Nov. 26, 2003
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| TIPOFF: 5:00 p.m. CST on Friday vs. Austin Peay; 3:00 p.m. or 5:00 p.m. vs. Saturday vs. Centenary or host UW-Green Bay. | ||||
| ARENA: Resch Center (10,200). MU is 91-68 (.576) alltime on neutral sites, 154-166 (.481) on the road and 14-7 (.667) in non-conference road games under Cindy Stein. | ||||
| RADIO: KFRU-AM 1400 (David Lile, play-by-play/Kerensa Barr, color). Also available on the Internet at www.mutigers.com. | ||||
| TV: None. | ||||
| SERIES: Austin Peay - Tied, 1-1 (APSU won last year, 66-53 in Columbia); UW-Green Bay - Mizzou leads, 1-0 (MU won in 2001, 79-72); Centenary - Mizzou leads, 1-0 (MU won in 1999, 111-31). | ||||
| COACHES: | ||||
| Missouri: Cindy Stein (Illinois '84), 86-66 at MU (sixth season) and 151-91 overall (ninth season).
Austin Peay: Andy Blackston (Lipscomb '98), 1-1 at APSU (first season) and 32-23 overall (third season). UW-Green Bay: Kevin Borseth (Lake Superior State '76), 116-39 at UWGB (sixth season) and 341-136 overall (17th season). Centenary: David Winkler (Centenary '95), 18-41 at CC and overall (third season). |
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TIGERS PREPARE FOR CONCLUSION OF CHALLENGING WEEKEND
While the Missouri women's basketball team has much to give thanks for this weekend, a kind schedule over its Thanksgiving-week break is not one of those things. The Tigers are set for their second and third games in a four-day span this weekend as part of the Oneida Bingo & Casino Holiday Tournament in Green Bay, Wis. Mizzou will open play on Friday against Austin Peay before playing Centenary or the host Phoenix from UW-Green Bay on Saturday.
? ? ? MU is coming off a 79-43 win against Southern on Wednesday, posting an impressive 55-29 rebounding edge over the Jaguars, including 25-9 on the offensive end. The 43 points allowed is the fewest Mizzou has surrendered since Nebraska scored 41 in a losing effort during the 2001-02 season.
? ? ? The Tigers are looking to go 3-0 for the first time since 2001, and the third time in the last seven years. This weekend's games come during a stretch of three games in four days following Wednesday's win over Southern. Should the Tigers defeat Austin Peay, they would be going on Saturday for their first 4-0 start since the 1997-98 season. That squad started 6-0 (yet finished 11-16 in Joanne Rutherford's final season as head coach).
MORE ON APSU
The Lady Govs come into the weekend with a 1-1 record, losing to Evansville on the road before beating NAIA foe Cumberland at home this week.
? ? ? APSU is adjusting to the loss of four-year starter Brooke Armistead, who was a 2,000-point scorer and last year was named the Most Valuable Player of Mizzou's Unilever Tiger Classic following her 17-point outing in the championship game. Austin Peay beat Mizzou, 66-53, in that game to give the Tigers ample reason to focus on Friday.
? ? ? The Lady Govs are led by senior Gerlonda Hardin, who is averaging 18.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.
UNRAU MAKING GOOD ON PROGNOSTICATIONS
Senior forward Evan Unrau (Fort Collins, Colo. / Rocky Mountain HS) has been selected to Street & Smith's preseason women's All-America team, and the four-year starter continues to impress this season.
? ? ? Unrau has taken advantage of the Tigers' increased depth this season, which has eased the scoring burden put on her. She's still tied for the team lead with her 14.0 ppg average, and also leads the team - and the Big 12 Conference - in rebounding at 12.5 rpg.
? ? ? Unrau was one of 50 players listed by Street & Smith's, and one of 30 players given Preseason Honorable Mention All-America status by the magazine. Ten others were each named to the "Terrific 10" and High Honorable Mention lists.
? ? ? Last year, Unrau became Mizzou's second First Team All-Big 12 Conference selection in the seven-year history of the conference. She led the Tigers in both scoring (16.0 ppg) and rebounding (7.7 rpg) in leading Mizzou to postseason play for the fourth straight year.
BOND MAKES HER POINT(S) AT THE POINT
Sophomore point guard LaToya Bond (Urbana, Ill. / Urbana HS) posted an excellent performance in her first collegiate start at Bradley on Sunday, scoring a game-high and career-high 17 points, including an impressive 11-of-12 showing from the free-throw line. Bond also tied her career high with four steals against the Braves.
? ? ? She scored in double figures again on Wednesday vs. Southern, tallying 11 points vs. the Jaguars. She's already equaled her double-figure output from last season, when she scored 11 points each vs. Illinois and IUPUI.
? ? ? Bond came off the bench in 29 games last season is support of the departed Kerensa Barr, and averaged 3.2 points and 1.3 rebounds a game. This season she's averaging a team-high-tying 14.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.5 steals.
FISHER COMING BACK STRONG IN FIRST WEEK
Because of a lingering back injury, senior forward Melanie Fisher (St. Louis, Mo. / Principia HS / Southwest Missouri State) was limited in her availability to practice over the last several weeks, yet started Mizzou's season-opening game. While her contributions didn't necessarily show up in the box score, she's continued to prove herself as one of the key components to the Tigers' early success.
? ? ? Wednesday vs. Southern, folks got a more tangible view of Fisher's talents, as she scored 10 points on 5-of-8 shooting and grabbed five rebounds.
? ? ? Fisher is averaging 5.0 points and 3.5 rebounds in Mizzou's first two games after posting 2002-03 season totals of 5.8 ppg and 6.0 rpg in starting all 31 games.
RONEY HAS A CAREER DAY VS. BRADLEY, GETS FIRST START WED.
Junior forward Megan Roney (Independence, Mo. / Truman HS) joined Bond in having a breakthrough performance to start the season. She shattered her previous career bests with a 12-point, nine-rebound outing off the bench on Sunday.
? ? ? In addition, Roney sank her first career 3-pointer (on just her second attempt ever), and on the following second-half possession, she tossed a dump-off pass to Stretch James for her first career assist.
? ? ? Roney followed her newfound shooting range with another trey Wednesday vs. Southern - against whom she made her first collegiate start - and is shooting at a 77.8 percent clip (7-of-9) on the young season. She's averaging 8.5 points and 5.5 rebounds this first week of 2003-04 after averaging 2.1 points and 2.2 rebounds in 27 games last year.
2003-04 IS HOOPS SWAN SONG FOR HEARNES
The University of Missouri broke ground on a new basketball arena - one that will be the finest on-campus facility in the nation when completed - on Sept. 21, 2002. The yet-to-be-named facility, which will seat just over 15,000 fans, is slated to open next fall, meaning this season will be the final one for the men's and women's basketball teams at the Hearnes Center. The women's basketball team sports an all-time record of 271-90 (.717) in the friendly confines.
? ? ? Built in 1972, the Hearnes Center will continue to be utilized by MU's Olympic-sport programs such as volleyball, gymnastics, wrestling, and track and field.
? ? ? A webcam of the arena construction site has been installed on top of the Hearnes Center, and it is providing live still images to the Missouri athletics website 24 hours a day. The webcam is located at ath.missouri.edu/arena, and it can also be accessed from the front page of www.MUTigers.com.
? ? ? Slated to cost $75 million, the new arena project was jump-started by a generous $25 million donation by the Laurie family of Columbia. The State of Missouri will contribute $35 million in bond appropriations, while the remaining $15 million will be raised through athletic fundraising efforts.
HOME DEFINITELY SWEET FOR TIGERS
As mentioned above, the Tigers have had abundant success at home over the last 30 years, and that continues in home openers. Mizzou is now 23-7 (.767) in its first home game, including 7-1 in its last eight seasons.