Dec. 29, 2005
COLUMBIA, Mo. - Behind a Mizzou Arena record and career-high 34 points from senior guard LaToya Bond (Urbana, Ill. / Urbana HS), the Missouri women notched their ninth straight win in an 84-65 victory over Western Michigan in the Tigers' non-conference finale Thursday night.
The nine-game streak remains the seventh-longest in the country, and matches the longest winning stretch at Mizzou since the 1999-2000 season. By finishing the non-conference schedule at 10-2, the Tigers have posted the third-best start in Mizzou history through 12 games, behind only the 1992-93 and 1976-77 teams that began 11-1.
Bond, who had 24 second-half points to lead the Tigers from behind, finished 13-of-18 from the field, including 11-of-12 shooting in the final 20 minutes. Her 34 points broke the arena record of 30 set last year by junior forward Tiffany Brooks (Leavenworth, Kan. / Leavenworth HS / Kansas State) against Nebraska. Bond was joined in double-figure scoring by senior center Christelle N'Garsanet (Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire / Illinois Central College), who picked up her fourth double-double of the season with 14 points and 11 rebounds, and junior forwards EeTisha Riddle (O'Fallon, Ill. / O'Fallon HS) and Carlynn Savant (Euless, Texas / Trinity HS), who each added 10.
Casey Rost led Western Michigan (3-7) with 25 points, while Carrie Moore added 16 and Lindsey Brown 13.
"We obviously had a very good second half. We were very sluggish in the first half, but the team really came together in the second," Head Coach Cindy Stein said. "LaToya had an outstanding game, Blair Hardiek really energized us on the fast break, and Christelle did a good job inside. It was just a total team effort. It seemed like that was the team that left for break in the second half."
Just as they did in their last game against Alabama State, the Tigers shot poorly and faced a team that shot well from outside in the early going. In the first half, the Broncos were 3-of-5 from 3-point range against the Big 12's top defensive squad against the trey.
Meanwhile, Mizzou made two of its first five shots, yet committed three turnovers and was down 10-4 just three minutes, 13 seconds into the game. The Broncos played aggressively on both ends of the floor, and with the Tigers missing their next 10 shots in a row, pushed to a 17-6 lead.
The Tigers would not stay cold, though, getting 3-pointers their next two trips down the floor from Savant and Bond. That fueled a 17-9 run over a span of 6:08 to bring Mizzou back to within three points (26-23) with 3:24 to go in the half. Western Michigan made a late run back to take a 34-28 lead at the break.
As poorly as they shot in the first half (30.3 percent on 10-of-33 shooting), Mizzou finally regained its shooting touch early in the second to slowly chip away at the lead. The Tigers finally earned their first advantage of the game with 13:34 left on an N'Garsanet jumper in the paint to go up 42-41. That came early in a game-breaking 27-3 run, spanning 8:07, in which the Broncos went 0-for-10 from the field and committed six turnovers.
With its non-conference schedule completed, Mizzou continues its eight-game homestand next Wednesday, Jan. 4, against defending NCAA National Champion Baylor. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at Mizzou Arena in a game that will be televised statewide over the Mizzou Sports Network; tickets are available by visiting the Mizzou Arena Box Office, calling 1-800-CAT-PAWS (884-PAWS in mid-Missouri) or going online to www.mutigers.com.