March 9, 2010
Complete Release in PDF Format 
COLUMBIA, Mo. - The University of Missouri women's basketball team opens postseason play at the 2010 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship on Thursday, March 11 with a matchup against five-seed and No. 15/20 Texas at 1:30 p.m. in Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo. The winner of the contest will advance to the quarterfinals to face No. 4 seed Texas A&M at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, March 12.
All first round games will be televised live on Metro Sports and streamed live on Big12Sports.com. Erin Bajackson will cover play-by-play duties, with Mark Ewing serving as the color analyst.
TIGERS IN THE BIG 12 TOURNAMENT
Missouri holds a 6-13 all-time mark in the Big 12 Championship, includingg 5-7 in first round games and 5-8 against South Division teams. The Tigers are 0-2 against the Longhorns in the Tournament.
Last season the Tigers were the 11-seed and, despite leading late in the contest, fell to No. 6 seed Texas, 62-59, in the first round matchup on March 12, 2009.
SERIES HISTORY
Texas holds a 18-1 advantage in the all-time series, including 2-0 in games played at neutral locations and 6-1 in contests played in Missouri. The Longhorns have won the last 11 contest in the series.
LAST TIME VS. THE LONGHORNS
Mizzou suffered a 60-41 loss at the hands of No. 18/22 Texas on March 3 in Austin, Texas.
Jessra Johnson and Shakara Jones led the Tigers with 10 points apiece. Christine Flores added eight points and a team high three steals.
With the Longhorns holding an early 10-4 advantage, RaeShara Brown nabbed a steal and drove the length of the court to hit a layup to pull the Tigers within four, 10-6, with 13:24 remaining in the opening frame.
Texas then reeled off a 12-4 run, capped by a layup from Erika Arriaran, over the next six minutes as the home squad built a 22-10 lead with 7:42 left. After Toy Richbow knocked in two free throws for a 27-16 game with 4:09 on the clock, Texas responded with a layup a minute later and a free throw from Earnesia Williams with 0.7 seconds left for a 30-16 Longhorn halftime advantage.
The Tigers came out in the second half, using a 12-4 run over the first five minutes. Jones had six points during the spurt, which concluded when Richbow drove the lane for a layup to get Mizzou within six, 34-28, at the 15:00 mark.
The teams stayed close, with Texas on top 39-32, but Texas scored the next seven points to increase its lead to 14, 46-32, with 10:12 on the clock. The Longhorns stayed in control and held on over the final few minutes for the 60-41 final.
LAST TIME OUT
Missouri women's outscored the Texas Tech Lady Raiders 11-8 in overtime as the Tigers picked up a 58-55 victory on Sunday afternoon. The win was the 250th of Head Coach Cindy Stein's career.
Jessra Johnson led the Tigers with 18 points. The forward also recorded seven rebounds, four blocks, three assists and three steals. Christine Flores scored 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting, while RaeShara Brown had nine points, 10 rebounds, six assists and two steals.
The Tigers reeled off nine straight points early in the second half for a 32-22 advantage with 14:54 left in the game.
A layup from Kierra Mallard got Texas Tech rolling as the team used an 8-2 run to pull within four, 34-30, with 10:40 remaining in the contest. With Mizzou on top 39-33, the Lady Raiders scored the next six points to knot the game at 39-39 with 5:10 left.
The score went back and forth over the final minutes but Texas Tech took a 45-43 lead off a Mallard jumper at the 2:41 mark. Neither team got on the scoreboard for almost two minutes, until Johnson hit two free throws after getting fouled for a 45-45 game with 1:02 remaining.
After Monique Smalls made two freebies of her own, Johnson found Christine Flores for a layup to again tie the score at 47-47 with 30 seconds left. The Tigers played tough defense on the Lady Raider's final possession to prevent a shot attempt and send the game to overtime.
Mizzou opened the overtime period on fire, scoring the first eight points, including five from Flores, to go on top 54-47 with 1:36 remaining. Texas Tech came back with a 8-2 run of its own to cut Missouri's lead to one, 56-55, with just 30 seconds on the clock. Toy Richbow and Brown each hit one of two free throws and the Lady Raiders missed a three-pointer at the buzzer to preserve the 58-55 Tiger win.
STEIN TO STEP DOWN FOLLOWING SEASON
Head Coach Cindy Stein announced on March 1 that she will step down following the conclusion of the 2009-10 season.
Stein has a 185-176 record in her 12 years at Missouri. She has led the Tigers to three NCAA Tournament appearances, highlighted by its run to the Sweet Sixteen in 2001 after defeating No. 4 Georgia on its home floor in the second round. Mizzou also earned four WNIT berths with Stein at the helm, including a bid in 2000 that ended a six-year postseason absence for the program.
TWO TIGERS NAMED ALL-BIG 12 HM
Senior Jessra Johnson and junior RaeShara Brown were named honorable mention All-Big 12 on Monday, which was voted on by the league's coaches. This is the first time either player has received postseason honors from the conference.
Johnson leads the team with 12.7 ppg. and 6.1 rpg. while Brown averages 10.0 ppg. and has a conference high 88 steals this season.
THREE TIGERS EARN ACADEMIC HONORS
Missouri women's basketball players RaeShara Brown, Kendra Frazier and Jasmyn Otote were among 47 student-athletes named to the 2010 Academic All-Big 12 Women's Basketball Team, the league office announced March 4.
Brown and Frazier earned spots on the first team, while Otote was a second team honoree. A junior, Brown is now a two-time Academic All-Big 12 first team honoree. Otote, a junior, and Frazier, a sophomore, were honored for the first time in their careers.
TIGERS 15TH-BEST TURNOVER TEAM
Missouri has taken care of the ball well all season, as the team ranks 15th in the nation with just 14.4 turnovers per contest. Overall on the year, Mizzou has committed fewer turnovers than its opponents in 23 of 29 games.
The Tigers committed just six turnovers in the team's loss to Iowa State on Feb. 7. The total is the lowest of the season, besting the 10 given up against both Northern Iowa and the second meeting with Kansas.
The mark matched three other outputs of six turnovers for the Tigers since the 1992-93 season. The team committed just six against Nicholl's State on Dec. 11, 2005, Kansas on Feb. 7, 1999 and Kansas State on Jan. 10, 1993. You have to go all the way back to Jan. 30, 1988 for a lesser output, when the Tigers lost just four turnovers against Oklahoma State.
BROWN ENTERS CAREER TOP-10
After entering MU's career top-10 in steals on Feb. 3, junior RaeShara Brown now sits in eighth-place on the all-time list with 191 career steals. She needs four more to pass Stacy Williams for seventh-place. Just 57 steals away from Joni Davis' career record of 248, Brown seems destined to overtake the Tiger great next season.
The guard, who leads the Big 12 with 3.1 spg., has 88 steals so far this year. Her season total ranks third all-time on MU's single-season list. Brown needs nine more steals to tie Carla Yancey's 1990-91 total of 97 for second place.
FREEBIES IMPROVING IN BIG 12 PLAY
The Tigers finished the non-conference schedule shooting just 62.6 percent (179-286) from the charity stripe in 13 games. Since that time, Mizzou has shot 72.2 percent (187-259) from the free throw line, an
improvement of 9.6 percent.
The turnaround has been an entire team effort. In Big 12 action, all six players who have attempted at least six free throws are shooting at least 64.3 percent from the line: Amanda Hanneman - 83.3; Jessra Johnson - 78.1; RaeShara Brown - 75.0; Christine Flores - 74.7; Toy Richbow - 65.4; Shakara Jones - 64.3.
The team has increased its overall free throw percentage to 67.2 percent thanks to the deft shooting in league games.
STEALING UP A STORM LAST 3 GAMES
After not posting a double-digit steals output in nine consecutive games, the Tigers have reached the mark two of the last three games. Additionally, Mizzou was just one steal short of accomplishing the feat in three consecutive games.
The team started the steal spurt with 10 at No. 3 Nebraska on Feb. 27, the most since the team had 11 against Oklahoma on Jan. 20. Four days later, Missouri swiped 11 steals at Texas. Last time out, Mizzou had nine against Texas Tech.
The most encouraging trend during the three-game span is the number of Tigers getting involved in the action. In all three games, Mizzou had at least six different grab a steal, including seven who accomplished the feat against both Nebraska and Texas.
In comparison, Missouri also had just three players record steals against Colorado on Feb. 23, a game before the surge.
JOHNSON SHOWCASES GAME VS. TTU
Senior Jessra Johnson filled up the stat sheet against Texas Tech on March 7. In her final game at Mizzou Arena, the forward scored had game highs of 18 points, four blocks and three steals, to go along with seven rebounds and three assists.
With her first rebound against the Lady Raiders, Johnson moved into 10th on the all-time Missouri list. She ended the game with 684 in her career, 12 less than Lisa Sandbothe's ninth-place total of 696.
BROWN NARROWLY MISSES DOUBLE-DOUBLE
Junior RaeShara just missed recording her first career double-double against Texas Tech on March 7. The guard pulled down a team high 10 rebounds and scored nine points, to go along with a game high six assists and two steals.
Brown had the chance for the double-double as she went to the free throw line sitting on eight points with four seconds remaining in overtime. However, she missed her first attempt before hitting her second to finish with nine points.
TIGERS COME CLOSEST TO STOPPING NU
Missouri's 82-78 defeat at the hands of No. 3 Nebraska on Feb. 13 was the closest a team has come to bringing down the undefeated Huskers all season.
Entering the game, Nebraska had a average margin of victory of +22.8 ppg. The Huskers' closest margin of victory was a five-point win, 76-71, at Miami on Dec. 5.
The 78 points also marked the second most points allowed by Nebraska all season, after a 79-point output by Texas on Jan. 12.
BROWN POSTS CAREER WEEK
Junior RaeShara Brown had a career week in games against Colorado on Feb. 23 and No. 3 Nebraska on Feb. 27. The guard notched a career high 21 points, four better than her previous high, to go with seven rebounds and three assists in a personal best 40 minutes against the Buffaloes. Four days later, Brown matched her career mark with 21 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the floor and added two assists and two steals against the Huskers.
During the week, Brown averaged 21.0 ppg. and 5.0 rpg. on 51.7 percent (15-29) shooting from the floor, 44.4 percent (4-9) from behind the arc and 80.0 percent (8-10) from the free throw line in 39.0 mpg.
JOHNSON POSTS DOUBLE-DOUBLE
Senior Jessra Johnson posted her second double-double of the season and 13th of her career with 17 points and 11 rebounds against Colorado on Feb. 23. She shot an impressive 81.8 percent (9-11) from the free throw line during the game
In only 10 minutes in the first half, Johnson scored 10 points and pulled down six rebounds, including four on the offensive end.
RICHBOW STEPS UP THE OFFENSE
Senior Toy Richbow set a slew of career highs against the Buffs on Feb. 23. The guard posted a personal best 12 points, one more than her previous high, in a career most 44 minutes of action. Richbow also set bests with seven free throws made on nine attempts.
She shot 50 percent from the floor on just 2-of-4 shooting but hit her only three-point attempt, a bucket that gave the Tigers a 59-47 cushion with 12:04 left in the second half.
Richbow also nabbed a game high three steals.
MIZZOU HOLDS ISU'S THREES AT BAY
Iowa State entered its matchup with the Tigers on Feb. 20 as the nation's leader in three-point field goal percentage (41.7) and eighth in threes made per game (8.5).
During the contest Mizzou held the Cyclones to a season low 15.4 percent (2-13) from behind the arc, better than the 16.4 percent Iowa State shot against Nebraska on Jan. 9. The Cyclones only managed two threes against Missouri, which tied a season low, also set against the Huskers.
BROWN 15TH NATIONALLY IN STEALS
Junior RaeShara Brown leads the Big 12 and ranks 15th nationally with 88 steals on the year for an average of 3.1 spg., 24 more than the next closest total in the conference. Her total ranks as the third best single-season output in Tiger history. Most recently she grabbed two against Texas Tech on Sunday.
Brown led the conference in steals last year with 2.7 spg. and 79 total on the year, which now stands as the eighth best single-season total in Tiger history.
SECOND HALF SQUAD
In 13 of 16 Big 12 Conference games, Missouri has scored more points in the second half than the first half. The team's three exceptions are the games with Kansas State on Jan. 13, Colorado on Feb. 23 and Nebraska on Feb. 27.
In those 13 games, the Tigers have scored 408 points in the second half compared to 284 points in the first frame.
JOHNSON MOVING UP SCORING LIST
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 now stands in 16th-place on the all-time scoring list with 1,244 after scoring 18 points against Texas Tech.
With 99 blocks in her career, Johnson also ranks ninth all-time on that list. Additionally, she ranks 10th in carer rebounds with 684. She needs 12 rebounds to tie Lisa Sandbothe for ninth place on the list.
BROWN SHOWCASES COMPLETE GAME
Junior RaeShara Brown had her most complete game of the season in Mizzou's narrow 82-78 loss to No. 3 Nebraska on Feb. 13. The guard shot 7-of-10 from the floor for 14 points, to go along with game highs with five assists and five steals. Brown was all over the floor in the first 20 minutes, when she hit 4-of-5 shots and swiped all five of her steals.
The game marked just the second time in her career she scored in double figures and tallied at least five assists and five steals. Brown also accomplished the feat against No. 13 Oklahoma on Jan. 20 when she posted 12 points, five assists and five steals.
MIZZOU TAKES ADVANTAGE OF FREEBIES
Against Nebraska on Feb. 13, the Tigers made 14-of-15 free throws as the team shot 93.3 percent from the charity stripe. The output was a then-season high for Mizzou, although the team's 6-of-6 performance at Texas is now a top the charts.
The 93.3 percent also marked the highest free throw output for Missouri since the squad was a perfect 10-of-10 against Illinois on Dec. 21, 2007.
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 10.0 ppg. after marks of 1.0 ppg. and 6.0 ppg. as a freshman and sophomore, respectively. She has reached double figures 14 times this season, third on the team. Brown, who stands just 5'8", also grabs 4.6 rpg. More impressive is that 59 of her 134 rebounds this season have come on the offensive end.
Brown also leads the Tigers in assists (3.2 apg.) and steals (3.1 spg.).
