Jan. 22, 2003
COLUMBIA, Mo. - Junior forward Stretch James (Columbus, Ohio / Northland HS / Tyler [Texas] JC) scored a Missouri career-high 18 points and added three assists to give head coach Cindy Stein an excellent birthday present with a 65-53 win over Nebraska at the Hearnes Center on Wednesday. It is the Tigers' second straight win, and puts Missouri (8-7, 2-2 Big 12) back above .500 for the first time in two weeks.
James was one of four Tigers to score in double figures. Junior forward Evan Unrau (Fort Collins, Colo. / Rocky Mountain HS) picked up her second straight double-double, and sixth overall, with 11 points and 12 rebounds. Senior guard Kerensa Barr (West Plains, Mo. / West Plains HS) added 11 points and four assists, and junior forward Melanie Fisher (St. Louis, Mo. / Principia HS / Southwest Missouri State) was 4-for-4 from the field and made both of her free throws on her way to 10 points.
James picked up where she left off in the first half of the Iowa State game, hitting for nine points and a season-high three assists even before the first half had expired. After Nebraska (7-8, 0-4 Big 12) staked itself to an 18-12 lead, James and her teammates went to work, going on an 11-2 run to pull ahead by two (23-21). Freshman guard LaToya Bond (Urbana, Ill. / Urbana HS) hit an 18-foot jumper, and junior guard Tracy Lozier (Leawood, Kan. / Blue Valley North HS) hit a runner off an inbounds play with 6 seconds left to give the Tigers a 29-27 halftime lead.
The Tigers (8-7, 2-2 Big 12) forced Nebraska to turn the ball over on its first two possessions of the second half, and a James layup gave the Tigers a 36-27 lead with 16:48 left. After the Huskers scored the next time down the court, Mizzou went off on a 13-0 run that covered a time span of 4:25. Nebraska missed its first two shot attempts before the Tigers forced turnovers on the next seven Husker possessions; Nebraska finished with 26 turnovers for the game.
"We feel very fortunate to come out of this with a victory," said Stein. "We were a little flat; I think everyone in the whole building was a little flat today. We're fortunate that we played well enough to win, and we know we have to continue to put good games together. The big thing is we got the 'W'. Stretch had a really good game and really took it at them. We wanted to establish our inside game, and they were doing a good job of guarding on the perimeter."
It figured little in the outcome, but Missouri did miss each of its nine 3-point attempts, marking the first time since Jan. 27, 1999 - a span of 115 games - that the Tigers failed to can a trey. It was also the first time in over four years (Dec. 5, 1998, or 58 games ago) that Missouri made no 3-pointers.
The Tigers conclude their two-game homestand this Saturday, Jan. 25, against Oklahoma State. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. at the Hearnes Center. To purchase tickets or for more information, call 1-800-CAT-PAWS (573-884-PAWS in Mid-Missouri).