Feb. 3, 2004
Box Score
AUSTIN, Texas -
Stacy Stephens led five Longhorns in double-figure scoring as No. 3-ranked Texas eased its way to an 89-55 win over Missouri Tuesday night at the Erwin Center.
Stephens was 10-of-11 from the floor in leading the Longhorns to their sixth straight win. Heather Schreiber added 19 for UT (20-2, 8-1 Big 12). For the second straight game, senior forward Stretch James (Columbus, Ohio / Northland HS / Tyler [Texas] JC) displayed an extended shooting range on her way to a team-high 17 points for the Tigers (11-8, 2-6), while senior All-America candidate Evan Unrau (Fort Collins, Colo. / Rocky Mountain HS) added 16 points and seven rebounds.
"I was disappointed with several moments tonight. We have to have better leadership on the floor from our seniors," said Head Coach Cindy Stein. "We had a couple of breakdowns, but there were also some times when we had some great execution. In the end, it's a lopsided win for them."
The Tigers hit a pair of 3-pointers in the first 3 minutes - one each by senior guard MyEsha Perkins (Detroit, Mich. / Oak Park HS / Trinity Valley [Texas] JC) and Unrau - to take an 8-2 lead.
Perkins immediately followed with a backdoor layup, then on the next possession banked a jumper off a fastbreak feed from senior guard Tracy Lozier (Leawood, Kan. / Blue Valley North HS) for a 12-4 Tiger lead with 15:00 left to play in the half.
The Longhorns went to work around the basket in a big way the rest of the half, and quickly got back into the game with several layups and offensive rebounds. Stacy Stephens had UT's first four baskets on layups, and started the Horns on a 14-0 run over the next 3:16. Before all was said and done, Texas rolled to a 46-14 margin over the final 15 minutes of the half in posting a 50-26 halftime lead.
UT had a commanding 24-9 rebounding edge, including 10 on the offensive end in the first half. Stephens (14 points) and Heather Schreiber (12) each reached double figures in scoring by halftime.
Texas went on a 10-3 run to start the half, pushing the lead to 31 (60-29) with 16:34 left in the game. UT's largest lead came at 39 with 5:15 to go.
Sophomore center Christelle N'Garsanet (Abidjan, Ivory Coast / Illinois Central College), making her first career start in place of the injured Melanie Fisher, was limited to two points and a pair of rebounds.
The women conclude their two-game road trip Saturday at Iowa State before returning home next Wednesday, Feb. 11, against Baylor. For ticket information, call 1-800-CAT-PAWS (573-884-PAWS in Mid-Missouri). As a reminder, holders of the student All-Sports Pass or the KMIZ-ZOU Spirit Pass gain free admission to all women's basketball games.
