWNRIGHT OFFENSIVE
Junior forward Evan Unrau's 13 rebounds against Austin Peay on Dec. 7 not only put her into the team lead in rebounding, it put her at the top of the Big 12 charts.
? ? ? Eleven of Unrau's 13 boards came on the offensive end, giving her 25 for the season (she now has 31). Her 4.4 offensive rebounds per game leads the Big 12 by a relatively comfortable margin.
? ? ? Overall, Unrau's 8.6 rebounds per game rank her third in the league behind only Kansas State sophomore Kendra Wecker (9.4) and Baylor freshman Sophia Young (9.2).
? ? ? In addition, Unrau's 16.6 points-per-game average have her eighth overall.
GLANCES STOLEN
Senior guard Kerensa Barr had seven steals for the second time in three games last Wednesday at Northern Iowa, giving her a team-high 25 on the year. She also had seven picks against McNeese State on Dec. 6.
? ? ? Barr's 3.57 steals-per-game average ranks as the second-highest total in the Big 12 Conference.
? ? ? For the season, Barr is averaging 12.7 points, 4.9 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game. Those totals rank her second, third, and first, respectively, on the team this year.
BARR CLIMBING CAREER CHARTS
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 99 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.
? ? ? In addition, Barr has currently passed Julie Helm as Mizzou's most accurate free-throw shooter in its history. If she sinks 80 percent or more of her remaining free throws, Barr will finish as the record-holder.
LOZIER GOES OFF VS. UNI
Early in the season, some questioned the decision to start junior guard Tracy Lozier because of her perceived lack of offensive firepower. In addition to her defensive prowess, leadership, and steady, consistent play, Lozier found her shot in a big way last Wednesday at Northern Iowa.
? ? ? Lozier poured in a career-high 19 points in the Tigers' win, hitting six of her seven field-goal attempts and all five of her 3-point tries.
? ? ? For the season, Lozier is fourth on the squad with a 6.9 points-per-game average. She also is second on the team with 20 assists (2.9 apg), and third with 16 steals (2.3 spg).