Nov. 29, 2003
GREEN BAY, Wis. - Wisconsin-Green Bay shot lights-out in the first half, and hung on by sinking several key free throws down the stretch on its way to a 74-66 win over Missouri in the championship game of the Oneida Bingo & Casino Holiday Tournament Saturday night at the Resch Center.
The loss came despite combined game-high contributions of 44 points and 20 rebounds from the senior forward tandem of Evan Unrau (Fort Collins, Colo. / Rocky Mountain HS) and Stretch James (Columbus, Ohio / Northland HS / Tyler [Texas] JC). Unrau's 16 rebounds led all players to go with 20 points, and James' 24 points led all scorers. Both were named to the all-tournament team for their performances.
Tiffany Mor, who had 17 points and seven rebounds before seriously injuring her knee on a layup that was blocked by James with 9 minutes, 29 seconds left in the game, was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player.
After both teams traded baskets to start the game, the Phoenix (4-0) jumped out to a 9-2 lead. Despite 13 first-half turnovers - just four shy of their season average through three games - the Tigers (3-1) slowly chipped away at the UWGB lead, pulling to within 26-24 on a 3-pointer by senior guard Tracy Lozier (Leawood, Kan. / Blue Valley North HS).
The Phoenix responded after Lozier's trey, however, going on a 14-0 run to end the half and entered the locker room with a 40-24 advantage at the break. UWGB shot 59.3 percent (16-of-27) in the first half, including 5-of-9 shooting from 3-point distance.
Yet after a Mor 3-point play to start the second half, the Tigers quickly pulled to within 10 (43-33) with 15:24 to go after a 9-0 run sparked by five points from Unrau. The teams would see-saw over the next eight minutes, with the Phoenix extending the lead back to 17 and Mizzou reeling UWGB back in, before a jumper from sophomore guard LaToya Bond (Urbana, Ill. / Urbana HS) with 6:05 to play narrowed the gap to single digits.
That fueled the inside game by James, as she went 10-of-14 from the field in the second half, scoring 22 of her points in the final 20 minutes. She twice brought the Tigers to within four points - the latter with 1:32 to go - before the Phoenix was able to play keep-away and hit their free throws.
"Wisconsin-Green Bay deserved to win this game," said Head Coach Cindy Stein, who prefaced her opening comments with prayers for a speedy recovery for Mor. "We knew this was a very tough place to play, and they proved it. We're disappointed with the loss."
The Tigers' next home action comes this Friday and Saturday, Dec. 5-6, when Mizzou hosts the annual Unilever Tiger Tournament. On Friday, Tulsa and UAB square off at 5 p.m. before the Tigers host Alcorn State at 7 p.m. For ticket information, call 1-800-CAT-PAWS (573-884-PAWS in Mid-Missouri). As a reminder, holders of the KMIZ-ZOU Spirit Pass, as well as the student All-Sports Pass, get into all women's basketball games free.