Jan. 28, 2004
COLUMBIA, Mo. - The Missouri women's basketball team set a school record by hitting all 21 of its free throws, and four players scored in double figures en route to a 77-65 victory over No. 20 (AP)/No. 21 (Coaches) Oklahoma Wednesday night at the Hearnes Center. It is Mizzou's first win over a ranked opponent since an 82-71 win over No. 10 Texas Tech on Jan. 9, 2002.
"I'm really proud of our kids," Head Coach Cindy Stein said. "Our challenge for ourselves was to continue the trend of energy and doing everything we need to do. Two keys tonight playing Oklahoma were to stop their transition and to control the boards, and I think we did a good job on both of those ends."
Senior forward Stretch James (Columbus, Ohio / Northland HS / Tyler [Texas] JC) led a quartet of Tiger seniors in double figures with 22 points, followed closely by senior All-America candidate Evan Unrau (Fort Collins, Colo. / Rocky Mountain HS), who recorded her ninth double-double of the year and fourth straight with 21 points and 11 boards. Senior guards MyEsha Perkins (Detroit, Mich. / Oak Park HS / Trinity Valley [Texas] JC) and Tracy Lozier (Leawood, Kan. / Blue Valley North HS) both chipped in 14 points and grabbed three rebounds for Missouri (11-6, 2-4 Big 12).
Erin Higgins led the Sooners with 12 points, and three players shared team-high honors with four rebounds apiece.
The Tigers got off to a quick 4-0 lead off baskets from Perkins and James. After Oklahoma took its first lead on a Dionnah Jackson free throw, Mizzou took a 10-7 lead on a James jumper.
Beky Preston made the game's second tie at 10-all with a free throw with 12 minutes, 10 seconds to go before the Sooners got a second lead on a layup from Antoinette Wadworth. OU did not lead by more than three for the next seven minutes as the two teams would tie five more ties before a 3-pointer by Lozier gave Mizzou a 27-26 lead with 3:17 left in the half.
In all, the first half featured nine ties and six lead changes before a James layup with 28 seconds left in the half gave the Tigers a 33-31 advantage at the break. James had 12 points at the half, while Unrau had eight to go with six rebounds.
Mizzou was firing on all cylinders to start the second half, making each of their first 12 attempts - 10 field-goal attempts, including one 3-pointer, and two foul shots after the Oklahoma bench was assessed with a technical foul with 15:02 left and the score tied at 48. That came during a 10-0 run by the Tigers, including an 8-0 spurt in the 2:08 following the technical to take a 56-48 lead.
After the Sooners (13-5, 3-4) climbed to within two with 11 minutes left to play, Missouri closed the game on a 21-11 run, sparked by an Unrau 3-pointer at the 9:42 mark. Perkins added four points, and Unrau converted all eight of her free-throw attempts down the stretch to seal the victory for the Tigers. Missouri's previous best effort from the charity stripe came on Nov. 25, 2000, when the Tigers made all 14 attempts against Kentucky.
The Tigers conclude their quick two-game homestand with a key intradivisional matchup Saturday at 1 p.m. against Colorado. It's the fifth annual "Head to the Hearnes" game, with tickets on sale for just $1 as the Tigers try to sell out the Hearnes Center. 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.