March 19, 2006
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Dawn Chriss led five Virginia Tech players in double-figure scoring, and the seventh-seeded Hokies shot 52 percent from the field in posting an 82-51 win over No. 10 Missouri in Sunday evening's NCAA First Round matchup at the Bryce Jordan Center.
The loss ends Mizzou's record-setting season with a 21-10 mark, while Virginia Tech (21-9) advances to face the winner of the evening's final game between No. 2 Connecticut and No. 15 Coppin State.
Senior guard LaToya Bond (Urbana, Ill. / Urbana HS) led the Tigers in scoring with 13 points, yet was held to 3-of-14 shooting from the floor and was Mizzou's only scorer in double figures. Conversely, Chriss' 21 points led all scorers, while Kerri Gardin added 17 points and 13 rebounds.
"Obviously, we're very frustrated in our play. We worked very hard this season. We've achieved a lot of great things in our program this year. To come out and not shoot very well, obviously, is very disappointing," Head Coach Cindy Stein said. "We can't win a ball game shooting 18-for-58. I credit a lot of that to Virginia Tech; they played super defense. When we needed to get key stops; they always seemed to get an offensive board. We had some good opportunities, some good looks; we just could not knock them down tonight."
Virginia Tech hit the first three baskets of the game for an early 6-0 lead. The Tigers didn't score until a putback from senior center Christelle N'Garsanet (Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire / Illinois Central College) nearly three minutes into the game. Following a pair of Bond free throws, Virginia Tech scored 11 straight points to take a 17-4 lead with 12:54 to play in the first half.
Only a Dawn Chriss fastbreak layup could break up an 8-2 spurt for Missouri, starting with a turnaround jumper from junior forward EeTisha Riddle (O'Fallon, Ill. / O'Fallon HS), a backdoor layup for junior guard Tiffany Brooks (Leavenworth, Kan. / Leavenworth HS / Kansas State) and capped by two more Riddle buckets. Mizzou misfired on eight of its first nine shots, while the Hokies were shooting 50 percent (8-of-16) from the field.
The Hokies threw their own 8-0 run back at Mizzou to take a 27-12 lead with 5:13 to play in the half before the Tigers made a final run to end the half. After Bond scored off a backdoor cut and a Brooks free throw, freshman Alyssa Hollins (Mesquite, Texas / John Horn HS) took over the scoring duties for the Tigers. Hollins personally outscored the Hokies by an 8-5 margin to end the half; throw in a nice post move by senior forward Cherice Mack (St. Charles, Mo. / St. Charles HS), and the Tigers entered the locker room down just seven (32-25).
Hollins' eight points led the Tigers at the break, while Chriss led all scorers with 10. Despite shooting just 29 percent and committing 12 turnovers, the Tigers were a roll away from a four-point deficit when Bond's 20-footer at the buzzer found everything but the bottom of the net.
Junior forward Carlynn Savant (Euless, Texas / Trinity HS) sank three 3-pointers in the first six minutes of the second half. On two occasions, the Tigers pulled to within three; the second came on a pair of Bond free throws with 12:44 to go for a 45-40 game.
Starting with a Carrie Mason 3-pointer on the game's next possession, though, the Hokies shut the door. Bond's 3-pointer minutes later was the only stopgap in a game-breaking 26-3 run in which Mizzou went scoreless for a span of 6:31.
Despite the loss, Mizzou finishes its season with 21 wins for just the second time since 1985. While Bond, Mack and N'Garsanet saw their college careers come to an end, the Tigers will return three starters, and 11 players in all, for next season's squad.