University of Missouri
Nebraska
Brooks' 30 Can't Hold Off Huskers
1/8/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 8, 2005
COLUMBIA, Mo. - Sophomore F Tiffany Brooks (Leavenworth, Kan. / Leavenworth HS / Kansas State) became the first player - male or female - to score 30 points in Mizzou Arena, yet she and her teammates couldn't find the basket down the stretch Saturday night in an 81-74 loss to Nebraska.
Missouri (7-6, 1-1 Big 12) went without a field goal for the last 9 minutes, 46 seconds of the game, allowing Nebraska (10-4, 2-0) to come back from a 68-55 deficit. Brooks scored MU's last eight points, all on free throws. The Tigers missed their final 15 shots of the game, which offset a stellar first half that saw Missouri go 17-for-33, including 6-of-10 on 3-pointers. MU ended with a season-high nine treys.
Brooks was 8-of-18 from the field, and 14-of-17 from the free-throw line in becoming the first Tiger to break 30 since Evan Unrau scored 40 in a double-overtime game against Kansas State last year. Sophomore F Carlynn Savant (Euless, Texas / Trinity HS) was the only other Tiger to score in double figures, with 14 points. Kiera Hardy led four Huskers in double figures with 23 points; Jessica Gerhart added 17 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.
"Everyone had an opportunity to see a well-fought game," Head Coach Cindy Stein said. "You can't win the game, though, if you can't score points. I thought everyone fought really hard, and Tiffany had a heck of a game. We needed some other kids to step up, but tonight you saw the kinds of things she can do."
The Tigers started out cold, missing eight of their first nine shots. Nebraska wasn't faring much better, opening just 3-for-13 as the Huskers held a 6-2 lead with 14:13 seconds left in the first half. The Tigers got on a hot streak, though, making their next five buckets - including a 3-pointer by Savant, and another from junior G LaToya Bond (Urbana, Ill. / Urbana HS) on the next possession to give Mizzou a 15-10 lead.
That came in the middle of a 25-9 run over a span of just 6:34, and was sparked by three separate 3-point plays from Brooks. She converted all three opportunities, then added a layup with 7:00 left in the first half to make it 29-17.
Gerhart scored NU's next four points and sparked a 17-9 run to bring Nebraska to within four points (38-34) with 1:06 left in the half. But freshman G Kassie Drew (Anna, Ill. / Anna-Jonesboro HS) canned a 3-pointer - her first field goal in four games - and Brooks hit a jumper to send the Tigers into the locker room with a 43-34 lead. After their cold-shooting start, Mizzou made 16 of their next 24 shots, and finished the half shooting 52 percent.
Sophomore G Blair Hardiek (Effingham, Ill. / Effingham HS) pushed the lead to 12 (51-39) with 16:56 left after banking in a 3-pointer with the shot clock running down. Luck found the Tigers again with 12:22 remaining when Savant's fourth 3-point attempt of the game hit the back of the rim, bounded straight up, and fell for a 62-51 lead.
A pair of Brooks free throws pushed the lead to 13 with 8:26 left, but the Huskers trimmed the lead to three over the next 3-1/2 minutes. After three more Brooks free throws on consecutive possessions, Nebraska went on a 14-1 run to close the game, taking their final lead on a Gerhart jumper with 1:42 left.
Missouri hits the road Tuesday for a 7 p.m. contest at Kansas State that will be televised statewide over the Mizzou Sports Network. The Tigers' next home game is the following Tuesday vs. Colorado. For ticket information, visit the Mizzou Arena ticket office or call 1-800-CAT-PAWS (884-PAWS in Mid-Missouri).
