Jan. 27, 2004
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| TIPOFF: 7:00 p.m. CST | ||||
| ARENA: Hearnes Center (13,611). Opened in 1972, and in its final season as Mizzou's basketball venue. MU is 278-98 (.739) here alltime, including 30-28 (.517) in Big 12 Conference play and 7-15 (.318) vs. Big 12 ranked opponents. | ||||
| RADIO: KWWC-FM 90.5 (David Lile, play-by-play/Kerensa Barr, color). Also available on the Internet at www.mutigers.com. | ||||
| TV: None. | ||||
| SERIES: Mizzou leads, 27-19, including 13-6 in Columbia. The Sooners have won four straight, including a 74-69 decision in Norman last year. MU's last win came on Feb. 27, 1999, and in Columbia on Feb. 22, 1998. | ||||
| RANKINGS: Oklahoma is ranked No. 20 by the Associated Press and No. 21 by the coaches. MU is unranked. | ||||
| COACHES: | ||||
| Missouri: Cindy Stein (Illinois '84), 94-72 at MU (sixth season) and 159-97 overall (ninth season).
Oklahoma: Sherri Coale (Oklahoma Christian '87), 145-90 at OU and overall (eighth season). |
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TIGERS LOOK TO KNOCK OFF FIRST RANKED FOE WED. NIGHT
Home-court upsets have seemed to be the rule of thumb early on in the Big 12 Conference, and the Mizzou women face their first chance to follow suit Wednesday night as 20th-ranked Oklahoma visits the Hearnes Center at 7 p.m.
? ? ? Wednesday's game marks the start of a critical stretch for the Tigers (10-6, 1-4), who will face ranked opposition in four of their next five games (three at MU). More importantly, each of their next five foes to visit Hearnes are currently ranked. That bodes well for a Tiger squad that has won 75.5 percent of its home games the last four years, and has knocked off at least one ranked team in four of the last five years.
? ? ? Mizzou is facing a Sooner squad that has lost two in a row, yet remains ranked among the nation's top 20 teams. This will be the only matchup in the regular season between the interdivisional foes; OU won last year in Norman, 74-69.
MORE ON OKLAHOMA
Senior G Maria Villaroel, who had a career-high 31 against the Tigers last year, leads the Sooners this season in scoring at 14.2 ppg. Senior F Caton Hill is back from a knee injury and is second in scoring (12.9 ppg) and first in rebounding (6.0 rpg). Junior G Dionnah Jackson has 87 assists against 50 turnovers, and is also third in scoring (10.7 ppg).
Evan Unrau: THE BIG 12'S MOST VERSATILE PLAYER
Senior All-America candidate Evan Unrau (Fort Collins, Colo. / Rocky Mountain HS) is the engine that pulls the Tigers' train, leading the team with her scoring and rebounding averages of 17.6 points and 9.3 rebounds a game. Unrau leads the Big 12 in rebounding, and is third in scoring. In addition, the forward leads the league with eight double-doubles, including in each of her last three games.
? ? ? On top of her scoring and rebounding prowess, Unrau is ranked among the Big 12's top players in six other diverse categories to make her arguably the Big 12 Conference's MVP (Most Versatile Player): 3-point FG Percentage (ninth, 41.3 pct.); 3-pointers Made (12th, 1.62 3FGpg); Blocked Shots (12th, 1.06 bpg); Assist/Turnover Ratio (seventh, 1.70); Offensive Rebounds (first, 3.94 orpg); and Defensive Rebounds (fifth, 5.38 drpg).
? ? ? Unrau was selected to Street & Smith's preseason women's All-America team, and the four-year starter continues to impress this season. 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.
LAST TIME OUT: MU 76, KU 49
Evan Unrau notched her league-leading eighth double-double, and MyEsha Perkins was just one off her career high to lead the Mizzou women's basketball team to a 76-49 win over archrival Kansas Saturday afternoon at Allen Fieldhouse.
HOME SWEET 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 278-98 (.739) in the friendly confines.
? ? ? The Tigers' home-court advantage will need to be put to good use: Against the nine teams ahead of Mizzou this week, the Tigers will play six of the 10 games at home.
? ? ? 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.
PERKINS REJOINS TEAM, GOES OFF VS. KANSAS
Senior guard MyEsha Perkins (Detroit, Mich. / Oak Park HS / Trinity [Texas] JC) made her first start of the season against Kansas on Saturday, and provided a huge boost with a season-high 15 points against the Jayhawks. That's just one off her career high, set last year at Iowa. Included in that game was a personal 10-2 run in the second half that helped put the game away for the Tigers' first Big 12 win of the season.
? ? ? Perkins, who was academically ineligible for the fall semester, twice hit for 11 points (vs. Iowa on Dec. 30 and again Jan. 7 at Kansas State in the league opener). She is shooting 51.2 percent from the field (21-of-41), and is averaging 7.3 points per game. Last season, Perkins was sixth on the team in scoring (4.4 ppg).