Jan. 4, 2004
ST. LOUIS - Senior forward Stretch James (Columbus, Ohio / Northland HS / Tyler [Texas] JC) hit the game-winning jumper and had a pair blocks in the final minute of play, and the Missouri women hit crucial free throws down the stretch to stave off an upset bid by Saint Louis, 65-62, at the Bauman-Eberhardt Center Sunday afternoon.
James finished with 10 points, three rebounds and four blocks, while senior guard Tracy Lozier (Leawood, Kan. / Blue Valley North HS) hit three 3-pointers on the way to a team-high 14 points for the Tigers. Senior forward Evan Unrau (Fort Collins, Colo. / Rocky Mountain HS) finished just two rebounds shy of her fourth straight double-double with 12 points and eight rebounds.
The Tigers continue their domination of the Billikens with their 15th win without a loss. Mizzou also extends its winning streak to four games and closes the non-conference portion of the schedule at 9-2.
"I really thought that was one of the uglier games we've played, but we out-uglied 'em," Head Coach Cindy Stein. "The bottom line is that we did what we had to do to get a win on the road. Our defense changed the game, and put the game in our control. We had five experienced players out there, and they did a great job of talking in that last minute."
Mizzou took a 6-4 lead after the first media timeout despite two quick fouls on James. Saint Louis got buckets from Angie Lewis and Stephanie Solomon to take an 8-6 lead before the Tigers went on a 9-2 run over the next 2 minutes, 26 seconds for a 15-10 lead.
The teams traded baskets until the Billikens used a 7-0 run to take a 28-24 lead with 5:08 left in the half. Despite getting just one field goal in the last 5:32 of the half, SLU took a 32-31 lead into the locker room on the strength of 7-of-8 shooting from the free-throw line. Three 3-pointers kept the Tigers in the game in the first half, yet Mizzou was plagued by 12 turnovers.
The second half was as close as the first, with neither team holding more than a three-point lead. Lewis and Solomon combined for eight straight SLU points as the Billikens took a 57-54 lead, then the Tigers fought back with their defense down the stretch.
With the score tied at 62-all following a fastbreak layup from senior forward Melanie Fisher (St. Louis, Mo. / Principia HS / SMS), the Tigers forced a shot-clock volation with 49.9 seconds left. James got a bucket in the paint for the lead, and on the following possession blocked a pair of attempts from Lewis before Fisher got a rebound.
The Billikens (6-7) were led by 19 points by Lewis and 13 from Kirsti Holloway.
The Tigers open Big 12 Conference play at No. 12/11 Kansas State on Wednesday at 7 p.m. The game will be televised by FOX Sports Midwest in the state of Kansas and the Kansas City DMA (designated market area). Mizzou's next home game is next Saturday, Jan. 10, when the Tigers host Border War rival Kansas in a game to be televised statewide on the Mizzou Sports Network. For ticket information, call 1-800-CAT-PAWS (573-884-PAWS in Mid-Missouri). As a reminder, holders of the student All-Sports Pass or the KMIZ-ZOU Spirit Pass gain free admission to all women's basketball games.