Jan. 29, 2010

Complete Release in PDF Format

COLUMBIA, Mo. - The University of Missouri women's basketball team returns to the comfy confines of Mizzou Arena to Pack the Zou" against Kansas on Saturday, Jan. 30 in the Heart of the Tiger event. All tickets for the game are just $1 and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to heart health research. The first 500 fans will also receive a free T-shirt. The Jayhawks hold a narrow 40-36 edge in the all-time series, including a 72-59 victory over the Tigers on Jan. 17, 2009.

UP NEXT
Mizzou hits the road to face No. 8 Texas A&M at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 3 at Reed Arena. The Tigers then return to Mizzou Arena for a clash with Iowa State on Sunday, Feb. 7 at 3 p.m. The contest with the Cyclones will be televised live on FSN with Brent Stover on play-by-play duties and Brenda VanLengen serving as the color analyst.

SCOUTING KANSAS
The Jayhawks enter Mizzou Arena with a 12-7 overall mark and a 2-4 record in conference play. The team is coming off a 75-64 win over Colorado on Jan. 27 after consecutive losses to Iowa State and Oklahoma.

Kansas averages 71.0 ppg. on 46.0 percent from the floor while allowing just 63.3 ppg. to its opponents.

Senior Danielle McCray leads the Jayhawks with 19.8 ppg. to go along with 7.3 rpg. while shooting 45.1 percent from the floor and 40.7 percent from the three-point line. Sophomore Aishah Sutherland is second on the team with 11.0 ppg. and pulls down a team high 7.7 rpg.

Head Coach Bonnie Henrickson is in her sixth season at the helm of the Cowgirls and has a 91-86 record with the team.

LAST TIME VS. THE JAYHAWKS
Despite outscoring Kansas 41-26 in the second half, Missouri suffered a 72-59 loss to the Jayhawks on Jan. 17 in Lawrence, Kan.

Junior RaeShara Brown paced the Tigers with 15 points and three steals while senior Amanda Hanneman joined her in double figures with 12 points. Senior Toy Richbow dished out a game high five assists.

LAST TIME OUT
Missouri suffered a 75-60 loss at the hands of No. 15 Oklahoma State Tuesday night at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Okla.

Senior Amanda Hanneman led the Tigers with 19 points while senior Jessra Johnson posted her 12th career double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Sophomore Christine Flores joined the pair in double figures with 13 points The score remained close early, with the Tigers taking a 9-7 lead, including five points from Hanneman, after junior RaeShara Brown grabbed an offensive board and made the putback with 13:24 on the clock. Oklahoma State responded with a 10-2 run over the next two and a half minutes as the home team gained a six-point advantage, 17-11.Trailing 20-13, Hanneman hit another three-pointer to cut the Tigers' deficit to 20-16 at the 8:19 mark but the Cowgirls scored eight straight points for a 28-16 Oklahoma State advantage.

After senior Jessra Johnson hit two-of-four free throws to cut the Cowgirls' lead to 30-20 with 4:33 on the clock, Oklahoma State finished the half on an 8-0 run to enter the break with a 36-20 advantage.

The Tigers hit four early three-pointers in the second half, including three from Hanneman, to cut the team's deficit to 46-34 with 13:29 left in the contest. Two free throws from sophomore Christine Flores one minute later put the score at 46-36 but a basket and two free throws from the Cowgirls put the home team's lead back to 14, 50-36, with 11:05 remaining.

Johnson hit four consecutive free throws to bring the Tigers within single-digits, 53-44, with 7:34 on the clock. Hanneman and Oklahoma State's Andrea Riley traded jumpers before the Cowgirls reeled off a 17-3 run as they took a 70-49 advantage with 3:09 remaining in the contest. The Tigers closed the game on an 11-5 run, including five from Flores, for a 75-60 final.

BORDER SHOWDOWN REKINDLED
Saturday's game against the Jayhawks marks the 11th sporting event between MU and KU of the 2008-09 academic year in the annual M&I Bank Border Showdown, where winner earns points toward the Border Showdown trophy. The winner of tonight's game will earn 1.5 points toward its school's total. Missouri currently holds a slim 8.5-7.5 advantage over Kansas.

The Tigers have claimed the trophy five times, including the past three years (2002-03, 2004-05, 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09) while Kansas has won twice (2003-04 and 2005-06).

HANNEMAN STRONG AGAINST COWGIRLS
Senior Amanda Hanneman was Mizzou's offensive sparkplug in the team's 75-60 loss to No. 15 Oklahoma State on Jan. 26. She scored a team high 19 points, while shooting 7-of-11 from the floor and 5-of-8 from behind the arc.

After making two treys in the first half, Hanneman nailed all three of her attempts in the second. The senior now has a team high 40 three-pointers so far this year, just four less than her previous season high of 44, set in 2007-08.

JOHNSON DOUBLES UP
Senior Jessra Johnson scored 13 points and ripped down 10 rebounds to record her first double-double of the season against Oklahoma State on Jan. 26. The forward now has 12 double-doubles in her career, with six in her sophomore season and five last year.

Johnson came within one rebound of recording four other double-doubles this year: Memphis (22 pts, 9 rbs), Florida State (16 pts, 9 rbs), Ball State (18 pts, 9 rbs) and Bradley (17 pts, 9 rbs).

TIGERS GET OFFENSIVE ON THE BOARDS
Missouri grabbed 21 offensive rebounds (compared to 23 defensive rebounds) in the team's game with Oklahoma State on Jan. 26. So far this year the team has recorded at least 17 offensive boards in nine games.

The total is also a major reason Mizzou ranks second in the Big 12 with 15.5 offensive rebounds per game, just behind Texas' 15.7

Amazingly, the Tigers are strong on the offensive glass despite the fact no Mizzou player ranks among the league's top 13 offensive rebounders.

TIGERS CLAIM TOP-1O VICTORY
Missouri's 70-62 win over No. 10 Baylor marked the first time in four years the team beat a team ranked in the top-10. Mizzou's last victory was a 64-61 win over No. 4 and defending national champion Baylor on Jan. 4, 2006.

The win also marks the fifth consecutive season the Tigers earned a victory over a ranked team:

2009-10 MU 70, #10 BU 62 (1/23/10)
2008-09 MU 52, #14 KSU 43 (2/18/09)
2007-08 MU 70, #11 OU 64, OT (3/11/08)
2006-07 MU 65, #19 NU 53 (2/17/07)
2005-06 MU 64, #4 BU 61 (1/4/06)

OTOTE KEYS FIRST HALF ATTACK
When junior Jasmyn Otote entered the Tigers' game against Baylor, Mizzou trailed 11-2. The guard made her presence felt right away, grabbing a rebound and then hitting a three-pointer to pull Mizzou with four, 15-11.

Otote then grabbed another rebound and hit another three two minutes later to cut Baylor's lead to 17-16. After two steals by the junior, Otote then hit her third three of the game to again pull Mizzou within one, 24-23. Just 30 seconds later, Otote knocked down her fourth trey of the first half as Missouri gained its first lead of the game, 26-24, with 3:27 left in frame.

Otote finished the game with four three-pointers for a career high 12 points, all scored in the first half.