University of Missouri
.png&width=60&height=60&type=webp)
Kansas
Tigers Power Past Jayhawks For Season Sweep, 73-52
3/1/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
March 1, 2003
COLUMBIA, Mo. - Four Tigers scored in double figures, and Missouri's women shot a scorching 62 percent from the field in the second half in posting a dominating 73-52 win over archrival Kansas on Saturday at the Hearnes Center. With the win over its Border War rival, Missouri moves to 14-12 and 8-7 in the Big 12 to remain in sixth place, while the Jayhawks fall to 10-16 and 3-12 for 11th.
Junior forward Stretch James (Columbus, Ohio / Northland HS / Tyler [Texas] JC), junior guard Tracy Lozier (Leawood, Kan. / Blue Valley North HS) and senior guard Kerensa Barr (West Plains, Mo. / West Plains HS) all had a team-high 15 points, while junior guard MyEsha Perkins (Detroit, Mich. / Oak Park HS / Trinity Valley [Texas] JC) came off the bench to score 13.
The Tigers held Kansas scoreless for the first 4 minutes, 32 seconds, building up a 10-0 lead before Jayhawk freshman Tamara Ransburg nestled in a layup. Lozier responded with her first 3-pointer of the game. Junior forward Evan Unrau (Fort Collins, Colo. / Rocky Mountain HS) added a 3-pointer of her own minutes later, and the Tiger advantage was 18-4.
Kansas slowed clawed back at the deficit, pulling to within seven points at 26-19 on a pair of free throws by Ransburg. Yet Lozier drained back-to-back treys, the Tigers forced a shot-clock violation, and Missouri checked into the locker room with a 34-19 halftime lead.
Missouri's defense in the first half yielded six steals on 14 Jayhawk turnovers, while Missouri had 11 assists on its 13-of-27 shooting effort (48.1 percent). In addition to Lozier's four 3-pointers, Mizzou combined for 6-of-12 shooting from behind the arc in the first half.
Barr led all players with six rebounds and four assists in the first 20 minutes, while junior center Melanie Fisher (St. Louis, Mo. / Principia HS / Southwest Missouri State) did the same with her three first-half steals.
Fisher stole the ball on KU's opening possession of the second half, and Barr canned a 3-pointer on the other end to start Mizzou on a 19-5 run covering the first 8:34 of the half.
"I'm really proud of our team," said Head Coach Cindy Stein. "We were really working for a complete game, and for the most part, I was really proud of the way our team handled the surges of KU trying to come back - the presses, the traps, the constant pressure." Noting the Tigers' 21 assists on its 26 field goals, Stein added, "We shared the basketball. We've been working on our spacing and our movement in our offense, and I was really impressed with the way we moved the ball."
The Tigers conclude their regular season on Wednesday with a 7 p.m. tipoff against Texas A&M. Barr will be recognized in pre-game activities for her career accomplishments.
