Feb. 28, 2009
BOULDER, Colo. - Four players scored in double figures as the Missouri women's basketball team recorded a 66-55 road victory over Colorado on Saturday afternoon in Boulder Colo. The Tigers improved to 13-14 overall and 4-10 in Big 12 Conference play on the year.
Junior Jessra Johnson led Mizzou with 19 points and seven rebounds. Sophomore RaeShara Brown contributed 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting, eight rebounds and a career high tying five steals. Senior Alyssa Hollins had 14 points and sophomore Shakara Jones added 12 points.
Missouri shot 49.1 percent from the floor and forced 23 Colorado turnovers.
The Tigers opened the contest on fire from the field to go up 13-2 four and a half minutes in, highlighted by six points from Brown and five from Hollins. Seven points by Buffalo Brittany Spears brought the home team back within four, 16-12, three minutes later but Mizzou used baskets from sophomore Shakara Jones and freshman Christine Flores as the Tigers increased its advantage to 20-12 with 11 minutes on the clock.
Missouri maintained the lead and built its biggest advantage of the first half when Johnson nailed a three for a 31-20 game with 3:30 remaining on the clock. Colorado responded with a 9-2 run over the final minutes of the frame, including five points from Spears under a minute as the teams entered the break with Mizzou on top 33-29.
Four consecutive points from Jones less than three minutes into the second half upped Missouri's lead to 41-32.
Colorado cut its deficit to three, 47-44, when Spears hit a running layup but Brown grabbed an offensive board, made the putback, then hit a pullup jumper and a breakaway layup as Mizzou gained a 53-44 lead with seven minutes on the clock.
Five points from Johnson, including a three-pointer, pushed the score to 58-47 with just under five minutes remaining. The visitors held Colorado at bay over the final minutes and hit their free throws to hold on for the 66-55 victory.
The Tigers return to Mizzou Arena for its final home game of the season on Tuesday, March 3 in a 6:30 p.m. contest against Iowa State. Prior to the contest the program will recognize Hollins for her contributions to the Mizzou women's basketball family. Missouri then closes out the regular season on Saturday, March 7 with a road game against Texas Tech at 2 p.m.