Jan. 15, 2005
AMES, Iowa - Missouri held No. 24 Iowa State to its lowest point total of the season, yet couldn't get a rebound when it counted in a 65-59 loss Saturday afternoon at Hilton Coliseum. It is the third straight loss for Missouri (7-8, 1-3 Big 12), which had its four-game win streak snapped against the Cyclones. The Tigers narrowly missed their first win on the road against a ranked conference opponent since 1993.
"We played a well-fought game, but I thought our offensive execution in the last four minutes was very poor, and those are just a couple of things we have to get better," Head Coach Cindy Stein said. "They were attacking on all sides with the rebounding, and you've got to make adjustments. The key tonight for us was offensive execution, and making a couple of stupid fouls toward the end. We can't be satisfied with this."
Both teams had four players in double-figure scoring, with junior C Christelle N'Garsanet (Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire / Illinois Central College) and Mary Fox each scoring 17 points. Megan Ronhovde had a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds for Iowa State. The Cyclones out-rebounded Mizzou 52-33, including 22 on the offensive end.
The Cyclones (14-1, 4-0 Big 12) came into the game ranked second in the country in scoring, yet Mizzou held Iowa State to 27 percent shooting (9-for-33) in the first half in building a 29-22 halftime lead.
The Tigers started off well, hitting its first bucket as well as six of their first seven free throws to take a 9-2 lead with 17 minutes, 19 seconds left in the first half. Included in that opening spurt were a pair of free throws by sophomore F Carlynn Savant (Euless, Texas / Trinity HS) after Bill Fennelly was called for a technical foul.
The Cyclones stormed back, tying the game at 11 on Anne O'Neil's only field goal of the first half. Yet the Tigers quashed that run, and made a huge one of their own while forcing Katie Robinette and Megan Ronhovde to the bench with two fouls apiece. Once sophomore F Tiffany Brooks (Leavenworth, Kan. / Leavenworth HS / Kansas State) converted a 3-point play with 3:29 left, Mizzou had completed an 18-4 run for a 29-15 lead.
After going scoreless for over 6 minutes, O'Neil hit a pair of free throws, Fox drove the lane and reserve Tracy Paustian made a layup with 33 seconds left. She then made the front end of a 1-and-1 with three seconds remaining to cap a 7-0 run and close Mizzou's halftime lead to 29-22.
The second half started with the two teams - and specifically Robinette and N'Garsanet - trading buckets as the Tigers kept a 35-28 lead through the 16-minute media timeout. Less than two minutes later, Fox canned just the second 3-pointer of the game for the Cyclones, and O'Neil hit a leaner to trim the Mizzou lead to 38-35, forcing Stein to call a timeout.
It helped stem the tide, as junior G LaToya Bond (Urbana, Ill. / Urbana HS) sandwiched MU's first 3-pointer around free throws and a nice left-handed baby hook from senior C Megan Roney (Independence, Mo. / Truman HS). That pushed the Missouri lead back to eight at 45-37 with 11:43 to play.
After missing so many shots in the game's first 30 minutes, the Cyclones finally started hitting. ISU went on a 10-0 run, with 3-pointers from O'Neil and Ronhovde, and capped with an inside move from O'Neil for ISU's first lead of the game at 47-45.
On back-to-back possessions, Bond and N'Garsanet picked up their fourth fouls of the game, while Ronhovde hit a 3-pointer to regain the lead. Brooks converted a 3-point play with 4:34 left keep the deficit at three, yet Bond fouled out just 18 seconds later. Fox hit a couple of free throws, and O'Neil canned another trey after a Robinette bucket.
The Tigers return home this Tuesday, Jan. 18, for a 7 p.m. contest against Colorado at Mizzou Arena. For ticket information, visit the Mizzou Arena Box Office, or call 1-800-CAT-PAWS (573-884-PAWS in Mid-Missouri).