Nov. 23, 2005

Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader

Game #5: Mizzou (2-2) vs. Towson (1-0)
Pittsburgh Thanksgiving Tournament - Friday, Nov. 25, 2005 - Pittsburgh, Pa.

TIPOFF: 12:00 p.m. CST (1:00 p.m. EST)
ARENA: Petersen Events Center (12,508). Opened in 2002. MU is 92-68 (.575) all-time at neutral sites.
RADIO: KLIK-AM 1240/KWWC-FM 90.5 (David Lile, play-by-play/Gary Link, color). Also available online at mutigers.com.
TV: None.
SERIES: First meeting between the schools; Mizzou is 1-2 all-time against members of the Colonial Athletic Association.
RANKINGS: Neither team is ranked.
COACHES:
     Missouri: Cindy Stein (Illinois '84), 114-99 at MU (eighth season) and 179-124 overall (11th season).
     Towson: Joe Mathews (Radford '75), 31-84 at TU and overall (fifth season).

MIZZOU GOES FOR TIGER TITLE FRIDAY AT PITT THANKSGIVING TOURNEY
      The Mizzou women's basketball team (2-2) returns to the road this weekend, heading to Pennsylvania for the Pittsburgh Thanksgiving Tournament. They will be Mizzou's final non-conference games away from Mizzou Arena, as the Tigers return home next weekend to begin a school record-tying eight-game homestand.
      After beating the Clemson Tigers in the season-opener, Mizzou will try to sweep this season's feline friends with a neutral-site affair Friday afternoon with the Towson Tigers (1-0). TU enters the game with a 12-point win over American and Mizzou alum Melissa McFerrin last weekend.
      On Sunday, Mizzou will face host Pittsburgh (3-0).
      Mizzou got back on the winning track Tuesday night in its home opener, cruising past Northwestern by 23 points. After surrendering the first points of the game, the Tigers threw a 37-5 run on the Wildcats to put the game out of reach before halftime.

SCOUTING TOWSON
      The Tigers, under fifth-year Head Coach Joe Mathews, have had a week off following a season-opening 67-54 win against American. Forward Tierra Jackson had a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds, LaShay Rose added 17 points - all in the second half - and Alis Freeman nearly had a triple-double with 10 assists, eight points and six rebounds.
      Towson is picked to finish sixth in the 12-team Colonial Athletic Association, and returns four starters and three letterwinners from last year's team that finished 16-14 and 9-9 (fifth) in the CAA.

LAST TIME OUT: MIZZOU 87, NORTHWESTERN 64
      The University of Missouri women's basketball team found the win column in emphatic fashion, as a 37-5 run near the start of the contest helped the Tigers defeat Northwestern University 87-64 and even their overall record at 2-2 on the year.

NOTES THAT DIDN'T MAKE THE RECAP

Junior forward Carlynn Savant tied her career high with 16 points in Tuesday's win over Northwestern. That bettered her season high of 12 points set last Saturday at Arkansas State, and matched two previous 16-point games, most recently vs. Saint Louis last January.

Senior guard LaToya Bond again tied her career high with her second straight five-steal night. It'in her four years at Mizzou with five swipes in a game.

Junior transfer Marchele Campbell hit her first bucket as a Tiger on Tuesday, canning a 3-pointer on her first try of the night. She finished 1-for-3 and 1-for-2 from the line for four points. She added an assist and a pair of rebounds.

Two players made their Tiger debuts on Tuesday vs. Northwestern: freshman K-Kay Pickens picked up a charge in two minutes of action, while freshman Rachel Oswald missed a 3-point attempt in her two minutes on the floor. Junior center Kacey McFarland also saw her first action of the season.

MIZZOU STEALS THE SHOW
      With 13.3 steals per game (40 steals in four games), the Tigers are at nearly double the pace of their defensive prowess last year, when Mizzou had 224 steals in 29 games (7.7 spg). All five of the Tigers' starters are averaging a steal or more per game, led by LaToya Bond's Big 12 Conference-leading 4.0 spg. As mentioned above, she has had five steals in each of her last two games, and it's the third straight game a Mizzou player has had five steals; Christelle N'Garsanet did the same at No. 18 Arizona State.