May 13, 2011

COLUMBIA, Mo. - University of Missouri Head Women's Basketball Coach Robin Pingeton has signed junior college transfer Liene Priede to play for the Tigers next season, Mizzou announced on Friday. Priede is a 5-10 guard from Riga, Latvia.

Priede rounds out a five-member class joining the Tigers in the fall, joining Morgan Eye, a 5-10 guard from Montrose, Mo., Bree Fowler, a 5-10 wing from Kansas City, Mo., Kyley Simmons, a 5-7 guard from Council Bluffs, Iowa, and junior college transfer Liz Smith, a 6-2 center from Overland Park, Kan.

A 5-10 guard, Priede spent the last two years playing at Independence Community College in Independence, Kan., where she helped the Pirates to a 29-3 record in 2010-11 and a 22-9 mark in 2009-10. Priede posted 10.2 ppg., 3.5 rpg., 3.6 apg. and shot 84 percent from the charity stripe during her sophomore campaign, en route to NJCAA All-Region VI and Jayhawk Conference-Eastern Division first team honors. As a freshman in 2009-10, she averaged 9.7 ppg., 3.5 rpg., 2.6 apg. and shot 49 percent from the floor, 42 percent from the three-point arc and 82 percent from the foul line.

Priede also played for the Latvian junior national teams the last five years. She represented Latvia in the 2009 and 2010 U-20 European Championships, 2007 and 2008 U-18 European Championships and the 2006 U-16 European Championship.