Jan. 7, 2003
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| TIPOFF: 7:00 p.m. CST. | ||||
| ARENA: Ferrell Center (10,284). Opened in 1988. MU is 1-3 (.250) here alltime. | ||||
| RADIO: KFRU-AM 1400 (David Lile, play-by-play/Jessica Jenkins, color). Also available on the Internet at www.mutigers.com. | ||||
| TV: None. | ||||
| RANKINGS: Baylor is receiving votes in the Jan. 6 Associated Press poll. | ||||
| COACHES: | ||||
| Missouri: Cindy Stein (Illinois '84), 73-57 at MU (5th season), 138-82 overall (8th season).
Baylor: Kim Mulkey-Robertson (Louisiana Tech '84), 59-16 overall (3rd season). |
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TIGERS OPEN BIG 12 PLAY WITH ROAD TEST AT BAYLOR
The Missouri women's basketball team opens its 2003 Big 12 Conference season this Wednesday, Jan. 8, when the Tigers travel to Waco, Texas, to face the Baylor Bears at the Ferrell Center.
? ? ? The Tigers are coming off a two-game homestand that saw wins over IUPUI (73-45) last Thursday and Saint Louis (72-62) on Sunday.
? ? ? Baylor is playing its first game of the New Year and will try to shake the rust off a 10-day layoff. In their last game, the Bears defeated North Texas by a score of 83-49.
ABOUT BAYLOR
The Bears enter Tuesday's contest with a sparkling 11-1 record, and are 8-0 in the friendly confines of the Ferrell Center.
? ? ? Baylor is coming off a 10-day layoff following the conclusion of a successful two-game homestand against North Texas and Mercer. The Lady Bears won those games by an impressive average of 43.5 points to bolster their average margin of victory to 34.5 points. That number, along with several others, leads the Big 12 Conference.
? ? ? In addition to the winning margin, the Bears lead the Big 12 Conference in 10 other categories: scoring offense and scoring defense, field-goal percentage and field-goal defense, 3-point field goal percentage, total rebounding, defensive rebounds, rebound margin, assists and assist-to-turnover ratio. The Bears have topped the 100-point plateau on three occassions.
? ? ? Sophomore Steffanie Blackmon is second in the league with her 20.2 points-per-game scoring average, and freshman Sophia Young leads the league in rebounding (9.7 rpg). In addition, junior Jessika Stratton leads the league in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.9-to-1).
BU SERIES
Wednesday's game will be the 10th all-time between the Tigers and Lady Bears, and Baylor has a two-game winning streak to go with its 6-3 series edge.
? ? ? Missouri has lost three straight at the Ferrell Center -- including a 97-81 loss in the 2000-01 "Sweet Sixteen" season -- after winning its only contest in Waco back on Jan. 2, 1990. The Tigers' other wins came in Kansas City during the 1999 Big 12 Tournament, and in 2000 in Columbia.
SKIP TO THE SECOND GAME
The Tigers will try to reverse a disturbing streak on Wednesday: Missouri has never won its Big 12 Conference opener, losing all six of its first conference games.
? ? ? Here's a look at the recent league lid-lifters:
Season Date Opp. Score 1996-97 Jan. 4 @ Iowa State 50-61 1997-98 Jan. 4 TEXAS TECH 65-79 1998-99 Jan. 3 @ Nebraska 67-83 1999-00 Jan. 5 IOWA STATE 67-79 2000-01 Jan. 3 @ Texas Tech 64-82 2001-02 Jan. 6 @ Oklahoma State 57-73
? ? ? Missouri is 3-3 in its second Big 12 game, however, including three straight wins (with the last two coming over ranked opponents).
LAST TIME OUT: MU 72, SLU 62
Junior forward Evan Unrau led all players with 19 points and 12 rebounds to register her third double-double of the season, and the Missouri women's basketball team canned eight 3-pointers on the way to a 72-62 win Sunday over Saint Louis in the Tigers' final non-conference game of the season.
SLU-GAME NOTABLES
Sunday's win over Saint Louis marked:
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 on Sunday vs. Saint Louis.
? ? ? Over the last five games, that gives Lozier a team-best 13.4 ppg ppg scoring average. Over that time frame, Lozier is shooting better than 53 percent from the field and is a team-best 13-of-24 from 3-point range (.542).
? ? ? For the season, Lozier is third on the squad with an 8.7 points-per-game average. She also is second on the team with 28 assists (2.5 apg), and tied for second with 24 steals (2.1 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 five times in games, and it may not be surprising to find out that Missouri is 5-0 when it makes 80 percent of its free throws.
? ? ? For the season, the Tigers have shot 75.1 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.
TIGERS TAKING CARE OF THE BALL
Or more accurately, taking better care than its opponents. The Tigers are forcing an average of 5.0 more turnovers per game than they are committing.
? ? ? 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 184 turnovers in its 11 games, an average of 16.7 per game. That average is the lowest in Cindy Stein's tenure at MU.
? ? ? 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.
? ? ? As a result of fewer turnovers, Missouri's team assist-to-turnover ratio has also improved from previous years:
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 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 17 games guaranteed to remain on the Tigers' schedule, Barr needs to average roughly 4.5 assists per game to surpass Fordham's mark.
? ? ? Barr is already a member of MU's career top-10 lists in 3-point field goals made and attempted, as well as steals. She needs just 62 points to become the 22nd member of Missouri's 1,000-point club.
? ? ? 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.
? ? ? For an updated list of MU career records, consult the sidebar on page 6.
HOME SWEET HOME
Mizzou holds a 171-37 record against out-of-league foes at the Hearnes Center, an impressive 82.2 percent success rate at home. The Tigers are now 26-3 (.897) at home in the non-conference season in their five years under Cindy Stein.
MIZZOU TAKES EARLY VALLEY LEAD
The Missouri Valley Conference schedule didn't officially start until Thursday, 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, vs. Bradley, and at Northern Iowa.
? ? ? With those three wins, Mizzou is now 57-25 (.695) all-time against the Missouri Valley Conference.
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 43). Her 3.9 offensive rebounds per game is the fourth-best total in the Big 12 Conference.
? ? ? Overall, Unrau's 8.1 rebounds per game rank her eighth in the league. In addition, Unrau's 15.1 points-per-game average have her ranked 11th in the league.
BOND ... JAMES & BOND
Freshman guard LaToya Bond and junior forward Stretch James have both impressed folks early on with their play.
? ? ? Bond, an Urbana, Ill., native, had a breakout game against her hometown's Illini at the Busch Braggin' Rights game on Dec. 21. She finished with career highs of 11 points and six rebounds, and keyed a Tiger first-half comeback along with James by making a pair of slicing layups, then hitting a runner as the halftime buzzer sounded.
? ? ? James, who is also in her first season with the Tigers after earning JUCO All-America honors at Tyler (Texas) JC, has scored in double figures in four of the last seven games, including a career-high 16 points against Saint Louis on Sunday.
? ? ? James (8.3 ppg) and Bond (6.0 ppg) are fourth and fifth, respectively, in scoring for the Tigers, while James' 4.4 rebounds per contest are tied for third on the team with Kerensa Barr.
GLANCES STOLEN
Senior guard Kerensa Barr had seven steals for the second time in three games on Dec. 11 at Northern Iowa; she now has a team-high 29 on the year. She also had seven picks against McNeese State on Dec. 6.
? ? ? Barr's 2.64 steals-per-game average ties for the third-highest total in the Big 12 Conference.
? ? ? For the season, Barr is averaging 11.5 points, 4.4 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game. Those totals rank her second, third, and first, respectively, on the team this year.
UNRAU NAMED TO UNILEVER TIGER CLASSIC ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Junior forward Evan Unrau (Fort Collins, Colo. / Rocky Mountain HS) was named to the Unilever Tiger Classic All-Tournament Team.
? ? ? Unrau averaged 17.5 points and 9.5 rebounds over the two games. She earned her first double-double of the season in Saturday's championship-game loss to Austin Peay, when she posted totals of 15 points and a game-high 13 rebounds, including 11 on the offensive end. She has led the Tigers in scoring in each of Mizzou's six games.
? ? ? It is the second such honor for the Tiger this season, as she was named to the Flint Hills Resources Islander Classic squad the previous weekend for her efforts at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
MIZZOU JOINS THE 500 CLUB
With its 77-76 win against Bradley at the Hearnes Center on Tuesday, Nov. 26, Missouri became the 51st school in NCAA history to record 500 wins in its history.
? ? ? The Tigers are now 504-327 in their 29th year as a program.
? ? ? Only 29 schools are known to have achieved the total faster than Mizzou.
STREAKY SHOOTERS
In Missouri's game against Illinois on Dec. 22, the Tigers had missed their first nine 3-point attempts, endangering MU's record of consecutive games with a 3-pointer. Evan Unrau hit one with 3:18 remaining against the Illini, however, keeping the streak alive. With the Tigers' eight treys vs. Saint Louis on Sunday, Missouri's streak is now at 112 games.
? ? ? The Tigers have not been held without a 3-pointer since a 78-54 loss at Baylor on Jan. 27, 1999. At the Hearnes Center, the span of time is even longer, as the Tigers have made a 3-pointer in every home contest since an 87-76 win over Louisville on Dec. 5, 1998 - a streak of 57 straight games.