University of Missouri
Kansas State
Late Rally Falls Short By The Tigers
2/19/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
COLUMBIA, Mo. - 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 (24-2, 13-1 Big 12) remain in a tie with Texas for the league lead, while the Tigers (13-10, 7-5) remain in sole possession of fifth.
Mahoney had a game-high 21 points to go with a game-high 12 rebounds, while Wecker, the Big 12's leading scorer, and Ohlde added 18 and 17 respectively. Ohlde added 11 rebounds.
Senior guard Kerensa Barr (West Plains, Mo. / West Plains HS) led Missouri with 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting, including 3-of-4 from 3-point range. Junior forward Evan Unrau (Fort Collins, Colo. / Rocky Mountain HS) added 15 points and six rebounds, while junior forward Stretch James (Columbus, Ohio / Northland HS / Tyler [Texas] JC) had 10 points and seven boards.
After a bucket by James gave Mizzou a 4-2 lead, the Wildcats went on a 12-0 run to push the lead to 14-4 with 14 minutes left in the first half. A 3-pointer by Mahoney bumped the K-State lead to 21-8, and the Wildcats remained comfortably in front the rest of the half.
The Tigers made just 28.6 percent (8-of-28) of their shots in the first half, yet they also held the Wildcats to just 37.5 percent (12-of-32) in the opening 20 minutes. Kansas State sank five 3-pointers in the period, while Mizzou missed all eight of its treys as the Wildcats took a 34-17 lead into the locker room.
Barr started the second half with a jumper, and after a quick KSU run hit a 3-pointer to make it 39-22. After an Ohlde follow-up layup, the Tigers went on a quick 8-0 run with Unrau tacking all but one in the span. Mahoney, Ohlde and Wecker each hit buckets to push the Wildcat margin to 51-35 with 9:44 left, yet that is the last field goal K-State would score over the next 7 minutes.
Freshman Cherice Mack (St. Charles, Mo. / St. Charles HS) hit a pair of free throws, and sophomore guard Angie Carter (Longview, Texas / Spring Hill HS) hit a turnaround jumper to pull the Tigers to within single digits for the first time since early in the first half (51-43). James made it a 4-point game with 4:55 left to cap a 14-2 to run, yet that is as close as the Tigers would get.
Mahoney made a pair of free throws, and Ohlde converted a "Hail Mary" pass from Wecker with a minute left to seal the win.
"I think we gave them everything that we could," said Head Coach Cindy Stein. "I didn't think we played well in the first half, but I'm very proud of our effort. I thought our kids gave them everything they could handle in the second half. Hats off to them because they maintained a lead and were able to overcome a lot of things, and if Deb Patterson doesn't get Coach of the Year, I don't know who deserves it."
The Tigers travel to Boulder, Colo., this Saturday, Feb. 22, for a 2 p.m. CST game against Colorado. Mizzou will attempt to go for the series sweep of the Buffs - who are currently a game ahead of the Tigers in fourth - for the first time since 1990.
