Jan. 9, 2003
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| TIPOFF: 1:00 p.m. CST. | ||||
| ARENA: Hearnes Center (13,611). Opened in 1972. MU is 265-89 (.749) here alltime, including an even 24-24 in Big 12 Conference play. | ||||
| RADIO: Available over the Tiger Network [KFRU-AM 1400, flagship]. David Lile, play-by-play/Gary Link, color. Also available on the Internet at www.mutigers.com. | ||||
| TV: None. | ||||
| RANKINGS: Texas is ranked No. 20 in both the ESPN/USA Today/WBCA Coaches and Associated Press polls. | ||||
| COACHES: | ||||
| Missouri: Cindy Stein (Illinois '84), 73-58 at MU (5th season), 138-83 overall (8th season).
Texas: Jody Conradt (Baylor '63), 679-200 at UT (27th season), 796-262 overall (34th season). |
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LONGHORNS SERVE AS MIZZOU'S BIG 12 HOME OPENER
The Missouri women's basketball team tries for its first Big 12 win of the 2002-03 season in its conference home opener this Saturday, Jan. 11, against Texas.
? ? ? Despite hanging close throughout the game, Missouri dropped its conference opener at Baylor, 71-65, on Wednesday.
? ? ? The Longhorns come into the game as the 20th-ranked team in the nation by both the coaches and the Associated Press, and are coming off a 77-44 win at the Erwin Center against Oklahoma State.
ABOUT TEXAS...
The Longhorns enter Saturday's contest at 8-4, including 1-0 in the Big 12 after their dominating 77-44 win at home against Oklahoma State on Wednesday.
? ? ? Texas has a one-point home win over current No. 5-ranked Tennessee to its credit, but since that game has gone 2-2. The Longhorns are 8-0 at home this season, but they have yet to win a game on the road to date (0-4).
? ? ? UT is led by sophomore forward Heather Schreiber (13.1 points and 7.5 rebounds per game) and junior forward Stacy Stephens (12.9 ppg/8.4 rpg). Junior Jamie Carey, a transfer from Stanford, and sophomore Kala Bowers are both averaging just over 10 points per game.
? ? ? Texas and Missouri have both played one common opponent this season: The Longhorns defeated McNeese State, 90-25, on Nov. 26, just 11 days before the Tigers beat the Cowgirls by a 74-53 score on Dec. 6.
UT SERIES...
Texas leads it, 8-1, although the series has been much closer in Columbia. Missouri trails just 2-1 here, and won the last contest at the Hearnes Center in 2001 (68-52). Mizzou's two losses in Columbia -- in 1997 and 1999 -- were by seven and five points, respectively.
SKIP TO THE SECOND GAME
With its six-point loss at Baylor on Wednesday, the Tigers moved their record in Big 12 Conference-openers to a puzzling 0-7.
? ? ? Missouri is 3-3 in its second Big 12 game, however, including three straight wins. The last two, against Texas in 2001 and Texas Tech in 2002, have come at home against ranked opponents.
LAST TIME OUT: BAYLOR 71, MU 65
Baylor rode the inside tandem of Steffanie Blackmon and Sophia Young to a 71-65 win over Missouri in the Big 12 Conference women's basketball opener for both teams Wednesday night at the Ferrell Center.
? ? ? Blackmon and Young each scored 22 points to account for nearly two-thirds of the Lady Bears' points. Young also had a team-high 10 rebounds for Baylor (12-1, 1-0 Big 12). Evan Unrau led Missouri (6-6, 0-1) with 20 points and 12 rebounds, while Kerensa Barr added 19 on 5-of-9 shooting from 3-point range.
BAYLOR NOTABLES
Some notes that didn't make their way into Wednesday's post-game recap:
UNRAU ... AND HOW!
That would likely be the reaction from Spanky, the chubby-cheeked member of the Little Rascals gang regarding the play of junior forward Evan Unrau. The honorable mention All-Big 12 member from a year ago leads the Big 12 Conference after one game with her 12-rebound effort at Baylor on Wednesday. Her nine defensive rebounds also were the highest mark among the league's players through the first game.
? ? ? Unrau also scored a team-high 20 points to lead the Tigers in scoring for the second straight game, and ninth time out of 12 overall this year. Her totals of 15.5 points and 8.4 rebounds per game both lead Missouri.
? ? ? The Fort Collins, Colo., native posted her fourth double-double of the season in the Baylor game. She
? ? ? Eleven of Unrau's 13 rebounds vs. Austin Peay on Dec. 7 came on the offensive end, giving her 25 for the season (she now has 46). Her 3.8 offensive rebounds per game is the fourth-best total in the Big 12 Conference.
TIGERS HIGH ON LOZIER
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 on Dec. 11 at Northern Iowa, and has continued her offensive prowess since.
? ? ? Lozier was averaging under 5 points per game coming into the UNI game, yet she 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.
? ? ? She followed that up with a 13-point effort at Iowa on Dec. 29, and added a game-high 17 on Thursday vs. IUPUI and repeated that total last Sunday vs. Saint Louis.
? ? ? Over those five games, Lozier recorded a team-best 13.4 ppg ppg scoring average, shooting better than 53 percent from the field and a team-best 13-of-24 from 3-point range.
? ? ? For the season, Lozier is third on the squad with an 8.5 points-per-game average. She also is second on the team with 33 assists (2.8 apg), and tied for second with 24 steals (2.0 spg).
THROW THIS NOTE AWAY
Coaches preach the value of making free throws, and this season, the Missouri coaching staff has set a goal for the team to make 80 percent of its free throws every day in practice and games.
? ? ? So far this season, the Tigers have accomplished that goal six times in games, and it may not be surprising to find out that Missouri is 5-1 when it makes 80 percent of its free throws. Wednesday was the Tigers' first loss in such a situation.
? ? ? For the season, the Tigers have shot 75.7 percent as a team from the line, which is the third-best mark in the Big 12. In addition, if that number holds for the season, it will shatter the previous school record of 71.7 percent set by the 1980-81 team.
BARR CLIMBING CAREER CHARTS
With her eight assists against Illinois on Dec. 21, senior guard Kerensa Barr moved past Dee Dee Polk as Missouri's No. 2 all-time assist leader. Barr now has 395 career assists, leaving her five from becoming the 10th player in Big 12 history to record 400 career assists; she is also 75 away from equalling Amy Fordham's school record.
? ? ? With 16 games guaranteed to remain on the Tigers' schedule, Barr needs to average roughly 4.7 assists per game to surpass Fordham's mark.
? ? ? Barr is already a member of MU's career top-5 lists in 3-point field goals made and attempted, as well as steals after passing Sandie Prophete (1986-89) with her 200th career pick Wednesday night. She also needs just 43 points to become the 22nd member of Missouri's 1,000-point club.
? ? ? Finally, Barr has currently passed Julie Helm as Mizzou's most accurate free-throw shooter in school history. If she sinks 80 percent or more of her remaining free throws, Barr will finish as the record-holder.