Jan. 24, 2003
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| TIPOFF: 1:00 p.m. CST. | ||||
| ARENA: Hearnes Center (13,611). Opened in 1972. MU is 266-90 (.747) here alltime, including 25-25 in Big 12 Conference play. | ||||
| RADIO: KWWC-FM 98.5 (David Lile, play-by-play/Jessica Jenkins, color). Also available on the Internet at www.mutigers.com. | ||||
| TV: None. | ||||
| COACHES: | ||||
| Missouri: Cindy Stein (Illinois '84), 75-59 at MU (5th season), 139-84 overall (8th season).
Oklahoma State: Julie Goodenough (UT-Arlington '91), 5-11 at OSU (1st season), 193-65 overall (10th season). |
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TIGERS GO FOR THIRD STRAIGHT SATURDAY AGAINST COWGIRLS
The Missouri women's basketball team welcomes Oklahoma State to the Hearnes Center this Saturday, Jan. 25, for a 1 p.m. tipoff and a chance to register its first three-game winning streak of the season.
? ? ? This week, the Tigers strung together back-to-back wins for the third time this season after winning at Iowa State (86-55) on Sunday and against Nebraska (65-53) on Wednesday night at the Hearnes Center.
? ? ? The Cowgirls are coming off their second straight loss, a 64-50 decision at Colorado on Wednesday that followed a 95-54 loss at Texas Tech last Saturday. Their lone Big 12 win came at home 10 days ago against Kansas.
ABOUT OKLAHOMA STATE...
The Cowgirls are under the direction of first-year head coach Julie Goodenough, who came to Stillwater after compiling a 188-54 record (.777) over nine seasons at Hardin-Simmons College.
? ? ? Oklahoma State has yet to win on an opponents' home floor this season, and is 2-7 overall away from Gallagher-Iba Arena.
? ? ? Senior center Trisha Skibbe, who earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention last season, is averaging 15.9 points and 6.8 rebounds per game for Oklahoma State. She is the only Cowgirl averaging in double-figure scoring.
? ? ? The Cowgirls and Tigers have played just one common opponent in Texas, which beat OSU by 33 points (77-44) in Austin just three days before beating the Tigers by 11 (70-59) in Columbia.
OSU SERIES...
Missouri leads it, 23-18, including a 12-5 mark in Columbia. The Tigers have won three out of the last four games overall and the last two in Columbia, yet Oklahoma State won last year's meeting by a 73-57 margin in Stillwater.
? ? ? The Tigers won the last contest in Columbia, in 2001, 65-62.
LAST TIME OUT: MISSOURI 65, NEBRASKA 53
Junior forward Stretch James 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.
BARR CLIMBING CAREER CHARTS
Senior guard Kerensa Barr, who is expected to make her 80th start of her career on Saturday, needs just five points to become the 22nd member of Missouri's 1,000-point club after her 11-point performance against Nebraska Wednesday night. She has played in each of Missouri's 106 games over her four-year career.
? ? ? 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. She added five assists against No. 20 Texas on Jan. 11, making her the 10th player in Big 12 history to record 400 career assists. She is 60 away from equalling Amy Fordham's school record.
? ? ? With 13 games guaranteed to remain on the Tigers' schedule, Barr needs to average roughly 4.6 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 Jan. 8 at Baylor. She's currently fourth on that list after passing Fordham on Jan. 22 vs. Nebraska.
? ? ? Barr is just the fifth player in Big 12 history to record 400 assists and 200 steals in a career.
? ? ? 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.
TIGERS GEAR UP FOR FEB. 2 "HEAD TO THE HEARNES" CAMPAIGN
The Tigers' game against Colorado next Sunday, Feb. 2, has been designated as the annual "Head to the Hearnes" ticket promotion. Missouri will attempt to sell out the Hearnes Center and break the school's all-time women's basketball attendance record of 10,321 fans set last year against Kansas
? ? ? Fans, community and business groups may buy tickets for just $1, and may also buy blocks of tickets to donate back to the athletic department for use by local youth organizations. To place an order, call (573) 882-0710.
ALL GOOD THINGS...
Stat junkies worldwide were saddended on Saturday upon hearing that the Missouri women failed to hit at least one 3-pointer in a game for the first time in nearly four years - a streak of 115 games. The Tigers had not been held without a trey since a 78-54 loss at Baylor on Jan. 27, 1999.
? ? ? In addition, MU's streak of 58 straight games at the Hearnes Center - spanning more than four years dating back to an 87-76 win over Louisville on Dec. 5, 1998 - also came to an end. Streak-watchers rejoiced, though, upon learning that Missouri's 506-game winning streak when out-scoring the other team remained mercifully intact.