Nov. 8, 2007

Complete Release in PDF Format

TIPOFF: 6:36 p.m. CST
ARENA: Mizzou Arena (15,061)
TV: None
RADIO: KFRU-AM 1400 (David Lile, play-by-play / Gary Link, color)
RANKINGS: Neither team is ranked in the AP or ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll
SERIES: Missouri leads 2-0 (Last meeting: Missouri 100, Murray State 55, Dec. 3, 2005)
COACHES
Missouri: Cindy Stein (Illinois, 1984), 150-121 at MU (10th season) and 215-146 overall (13th season)
Murray State: Jody Adam (Tennessee, 1994), 0-0 at MSU (first season) and 0-0 overall (first season)

COLUMBIA, Mo. - The Missouri women's basketball team officially opens the 2007-08 season Friday, Nov. 9 at 6:36 p.m. against the Murray State Racers at Mizzou Arena. The Tigers look to improve their identical 26-7 marks in both season and home openers against the Racers. They have won 11 straight season openers since a 78-69 loss to Creighton on Nov. 25, 1995 and seven consecutive home openers after a 83-76 loss to Arkansas on Nov. 22, 1999.

Mizzou is coming off a 17-14 season in 2006-07 where the Tigers ran off to a 12-1 record in non-conference action but finished on a 5-13 skid. In Big 12 Conference action, the Tigers placed 10th with a 5-11 mark and fell to Texas 70-57 in the opening round of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Tournament.

Missouri qualified for postseason play for the seventh time in nine years under Head Coach Cindy Stein but fell to Wyoming 73-67 in the second round of the WNIT.

Scouting the Racers
Under the direction of first-year Head Coach Jody Adams, Murray State enters the 2007-08 season on the heels of a 21-10 record last year and a 15-5 mark in Ohio Valley Conference play.

Murray State returns four starters and 10 letterwinners from last season's squad. Junior guard Amber Guffey averaged 13 ppg. as a sophomore to go along with 4.3 apg., and classmate Ashley Hayes added 12.5 ppg. and 6.8 rpg. in 2006-07.

The squad added three newcomers to the roster this year: Angela Brown, a senior transfer from Old Dominion, junior newcomer Kayla Vance and guard / forward Tanjala Wynn, who hails from Memphis, Tenn.

The Racers are coming off a 84-49 exhibition victory over Christian Brothers on Nov. 3. Hayes paced the Racers with 19 points and 12 rebounds on 9-18 from the floor. AlainaLee chipped in 17 points and Amber Guffey added 14.

Tigers Collect 62-50 Exhibition Win
The Tigers overcame a sluggish first half to collect a 62-50 win over Pittsburg State in Mizzou's lone exhibition game on Nov. 5 at Mizzou Arena.

The Tigers trailed 32-21 entering the half but outscored the Gorillas 41-18 in the second frame to post the come-from-behind victory.

Sophomore Jessra Johnson and freshman Shakara Jones each scored 18 points to share game-high honors. Johnson also added 11 rebounds, including five offensive, and three blocks.

Stein Enters 10th Season at MU
Missouri Head Coach Cindy Stein enters her 10th season at the helm of the Tigers Friday night. She has accumulated a 150-121 (.554) record at Mizzou in her nine years and recorded her 150th victory with a 69-61 win against Kansas State on Feb. 21, 2006.

In her tenure at Missouri, Stein has led the Tigers to three NCAA Tournament berths, including an appearance in the Sweet 16 in 2001.

Overall, Stein holds a 215-146 (.600) record as a head coach.

Barr returns to Mizzou
Former Tiger player and assistant coach Kerensa Barr returns to her alma mater on the Racer sideline as a first-year assistant for Jody Adams. Barr came to the Racers after serving as an assisant under Missouri Head Coach Cindy Stein in 2005-06 and 2006-07. She also spent one season as a graduate assistant for the Tigers.

Barr, who finished up her playing career in 2003, currently holds the Mizzou record for assists in a career (489), ranks second in steals (242) and free throw percentage (.812), fifth in three-pointers made (109) and attempted (319) and sits 18th in scoring (1,161).

Five newcomers join the Tigers
Five newcomers, including four freshman and one senior, join the Missouri women's basketball family for the 2007-08 season.

Freshman guards RaeShara Brown (Little Rock, Ark.), Bekah Mills (Towanda, Kan.) and Jasmyn Otote (Duncanville, Texas) and fellow frosh forward Shakara Jones (St. Charles, Mo.) are joined by first year collegiate ballplayer Nicole Wilson (Lincoln, Neb.), a senior center.

Tigers picked 12th in Preseason Big 12 Poll
After a 10th-place finish in the Big 12 Conference a year ago, Mizzou was picked 12th in the Preseason Coaches Poll on Oct. 12. Defending co-champion Texas A&M was selected to win the title, followed closely behind by fellow 2006-07 co-champion Oklahoma.

Team (First place votes)
1. Texas A&M (7)
2. Oklahoma (5)
3. Baylor
4. Texas
5. Oklahoma State
6. Iowa State
7. Nebraska
8. Kansas State / Texas Tech
10. Kansas
11. Colorado
12. Missouri

Injury bug hits early
Freshman guard Bekah Mills will be forced to sit out her inaugural Tiger campaign after suffering an ACL tear in her right knee at practice on Oct. 27. The freshman had looked strong in preseason practices and would have challenged for the starting point guard position.

Youth movement
The Tigers return just one starter from last year's 17-14 squad and feature a roster of five newcomers and only six returning players. Junior guard Alyssa Hollins is the lone starter back from last season, when she was the third-leading scorer on the team with 11.5 ppg. and hit a team-high 64 3-point field goals.

All in the family
Freshman forward Shakara Jones becomes the second member of her family to don the No. 44 jersey on the Tiger hardwood. Her father, Ron Jones, played for Mizzou under Norm Stewart from 1980-84. Known as a defensive specialist, Ron held Michael Jordan to 13 points in Missouri's 64-60 upset of North Carolina in 1982.

From one court to another
Former Mizzou All-America honorable mention volleyball player Nicole Wilson joins the Tiger women's basketball team this season after a successful four-year career on the volleyball court.

Listed as a center on the Missouri roster, Wilson earned four letters in basketball at Lincoln Christian High School (Neb.) and was a three-time all-state and all-conference selection.

Stein adds two coaches to staff
The Tigers have a few new faces on the bench with the addition of Lynnette Robinson and Allison Guth to Head Coach Cindy Stein's coaching staff.

Robinson, the associate head coach, comes to Mizzou after a four-year stint as an assistant at Michigan. After one season as an assistant at Northern Illinois in 1986-87, Robinson moved to Southwest Missouri State (now Missouri State), where she served as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator from 1987-2002. In her 15 years with the Bears, Robinson helped lead SMS to 10 NCAA Tournament berths, NCAA Final Four appearances in 1992 and 2001 and a 241-118 overall record.

Assistant Coach Guth spent two years as an assistant and head recruiting coordinator at Loyola-Chicago. While with the Ramblers, Guth also coached the guards, helped scout, design game plans and led all recruiting efforts for the program.