Feb. 24, 2009
Complete Release in PDF Format 
COLUMBIA, Mo. - The University of Missouri women's basketball team (12-13, 3-9 Big 12) hosts the No. 16/13 Texas Longhorns (19-7, 7-5) at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 24. The Tigers will participate in the NCAA's Take a Kid to the Game promotion, where all youth will receive free admission with the purchase of an adult ticket. The Longhorns hold a 15-1 lead in the all-time series and last season's only meeting, a 67-37 game in Austin, Texas.
Up Next
The Tigers travels to Boulder, Colo., for a 5 p.m. (CT) contest against Colorado on Saturday, Feb. 28, in a game that will be televised live on FSN-Rocky Mountain. Mizzou will then return to Mizzou Arena for its final home game of the season on Tuesday, March 3 for a 6:30 p.m. contest against Iowa State.
Scouting Texas
Texas, which enters Mizzou Arena with a 19-7 overall mark and a 7-5 record in Big 12, enters Mizzou Arena on a two-game losing streak after reeling off five straight victories. Last time out the Longhorns recorded a 76-65 loss to Texas A&M.
Texas averages a league second best 73.1 ppg. and shots an impressive 37.2 percent from behind the three-point arc, to go along with a Big 12 high 5.7 bpg.
Junior Brittainey Raven leads the Longhorns with 13.2 ppg. and is shooting a respectable 37.5 percent from behind the arc. Sophomore Kathleen Nash joins Raven in double figures with 12.1 ppg. and pulls down a team high 6.4 rpg.
Head Coach Gail Goestenkors is in her second year at the helm of the team and sports a 41-20 record with the program.
Mizzou falls at Nebraska
Junior Jessra Johnson recorded her third double-double of the year with 23 points and 11 rebounds but Missouri suffered a 65-52 loss to Nebraska on Saturday night in Lincoln, Neb.
Sophomore Shakara Jones and senior Alyssa Hollins joined Johnson in double figures with 11 and 10 points, respectively. The Tigers committed a season low eight turnovers in the contest.
Mizzou ran off to a 10-2 advantage 4:08 into the contest after Hollins and Johnson hit back-to-back three-pointers. The Huskers to within three, 12-9, but the Tigers used a mini 8-2 run, capped when Jones converted a three-point play with 11:38 on the clock.
Nebraska caught fire and threes from Dominique Kelley and Yvonne Turner on consecutive possessions cut Missouri's lead to one, 22-21, with 4:32 remaining in the first half. After Johnson nailed a three, Nebraska scored the final seven points of the half to take a 28-25 advantage into the break.
A layup and ensuing foul shot and trey from Johnson put the Tigers back on top one, 31-30, with 17:51 on the clock. Another basket by Johnson gave Mizzou a three-point lead, 33-30, at the 17:13 mark but the Huskers reeled off a 19-6 run over the next seven minutes to build a 10-point advantage, 49-39.
Mizzou got back within seven, 54-47, when Hollins made a jumper with 4:44 left in the game but the home team scored the next four points to regain a double-digit advantage and held on for the 65-52 victory.
Johnson lighting it up
Junior Jessra Johnson averaged a team high 20.0 ppg. and 10.0 rpg. in Missouri's two games last week. In the Tigers' 52-43 upset of No. 14 Kansas State the junior lead the way with team highs in points (17), rebounds (nine), blocks (career high nine), steals (three) and assists (two). Against Nebraska three days later Johnson recorded her third double-double of the season with a season high 23 points and 11 rebounds on 10-of-18 shooting from the floor and 3-of-5 shooting from behind the three-point line.
Johnson's six blocks against the Wildcats were the most by a Tiger since Stretch James tied Amanda Lassiter's single-game record with seven against Missouri State (Southwest Missouri State) on Dec. 10, 2003.
Mills back in action
Redshirt freshman Bekah Mills returned to the court against the Cornhuskers after missing last Wednesday's game against Kansas State due to injury. The guard hurt her knee six minutes into Mizzou's game at Baylor on Feb. 14 and sat the rest of the contest.
Mills has played in 24 of the Tigers' games this season with 19 starts. She's averaging 5.9 ppg., 3.0 rpg. and has 36 steals and 19 blocks.
Missouri takes care of the ball
Missouri recorded a season low eight turnovers against Nebraska on Feb. 21, one less than the nine the Tigers committed on Nov. 22 against Western Illinois.
As a team the Tigers commit just 15.7 turnovers per game to rank fifth in the conference and force 18.9 turnovers a game to rank third in the league behind Texas A&M and Texas. Overall Mizzou ranks third in assist/turnover margin with +3.2.
Tigers hold block party
Mizzou recorded a season high 11 blocks against the Wildcats on Feb. 18, which is also the second highest total in the Big 12 this year. The 11 blocks were the most by the Tigers since the team recorded 11 against Oklahoma State on Jan. 4, 2005.
Additionally, Jessra Johnson's six blocks doubled the previous individual season high and stand one shy of the program single-game record of seven, held by Amanda Lassiter (vs. Western Kentucky; Dec. 4, 1999) and Stretch James (Missouri State [SMS]; Dec. 10, 2003). The forward's total was the most since James tied the program record over five years ago.