Feb. 26, 2004
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| TIPOFF: 2:05 p.m. CST | ||||
| ARENA: Hearnes Center (13,611). Opened in 1972, and in its final season as Mizzou's basketball venue. MU is 279-102 (.732) here alltime, including 31-32 (.492) in Big 12 Conference games. | ||||
| RADIO: KWWC-FM 90.5 (Chris Gervino, play-by-play/Kerensa Barr, color) and available to affiliates of the Tiger Radio Network. Also available on the Internet at www.mutigers.com. | ||||
| TV: FOX Sports Net [see box on page 4 for clearances]. Leah Secondo, play-by-play; Debbie Antonelli, color; Wave Robinson, producer. | ||||
| SERIES: Mizzou leads, 42-15, including 18-5 in Columbia. The Tigers swept the Cyclones to snap a nine-game losing streak, and with an 81-62 decision in Ames three weeks ago have now won three straight. | ||||
| RANKINGS: Both teams are unranked. | ||||
| COACHES: | ||||
| Missouri: Cindy Stein (Illinois '84), 98-77 at MU (sixth season) and 163-102 overall (ninth season).
Iowa State: Bill Fennelly (William Penn '79), 187-87 at ISU (ninth season) and 353-140 overall (16th season). |
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TIGER WOMEN BID FAREWELL TO HEARNES AGAINST CYCLONES
The MU women's basketball team (14-11, 5-9 Big 12) closes a chapter in its 30-season history Saturday afternoon as the Tigers play the final regular-season game in the only arena they've ever known as home. In addition, the program will also honor five seniors who will be playing in their final regular-season game at the Hearnes Center, where the Tigers are 279-102 all-time.
? ? ? MU is coming off a much-needed 78-76 win at Nebraska on Wednesday, while Iowa State (13-12, 6-8) limps into Columbia following a 68-33 loss at Kansas State. The Cyclones will also look to split the season series for the first time since 1998.
MORE ON IOWA STATE
The Cyclones' Anne O'Neil, who was with ISU coaches Bill Fennelly and Latoja Harris and Mizzou's Cindy Stein and Evan Unrau in South Korea last summer, is the only Iowa State player scoring in double figures this season (12.8 ppg). Freshman Megan Ronhovde (5.0 rpg) leads five ISU players averaging better than 4.1 rebounds a game.
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 this 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 279-102 (.732) in the friendly confines. The arena continues to be on budget and on schedule.
? ? ? 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.
UN-BELIEVABLE: 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 18.1 points and 9.0 rebounds a game. Unrau leads the Big 12 in rebounding, and is third in scoring. In addition, the forward leads the league with 12 double-doubles, including seven in Big 12 play. For the latest on Unrau, please refer to page 2.
? ? ? Unrau put on the best display of her talents on Sunday in a thrilling double-overtime performance vs. No. 8 Kansas State, scorching the Wildcats for a career-high and near school-record 40 points. She added 15 rebounds, four assists and two steals, and had just ONE turnover in playing all but the final 1.2 seconds of the 50-minute game.
? ? ? On top of her scoring and rebounding prowess, Unrau is ranked among the Big 12's top players in SEVEN of the 12 categories the league office tracks weekly, making her arguably the Big 12 Conference's MVP (Most Versatile Player). That ties her with KSU's Nicole Ohlde, CU's Randie Wirt, UT's Tiffany Jackson and BU's Steffanie Blackmon. Here are Unrau's league ranks:
* Scoring 3rd 18.1 ppg * Rebounding 1st 9.0 rpg * 3-Point FG Pct. 9th 40.2% * 3FG Made/Gm. 8th 1.64 3fgpg * Assist/TO Ratio 14th 1.23 * Off. Rebounds 1st 3.72 orpg * Def. Rebounds 6th 5.32 drpg
LAST TIME OUT: MIZZOU 78, NEBRASKA 76
EeTisha Riddle hit a pair of buckets in the final 87 seconds to lead the Missouri women to a 78-76 win at Nebraska Wednesday night. In becoming just the second opposing team this season at the Devaney Center to pull out a win, the Tigers improve to 14-11 and 5-9 in the Big 12 Conference. Riddle finished with six points, while MyEsha Perkins tied her career high with 18 points to lead four Tigers in double figures.
CLOSE HOME LOSSES HAVE TIGERS SAYING, 'WHAT IF?'
It's always too late to play "What If...", but it bears noting that "if" the Tigers would have won their five home Big 12 games against Kansas, Nebraska, #11 Colorado, #9 Texas Tech and #8 Kansas State - games Mizzou lost by an average of 3.6 points, and games in which the Tigers did not have their normal starting lineup - then the Tigers would currently be alone in third in the Big 12 with a 9-4 record. More importantly, the resultant winning percentage would have propelled Mizzou all the way to a current No. 9 in the WBCA RPI.
STRONG SKED. HELPING TIGERS
Mizzou is listed at No. 36 as of Thursday in the RPI coordinated by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association, and despite the Tigers' recent struggles are by no means out of the running for postseason play. Much of that is due to MU's strong schedule, which is ranked No. 6 in the country by the WBCA.
? ? ? MU's only non-conference losses were to SMS, who leads the Missouri Valley and is just outside both polls this week, and UW-Green Bay, who leads the Horizon League. Two other Tiger opponents - Austin Peay (Ohio Valley) and Miami [Ohio] (Mid-American) - also lead their respective conferences.
FROM ROAD WORRIERS TO ROAD WARRIORS
While Mizzou's struggles on the road have been documented, it should be noted that when the Tigers win away from Hearnes, they're winning big - particularly in the last two years. Here is the listing of MU's largest margins of victory on the road in the eight years of the Big 12 (this season's wins in bold):
* 31 at Iowa State 1/19/03 * 27 at Kansas 1/24/04 * 25 at Oklahoma 2/15/97 * 25 at Oklahoma State 2/14/04 * 21 at Nebraska 2/8/03 * 19 at Iowa State 2/7/04
RANK-AND-FILE THIS
The Tigers have lost seven games at the Hearnes Center this season. Six have come in Big 12 play, and six to teams that have been ranked at some point this season (Southwest Missouri State, Nebraska, Colorado, Baylor, Texas Tech, Kansas State). Five of the seven losses were by a total of 18 points. That included a span in which the Tigers faced five consecutive ranked teams at home.
? ? ? Although five straight games at home against ranked teams is a challenge, it likely won't match the difficulty faced by the 2001-02 squad. That team, which went 14-15, including 9-6 at Hearnes, had six games in an eight-game home stretch against ranked teams - all Big 12 opposition. MU's only win in that span came in its last home win over a ranked team until Jan. 28: Jan. 9, 2002, against then-No. 10 Texas Tech.