Dec. 29, 2006
Tiffany Brooks and EeTisha Riddle combined for 39 points and each recorded their 700th career point as Missouri shot a season-best 52 percent in a 94-52 win over Arkansas Pine Bluff at Mizzou Arena on Friday night.
Missouri (12-1) won its ninth-straight game and tied the record for the best start in school history. The 1976-77 Tiger team also collected 12 wins in its first 13 games. UAPB (0-11) lost the final game of its eight-game road trip.
Brooks' 19 points was her highest total in eight games as she finished 8-for-9 from the floor and scored 15 in 11 second-half minutes. Riddle led all players with 20 points and added six rebounds to bring her career total to 491.
In the early going, it didn't seem like the Tigers were going to have an easy time of it with the seven Golden Lady Lions that dressed. Mizzou got open look after open look in the first half but shot just 31 percent.
"We weren't taking bad shots, just quick shots," MU head coach Cindy Stein said. "When you start missing shots and begin to take quick [shots], that will sometimes put you in a bind, but we fought through that tonight."
Indeed they did as Mizzou fired off a season-high 74 percent in the second half on 23-of-31 shooting. The Tigers also were deadly from the charity stripe, making their final 18 `freebies' after missing their opening pair.
UAPB jumped out to a 9-0 lead and was ahead 13-7 before Mizzou began to make the first of two big runs to close the period. The Tigers took the lead for good at 23-21 on a Riddle layup with 3:31 to play. Following a Lady Lion free throw from Candace Ward, MU closed the half on a 9-0 run.
That momentum carried over into the second half as the Tigers outscored the Lions 14-5 to push their lead to 46-27 just 5:22 into the stanza. Mizzou then went on a shooting streak unmatched thus far this season. MU made its next 13 field goals and 18 of its final 21, including six 3-pointers to outscore UAPB 48-22 over the final 14 minutes.
The Tigers also rebounded better after the break. UAPB held a 23-20 edge in the first half but Missouri dominated after halftime with an 18-6 edge while forcing UAPB into 30 turnovers, which MU converted in 43 points.
UAPB was led by Arica Green's 18 points and four rebounds in 40 minutes. Tashalya Jackson and Candace Ward also reached double figures with 13 and 10, respectively. The Lions' leading scorer, Delores Hughley went down with an injury in the game's second minute and did not return until the second half. She was held scoreless in 13minutes after averaging 15.4 point per game.
Carlynn Savant finished with nine points and eight rebounds. Alyssa Hollins added eight points and five assists, while Jessra Johnson finished with a game- and career-high 10 rebounds.
Missouri also finished the month of December with a perfect 7-0 slate, marking just the seventh time in school history that has happened.
Missouri will now open Big 12 play at Colorado (6-6) on Wednesday, Jan. 3. Tip-off at the Coors Events Center is set for 8 p.m. Mountain time. The game is the back-end of a doubleheader with the CU men.