University of Missouri
Iowa
Faulkner Paces Iowa Women to 87-65 Win Over Missouri
12/29/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 29, 2002
IOWA CITY, Iowa - Kristi Faulkner scored a career-high 25 points, and the Missouri women's basketball team committed a season-high-tying 22 turnovers as Iowa defeated the Tigers by an 87-65 count Sunday afternoon at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Jennie Lillis added 17 points and seven rebounds for the Hawkeyes (8-2), who owned a 47-26 edge in rebounding to offset 25 turnovers of their own. In addition to shooting better than 50 percent from the field, Iowa outscored the Tigers 24-6 at the free-throw line.
Junior guard MyEsha Perkins (Detroit, Mich. / Oak Park HS / Trinity Valley [Texas] JC) had a career-high 16 points to lead Missouri, which placed four players in double figures. Junior guard Tracy Lozier (Leawood, Kan. / Blue Valley North HS) added 13 points and a game-high five steals.
Missouri (4-5) missed six of its first seven shots in the first 5 minutes and also sent the Hawkeyes to the free-throw line early, yet trailed just 5-2 at the first media timeout. Iowa took a 20-11 lead with 7:44 left in the first - mostly on back-door layups run through its triangle offense - yet the Tigers pulled to within 22-17 after Perkins hit a 3-pointer and made a conventional 3-point play on consecutive possessions.
Iowa stormed back with a 12-2 run - fueled by several Missouri turnovers - over the next 2 minutes. Missouri committed 11 first-half turnovers, just under five fewer than its 40-minute average.
Sophomore guard Lauren Podratz (Maple Grove, Minn. / Osseo HS) hit back-to-back 3-pointers to pull the Tigers to within 36-27 on the way to a 40-29 halftime deficit. Podratz finished with a career-high-tying eight points.
The Hawkeyes stormed out of the second-half gate much as they did in the first by going on a 6-2 run. Missouri kept pace for the next few minutes, and the Tigers pulled to within nine (58-49) with 11:09 left when Lozier made a steal, drove coast-to-coast and made a circus layup while being fouled. Iowa hit key shots, along with their free throws, however, down the stretch to preserve UI's homecourt win.
"I think Iowa's a good team, and every time we had a spurt, they had an answer," said head coach Cindy Stein. "We're going through some growing pains right now, but we have to be able to put the ball in the basket. We're in a position that we'll see what we're made of. I believe that this team has what it takes to get it done. We're going to stay positive, go back to work on Monday, and get after it."
The Tigers return to the Hearnes Center this Thursday, Jan. 2, when Missouri hosts IUPUI at 7 p.m. For ticket information, stop by the Hearnes Center Box Office or call 1-800-CAT-PAWS (573-884-PAWS in Mid-Missouri).
