Jan. 12, 2010
COLUMBIA, Mo. - The University of Missouri women's basketball team returns to Mizzou Arena Wednesday, Jan. 13 for a contest against Big 12 Conference foe Kansas State at 6 p.m. The game will be televised live on the Mizzou Sports Network with Beau Baehman on play-by-play duties and former Iowa State Cyclone Anne O'Neil serving as the color analyst. The contest can be found on Fox Sports Midwest in mid-Missouri, Metro Sports in Kansas City, in addition to Universal Sports in Columbia.
The Wildcats hold a 40-35 edge in the all-time series but the two teams split last year's two meetings. Kansas State picked up a 58-54 win in Manhattan on Feb. 4, 2009, while the Tigers upset the Wildcats, ranked No. 14, 52-43 at Mizzou Arena on Feb. 18, 2009.
UP NEXT
The Tigers travel to Lawrence, Kan., on Sunday, Jan. 17 for a 1 p.m. matchup against Border Showdown rival Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse. Mizzou then hosts No. 13 Oklahoma at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 20.
SCOUTING KANSAS STATE
Kansas State enters Mizzou Arena with a 9-6 overall mark and a 1-0 record in Big 12 play. After losing three of their first four games, the Wildcats are 8-3 since, including five consecutive wins. Most recently Kansas State dominated Kansas 59-35 in the conference opener.
The Wildcats average 66.9 ppg. on 42.8 perecnt shooting from the field and an impressive 41.5 percent shooting from behind the arc. s the Wildcats with 18.5 ppg. on 49.7 percent shooting from the floor and 52.5 percent from the three-point line. The forward also averages a team high 6.0 rpg. Freshman Brittany Chambers joins Sweat in double figures with 12.7 ppg. on 49.2 percent shooting from the field and 4.7 rpg. Senior Kari Kincaid plays a team high 37.3 mpg. and adds 9.4 ppg. and 3.7 apg.
Head Coach Deb Patterson is in her 13th season at the helm of the Wildcats and has a 249-144 record with the team.
LAST TIME VS. THE WILDCATS
Jessra Johnson narrowly missed a double-double with 17 points, nine rebounds and a career high six blocks as the Tigers upset No. 14 Kansas State 52-43 at Mizzou Arena on Feb. 18, 2009. The win was Mizzou's first over a ranked team since March 11, 2008.
The Tigers recorded a season high 11 blocks and held the Wildcats to 30.8 percent shooting from the floor, their lowest average of the season.
Joining Johnson in double figures were senior Alyssa Hollins, who had 13 points, and sophomore Shakara Jones, who added 12.
LAST TIME OUT
Missouri made a late second half charge but fell short as the team fell to the Colorado Buffaloes 64-48 in the Big 12 Conference opener Saturday afternoon in Boulder, Colo.
Junior Shakara Jones led the Tigers with 15 points while sophomore Christine Flores posted her third career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
With Mizzou back down 14, 46-32, a three-pointer from Brown with 10:50 left kick started the Tigers' comeback. After four straight free throws from Johnson to bring Missouri within seven, Jones converted a layup for a five-point, 46-41. The two teams each made one free throw before Brown grabbed a steal and made a coast-to-coast layup to pull the Tigers within three, 47-44, with 5:55 left.
Colorado answered right back with an 8-0 run and held on for the rest of the game for the 64-48 win.
STEIN CLOSING IN ON 250
Missouri Head Coach Cindy Stein enters the game with Xavier just two wins shy of the 250 mark. In her 15th year as a head coach, Stein sports a 248-186 (.571) record with Missouri and Emporia State.
Stein recorded 65 wins in three seasons at Emporia State and has 183 so far at the helm at Missouri.
FLORES STEPPING UP
Sophomore Christine Flores has been the Tigers' biggest scoring threat for the last month of the season. Since the game against Ball State on Dec. 5, the forward has averaged a team best 13.6 ppg., 6.3 rpg. and 2.8 bpg., while shooting 48.3 percent from the field.
During the nine game stretch Flores has reached double figures seven games and scored at least 16 points four times. She has notched a caerer high 19 points twice, against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Dec. 21 and against No. 14 Xavier on Jan. 5.
She also has all three of her career double-doubles during the stretch. Flores recorded her first with 16 points and 12 rebounds against Murray State. A 19 point, 14 rebound output in the next game against Arkansas-Pine Bluff was her second of the season. Most recently, she had 10 points and 10 rebounds against Colorado in the Big 12 opener.
Flores, who averaged just 2.0 ppg. the first five games this year, has upped her season scoring average to 9.4 ppg. on 47.5 percent shooting from the field.
JONES A BRIGHT SPOT
Junior Shakara Jones was one of Mizzou's offensive bright spots in the team's loss at Colorado on Jan. 9. The forward shot 6-of-12 from the floor to finish with 15 points, including 11 in the second half.
Jones helped jumpstart the Tiger comeback with five consecutive points to open second half scoring.
The 15 points marked her seventh double-digit scoring output of the season, tied with senior Jessra Johnson and sophomore Christine Flores for the team lead.
FLORES DOUBLING UP
It took sophomore Christine Flores 37 games to earn the first double-double of her career with 16 points and 12 rebounds against Murray State on Dec. 13. It took her just one more contest to earn her second.
Flores posted her second career double-double with career highs of 19 points and 14 rebounds against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Dec. 21.
A 10 point, 10 rebound performance at Colorado on Jan. 9 marked her third career double-double, tops among all Tigers this season.
BROWN STEALING UP A STORM
Junior RaeShara Brown has been stealing up a storm the past few games. In contests with Murray State, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, North Texas and Duquesne the guard has averaged 5.8 spg. Against both Arkansas-Pine Bluff and North Texas she grabbed a career high seven steals.
Brown now leads the Big 12 and ranks seventh nationally with 3.5 spg. With 49 steals so far this year, if she keeps on her current pace, Brown will have an excellent chance to break Amanda Lassiter's single-season steals record of 98.
Brown led the conference in steals last year with 2.7 spg. and 79 total on the year, which is the seventh best single-season total in Tiger history.
OFFENSIVE QUESTIONS ANSWERED
One question entering the 2009-10 season was where the offensive production would come from. Senior Jessra Johnson and junior Shakara Jones were Mizzou's two dependable scorers after averaging double figures the past two season but the question remained who else would step up.
Now the answer is evident: everyone. Eight different Tigers (RaeShara Brown - six times; Christine Flores - seveb; Bailey Gee - one; Amanda Hanneman - six; Jessra Johnson - seven; Shakara Jones - seven; Marissa Scott - one; Toy Richbow - one) have reached double figures so far this season.
Additionally, the Tigers have five players averaging at least 9.0 ppg.: Johnson - 12.7; Hanneman - 11.0; Jones - 11.0; Flores - 9.4; Brown - 9.0.
JOHNSON REACHES MILESTONE
With a layup to start scoring in the second of Missouri's game against Bradley on Dec. 5 senior Jessra Johnson etched her name in the MU record book. The basket marked the 999th and 1,000th points in her Tiger career, making her the 27th player in Missouri history to score at least 1,000 points.
Johnson entered the 2009-10 season with 902 points in her career, just 98 shy of the century mark. She posted eight points against Xavier to put her career total to 1,054, which ranks her 24th in MU history.
Johnson should also end her tiger career ranked in the top-10 in career rebounds as well. Currently sitting on 598 in her career, she needs 71 rebounds to pass Nikki Smith (1992-95) and move into 10th place on the all-time list.
TIGERS PROTECT THE PAINT
Despite Xavier's clear height advantage on Jan. 5, the Tigers managed to be a force in the post. Missouri actually outscored the Musketeers 34-24 in the paint and outrebounded Xavier 37-35, including a 14-7 advantage in offensive rebounds.
Four of Xavier's five starters were 6-0 or higher, including 6-6 Ta'Shia Phillips and 6-5 Amber Harris. Before the season, ESPN.com named Harris the nations top power foward, while Phillips was among the top five centers in the country.
Sophomore Christine Flores, who stands 6-3, did the most damage down low, with 19 points.
FLORES PERFORMS AGAINST THE BEST
Sophomore Christine Flores had another standout performance against No. 14 Xavier on Jan. 5. The forward matched her career high with 19 points despite going against potential All-Americans Amber Harris and Ta'Shia Phillips.
Flores was especially strong to start the second half, as she scored Missouri's first seven points of the final 20 minutes.
BROWN DOING IT ALL
Known as a defensive specialist after nabbing 79 steals last season, junior RaeShara Brown is doing it all for the Tigers this year.
The guard is averaging 9.0 ppg. after marks of 1.0 ppg. and 6.0 ppg. as a freshman and sophomore, respectively. Brown, who stands just 5'8", also is third on the team with 5.1 rpg. More impressive is that 34 of her 71 rebounds this season have come on the offensive end.
Brown also leads the Tigers in assists (4.0 apg.) and steals (3.5 spg.).
CLOSE BUT NOT ENOUGH
Trailing No. 14 Xavier by 15 points with 5:21 left in the game, the Tigers reeled off 11 consecutive points to pull within four, 62-58, with 2:14 on the clock.
A layup from junior RaeShara Brown got the Tigers started, followed on the next possession with a three-pointer from senior Jessra Johnson. Sophomore Christine Flores hit one-of-two free throws with 3:15 remaining before senior Amanda Hanneman nailed a three to cut the Musketeer lead to six. On Missouri's next possession, Johnson hit another shot for a 62-58 game with 2:14 left.
The Tigers missed quick three-pointers on their next two possessions and Xavier hit its free throws at the end to seal the win.