Feb. 20, 2003
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| TIPOFF: 3:00 p.m. (2:00 p.m. MST). | ||||
| ARENA: Coors Events Conference Center (1,064). Opened in 1979. MU is 153-166 (.480) alltime on the road, including 5-16 (.238) at Colorado and 12-42 (.222) in Big 12 Conference road play. | ||||
| RADIO: KFRU-AM 1400 (David Lile, play-by-play/Gary Link, color). Also available on the Internet at www.mutigers.com. | ||||
| TV: None. | ||||
| COACHES: | ||||
| Missouri: Cindy Stein (Illinois '84), 80-62 at MU (5th season), 144-87 overall (8th season).
Colorado: Ceal Barry (Kentucky '77), 390-212 at CU (20th season); 463-254 overall (24th season). |
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TIGERS GO FOR SEASON SWEEP IN CENTENNIAL STATE
The Missouri women's basketball team hits the road for the second game of a crucial three-game stretch against upper-half league foes, when the Tigers face Colorado on Saturday at the Coors Events Conference Center in Boulder.
? ? ? Mizzou beat the Buffs by 19 points in Columbia on Feb. 2, and will be going for its first season sweep of CU since 1990. In addition, the Tigers trail Colorado by a full game for fourth place and the final Big 12 Tournament first-round bye.
? ? ? Colorado suffered its first defeat in four games with a 75-55 setback at Texas on Wednesday night.
ABOUT COLORADO...
The Buffs, under 20th-year veteran head coach Ceal Barry, had a three-game winning streak of their own snapped on Wednesday at Texas.
? ? ? Junior C Tera Bjorklund leads the Buffs in scoring (16.1 ppg) and is second on the squad in rebounding (6.3 rpg). Senior F Sabrina Scott leads Colorado with 6.8 rpg and also averages 10.4 ppg, while junior G Kate Fagan is the third member averaging in double-figure scoring (11.4 ppg).
CU SERIES...
Sunday's matchup will be the 53rd all-time between the schools, making Missouri the team that the Buffs have played the most.
? ? ? CU leads the overall series, which started back in 1977, by a 30-22 margin and has won six of the last eight matchups. Despite Mizzou's win earlier in the month, Colorado will still have the favor of a 12-game winning streak against the Tigers in Boulder. MU's last win in Boulder coincides with its last series sweep of the Buffs in 1990.
LAST TIME OUT: #5 KANSAS STATE 65, MIZZOU 55
The trio of Megan Mahoney, Kendra Wecker and Megan Mahoney scored all but 10 of Kansas State's points and the fifth-ranked Wildcats staved off a furious second-half comeback by Missouri to win, 66-56, at the Hearnes Center on Wednesday. With the win, the Wildcats remain in a tie with Texas for the league lead, while the Tigers remain in sole possession of fifth.
MAKING A CASE FOR MIZZOU
Folks may take a look at the Tigers' 13-10 overall record, their 7-5 mark in Big 12 play or their current RPI in the 70's, and write Mizzou off from NCAA Tournament consideration. Given where they stand at the moment - using the "If the Season Ended Today" clich? - those folks might be right.
? ? ? Yet take a closer look at the Tigers' Big 12 results, and you'll notice that of Mizzou's five losses, its last four have come against national top-10 heavyweights Texas, Texas Tech and twice to Kansas State. The fifth loss, at Baylor, came on the road in the first Big 12 game of the season on Jan. 8.
? ? ? Missouri has won seven of its last 10, and is in sole possession of fifth place in the Big 12, just one game behind Colorado - a team the Tigers dismantled by 19 points on Feb. 2 in Columbia. Mizzou also controls its destiny against both CU and Oklahoma in the race for the fourth and final first-round bye for the Big 12 Tournament, as they will play them back-to-back on the road - at CU on Saturday, and at OU next Wednesday.
BARR CLIMBING CAREER CHARTS
Senior guard Kerensa Barr, who is expected to make the 88th start of her career on Saturday, became the 22nd member of Missouri's 1,000-point club after her 15-point performance against Oklahoma State on Jan. 25, and she will leapfrog both Debbie Walker (1980-83) and Suzanne Alt (1974-77) by scoring just four points on Saturday. She has played in each of Missouri's 113 games over her four-year career.
? ? ? With her eight assists against Illinois on Dec. 21, 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 27 away from breaking Amy Fordham's school record. With five games guaranteed to remain on the Tigers' schedule, Barr needs to average roughly 5.4 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 just passed Carla Yancey (1988-91) for second on the list last Saturday at Kansas.
? ? ? Barr is just the fifth player in Big 12 history to record 400 assists and 200 steals in a career.
? ? ? Finally, Barr is currently percentage points ahead of Julie Helm as Mizzou's most accurate free-throw shooter in school history (79.87 percent). If she sinks 80 percent or more of her remaining free throws, Barr will finish as the record-holder.
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 2001-02 has been racking up double-doubles left and right, yet it is her back-to-back season-high scoring totals - 23 points at Nebraska on Saturday, followed by 26 on Wednesday vs. Iowa State - that is taking center stage now. Both performances became the highest single-game scoring outputs of any Tiger this season.
? ? ? Unrau posted her seventh double-double of the season - and third straight - after her 20-point, 10-rebound effort against Oklahoma State on Jan. 28. It followed performances of 11 points and 12 rebounds against Nebraska and 21 points and 11 rebounds at Iowa State.
? ? ? Unrau's seven double-doubles are the fifth-highest total in the league, and her four double-doubles in conference play is just one off the league lead.
? ? ? Unrau has led the Tigers in scoring 15 times this season. Her totals of 15.8 points and 7.8 rebounds both lead the team.
She is ranked among the Big 12 leaders in six different categories: scoring (9th), rebounding (7th), field-goal percentage (13th, .482), free-throw percentage (15th, .750), offensive rebounds (3rd, 3.17) and defensive rebounds (12th, 4.65).
ADD UNRAU - 1,000 POINTS?
With a solid stretch run, Unrau will join Barr as the most recent members of the 1,000-point club by the end of the season.
? ? ? Unrau is just 48 points from the plateau, which would make her the 23rd member of the group at Mizzou. With at least five games remaining, the honorable mention All-Big 12 member from a year ago needs to average 9.6 points per game to reach the mark before the end of her junior year.
JAMES STRETCHES OUT
Junior forward Stretch James, who earned JUCO All-America honors at Tyler (Texas) JC before arriving in Columbia this fall, has adjusted well to the rigors of the Big 12, and it appears that she shines brightest under the TV lights.
? ? ? She recorded her second double-double of the season last Saturday at Kansas, hitting for 15 points and a Missouri career-high 13 rebounds. That came on the heels of her 14-11 double-double on Feb. 2 in the Tigers' upset of Colorado. Both games came in nationally televised tilts on FOX Sports Net.
? ? ? James has scored in double figures in eight of the last 10 games, and 12 overall this season. She recently had a streak of five straight such games.
? ? ? In two games against Kansas State - which was ranked fifth in the country in both meetings this season - James totalled seven blocks against the Wildcats.
? ? ? James tallied a Missouri career-high 18 points and added a season-best three assists in the game against Nebraska on Jan. 22; she added 15 points in the win over Oklahoma State the following Saturday, and had a team-high 16 at No. 8 Texas Tech on Jan. 28. Her double-figure streak started with a 10-point outing in the win at Iowa State on Jan. 19.
? ? ? In Big 12 Conference play, James is averaging 10.8 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, which are both third on the team. That follows her season totals (9.6 ppg / 5.3 rpg), which are also both third on the squad.
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 57 on the year. She also had seven picks against McNeese State on Dec. 6.
? ? ? Barr's 2.61 steals-per-game average is the second-highest total in the Big 12 Conference.
? ? ? For the season, Barr is averaging 11.9 points, 4.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game. Those totals rank her second, fourth, and first, respectively, on the team this year.
? ? ? Barr is ranked among the Big 12's leaders in seven different individual categories: scoring (18th), assists (6th, 4.96); free-throw percentage (9th, 82.0%); steals (2nd, 2.61); 3-point FG percentage (10th, 37.2%); 3-point FG per game (11th, 1.39); and assist-to-turnover ratio (10th, 1.3).
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.
? ? ? Lozier has shown that that performance was no fluke, as she has scored in double figures in three of the last five games, and nine times overall.
? ? ? For the season, Lozier is fourth on the squad with an 8.6 points-per-game average. She also is second on the team with 64 assists (2.8 apg) and third with 37 steals (1.6 spg).
? ? ? In conference games only, Lozier is second in the Big 12 with her 2.2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. Lozier is also ranked among the Big 12 leaders in conference-only games in 3-point FG percentage (9th, 38.6%); 3-pointers made per game (4th, 1.83) and assists per game (13th, 3.00).
FISHER GOES DOUBLE-DIPPING
Junior F/C Melanie Fisher put together back-to-back excellent offensive games against Nebraska and Oklahoma State, making 10-of-11 shots in the two games on her way to scoring 10 and a career-high-tying 14 points, respectively.
? ? ? Those two games were her first in double figures since her previous season high of 13 vs. Bradley on Nov. 26.
? ? ? Against Nebraska, Fisher was 4-of-4 from the field and made both of her free throws to get the 10 points; she added six rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal. Against the Cowgirls, Fisher was 6-of-7 with six rebounds.
? ? ? For the season, Fisher is averaging 5.3 points (fifth on team) and 5.6 rebounds, which is second only to Evan Unrau. In addition, Fisher has led the team in steals six times this season. Her 36 are fourth on the team.
FANS FLOCK TO HEARNES
Bolstered by the strength of record single-game crowds, the Missouri women's basketball program has seen its attendance rise in each of Coach Stein's four years.
? ? ? On Feb. 2, the Tigers welcomed the third-largest crowd in MU women's history, when 8,563 fans witnessed the Tigers' upset of Colorado.
? ? ? Missouri averaged 2,561 fans last season, a 14 percent increase from the 2000-01 campaign, when the Tigers averaged 2,246.
? ? ? A record crowd of 10,321 fans saw Mizzou's 69-57 win over Kansas last year.
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 11 times in games, and it may not be surprising to find out that Missouri is 8-3 when it makes 80 percent of its charity tosses. MU's losses at Baylor and against Texas in the first week of the Big 12 season, and Wednesday's setback vs. Kansas State, are the Tigers' only losses in such a situation.
? ? ? For the season, the Tigers have shot 73.4 percent as a team from the line, which is the second-best mark in the Big 12.
? ? ? If the Tigers' free-throw accuracy holds for the season, it will break the previous school record of 71.7 percent set by the 1980-81 team.