Jan. 16, 2009
Complete Release in PDF Format 
COLUMBIA, Mo. - The University of Missouri women's basketball team (9-6) hosts the Nebraska Cornhuskers (9-6, 0-2) at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 17 at Mizzou Arena. The contest will be televised on the Mizzou Sports Network with Beau Baehman on play-by-play duties and former Iowa State Cyclone Anne O'Neil as the color analyst. The game came be found on KZOU in Mid-Missouri, Metro Sports in Kansas City and Fox Sports Midwest throughout most of Missouri.
Nebraska holds a 36-29 lead in the all-time series and claimed a 73-57 win in Lincoln, Neb., on Feb. 21, 2008, the last meeting between the teams.
Up Next
The Tigers travel to Ames, Iowa, on Wednesday, Jan. 21 for a 7 p.m. contest against No. 20 Iowa State (13-3, 1-1). Missouri then will play host to the Colorado Buffaloes (8-6, 0-2) on Saturday, Jan. 24 at 6:30 p.m. and to the No. 22 Oklahoma State Cowgirls (12-3, 1-1) at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 28.
Scouting Nebraska
The Huskers enter Mizzou Arena with a 9-6 overall mark and a 0-2 record in Big 12 play. The team won eight of its first 10 games but has dropped four of its last five contests, including a 74-60 loss to No. 16 Texas on Wednesday.
Hampered by injuries, Nebraska is without the help of two-time All-Big 12 first team honoree Kelsey Griffin (ankle) and junior center Nikki Bober (ACL) for the rest of the season.
Junior Cory Montgomery leads three different players in double figures for Nebraska. The forward averages 13.2 ppg. and a team high 7.6 rpg. Classmate Yvonne Turner scores 11.7 ppg. and leads the team with 2.5 spg. while sophomore Dominique Kelley adds 10.1 ppg. and 3.1 apg.
Head Coach Connie Yori is in her eighth year at the helm of the Huskers and sports a 115-87 record with the program.
Kansas bests Mizzou on Wednesday
Missouri lost to Kansas, 75-58, Wednesday night in Lawrence, Kan. The Tigers fell to 9-6 overall and 0-2 in Big 12 Conference play while the Jayhawks improved to 12-3 and 1-1.
Senior Alyssa Hollins and sophomore Shakara Jones led the Tigers with 14 points apiece and sophomore RaeShara Brown scored a career high 13 points to go along with three steals.
Both teams came out of the gate ready to play and the Tigers took a quick 7-5 lead when Jones hit a jumper with 17:18 left in the opening frame. Consecutive threes from Jayhawk Nicollette Smith put the home team ahead 11-17 but another basket by Jones and a three-pointer from redshirt freshman Bekah Mills gave Mizzou a 12-11 advantage with 14:42 on the clock.
Down 21-18, Missouri used a free throw from Jones and a layup from junior Jessra Johnson off a pass from Brown to knot the score at 21-21 with 7:12 remaining in the first. Kansas responded with a 9-0 run as the Jayhawks built a nine-point advantage, 30-21 , with 4:27 on the clock.
A three from Hollins, a free throw from Mills and two freebies from Brown got Mizzou within five, 34-29, with five seconds left but Sade Morris ran the length of the floor and made a layup as time expired for a 36-29 Jayhawk halftime lead.
Kansas started off hot in the second half and gradually built a comfortable 16-point lead, 52-36, after Danielle McCray nailed a three with 13:52 left in the contest. Mizzou looked poised to make a comeback and got back within 11, 55-44, when Brown converted a three-point play at the 9:55 mark but Kansas came back and a layup from McCray gave the Jayhawks a 64-47 advantage with 4:22 remaining.
Tigers improving from the charity stripe
A weakness the beginning of the season, free throw shooting has slowly turned into a strength of the Tigers over the last five games. Mizzou entered its game with SEMO shooting just 57.2 percent (103-180) from the charity stripe. That day the Tigers shot a then-season high 76.9 (10-13) from the line. Since (and including the SEMO game) Missouri is shooting 71.4 percent (65-91) from the line.
Some of Mizzou's drastic improvement can be attributed to junior Jessra Johnson and sophomore RaeShara Brown. Johnson is a perfect 12-of-12 from the charity stripe during the five game streak while Brown is shooting 86.7 percent (13-15).
Brown breaks through against KU
Sophomore RaeShara Brown was all over the court in Mizzou's loss to Kansas on Jan. 14. The guard posted a career high in points with 13, off 7-of-9 shooting from the free throw line, against the Jayhawks. Additionally, Brown pulled down five rebounds, including two offensive, and nabbed a team high three steals.
Her impressive night from the line mirrors a drastic improvement in her free throw shooting over the past four games. Brown is shooting 86.7 percent (13-18) from the charity stripe the past four games after shooing just 45.8 percent (11-24) in her first 11 games of the year.
Jones returns to form
Sophomore Shakara Jones entered the Jan. 6 game against Chicago State with just three double digit outputs in the team's first 12 games and none in the past five.
Against the Cougars, Jones got back on track with 13 points, on 5-of-9 shooting from the floor and 3-of-4 shooting from the charity stripe, to go along with five boards.
Four days later, Jones hit 6-of-7 shots from the floor to finish with a team high 14 points. Then against Kansas on Jan. 14, the sophomore shot 5-of-7 from the floor for a team high 14 points.
Overall this year, the forward is shooting a team high 57.6 percent from the field.
In just conference games, the Tigers rank fourth in the league shooting at a 76.7 percent (33-43) clip.
Texas A&M halts Mizzou's streak
The close 62-56 loss to Texas A&M snapped the Tigers' eight-game winning streak, which dated back to Nov. 30. Starting with a win at Northwestern, Mizzou also recorded wins over Toledo, Bradley, UT Martin, Arkansas, SEMO, Duquesne and Chicago State.
During the eight-game span, Missouri averaged 68.9 ppg. and allowed only 47.79 ppg., a +21.0 mark. Additionally the team is shooting 43.4 percent from the field, grabbing 13.0 spg. and has a +7.8 turnover margin (15.9-23.6).