Nov. 13, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format 
COLUMBIA, Mo. - The Missouri women’s basketball team officially opens the 2087-09 season Friday, Nov. 14 at 6:30 p.m. against the South Dakota State Jackrabbits at Mizzou Arena. The Tigers look to improve their identical 27-7 marks in both season and home openers against the Racers. They have won 12 straight season openers since a 78-69 loss to Creighton on Nov. 25, 1995 and eight consecutive home openers after a 83-76 loss to Arkansas on Nov. 22, 1999.
Up Next
Mizzou travels to Champaign, Ill., on Wednesday, Nov. 19 for a non-conference matchup with the Illinois Fighting Illini at 8:30 p.m. at Assembly Hall. The Illini hold a 7-3 advantage in the all-time series and claimed a 66-52 win at Mizzou Arena on Dec. 19, 2007. Following that game, the Tigers return home to face Western Illinois of the Summit League at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 22.
Scouting South Dakota State
The Jackrabbits are coming off a 23-7 season a year ago where the squad advanced to the quarterfinals of the WNIT before falling to Creighton, 76-69.
South Dakota State returns three starters from 2007-08, including three-year starter Jennifer Warkenthien. The senior forward posted 13.9 ppg. and 6.6 rpg. a year ago. Junior forwards Maria Boever and Ketty Cornerman, who averaged 12.2 ppg. and 10.1 ppg., are also returning starters.
The team finished exhibition play 2-0 with wins over Minnesota-Crookston (105-67) Southwest Minnesota State (91-49). Seven players scored in double figures for the Jackrabbits against Minnesota-Crookston and Maria Boever led the way with 23 against SMSU.
Tigers corral Southwest Baptist, 80-50
In their only exhibition contest, the Tigers defeated Southwest Baptist 80-50 on Friday, Nov. 7 at Mizzou Arena. Senior Alyssa Hollins led the team with 21 points, including 14 in the first half. Junior Jessra Johnson and sophomore Shakara Jones joined Hollins in double figures with 17 and 11 points, respectively, while they each pulled down a team high seven rebounds.
Mills finally hits the court
Redshirt-freshman Bekah Mills finally hit the court in a Mizzou uniform in Missouri’s exhibition contest with Southwest Baptist on Nov. 7. The El Dorado, Kan., native missed all of last season due to a knee injury suffered during the preseason.
Mills started the contest and played 17 minutes. She was 2-of-5 from the floor to finish with five points, five rebounds, one assist, one steal and no turnovers.
A point guard with superior passing, shooting and ballhandling skills, Mills will see significant playing time in her freshman campaign.
Mizzou looks to experience in 2008-09
Last year with only three upperclassmen on the roster, underclassmen combined to play 75 percent of Mizzou’s minutes, making the squad the eighth youngest team in the nation based on minutes played. A year later, the 2008-09 squad will reap the benefits their on-the-fly training.
Class Pct.
Freshman 27.0
Sophomore 47.7
Junior 21.3
Senior 4.0
Tigers picked 12th in Preseason Big 12 Poll
Mizzou was picked 12th in the Preseason Coaches Poll, released by the conference on Oct. 8. Oklahoma was selected to win the title, followed by Texas and Iowa State.
Team (First place votes)
1. Oklahoma 124 (7)
2. Texas 95 (1)
3. Iowa State 93 (2)
4. Baylor 89 (1)
5. Texas A&M 85
6. Oklahoma State 79 (1)
7. Kansas State 71
8. Nebraska 56
9. Kansas 41
10. Texas Tech 36
11. Colorado 18
12. Missouri 15
Newcomers add height, depth
Head Coach Cindy Stein and her staff brought in a quartet of newcomers to round out the five-member freshman class this year.
BreAnna Brock, a 6’2” forward, is one of two Tiger newcomers who hail from San Antonio, Texas. The athletic freshman, who averaged 9.0 ppg. and 9.0 rpg. as a senior for 36-2 Wagner High School, will provide height and depth in the paint for Mizzou this season. A three-sport standout, Brock starred in Volleyball and track for Wagner.
Fellow San Antonio, Texas, native Christine Flores comes to Mizzou as Winston Churchill High School’s all-time leading scorer with 1,998 points. Missouri’s second-tallest player at 6’3”, Flores gives Missouri another talented forward in the paint. Also skilled around the basket, she notched 21.0 ppg. and 12.0 rpg. as a senior and was a two-time All-State selection by the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches and the Texas Girls Coaches Association.
At 6’5”, center Kendra Frazier is the tallest player on Mizzou’s roster and should see immediate minutes. The Kansas Gatorade Basketball Player of the Year as a senior for Labette County (Kan.) High School, Frazier averaged a state-high 25.3 ppg. and holds ten school basketball records. The Altamont, Kan., native’s skills and height in the paint give the Tigers a legitimate center.
Missouri’s roster is rounded out by Bailey Gee, a guard from Andover, Kan., who played on the same AAU team as Mills. Gee was the 2008 Miss Kansas Basketball and a McDonald’s and NIKE All-America nominee after averaging 21.7 ppg., 8.5 rpg. and shooting 62.5 percent from the field. At 5’11”, she adds height and sharpshooting out on the perimeter for the Tigers.
Hollins back for one more year
Alyssa Hollins, Missouri’s lone senior for the 2008-09 season, may lack classmates but brings a wealth of experience to the court.
A guard who hails from Mesquite, Texas, Hollins returns for her senior campaign as the team’s leading scorer from a year ago. The 2008 All-Big 12 Honorable Mention selection sharpshooter enters her final season as the program’s career three-point leader.
Hollins, whose 16.6 ppg. ranked fourth in the conference, poured in 92 threes as a junior to shatter the single-single record and break the career record, where she sits at 166.
New year, familiar faces
One year after relying heavily on inexperienced players, the Tigers return nine members of last year’s squad, including all five starters. Hollins leads the way as a two-year starter and Mizzou’s leading scorer at 16.6 ppg. (which ranked fourth in the Big 12 last season).
Junior Jessra Johnson started 24 games last year and posted a team second best 13.5 ppg. and team high 7.7 rpg.
Sophomore Shakara Jones made an immediate impact on the team as a freshman, earning spots on the Dallas Morning News and Waco Tribune Big 12 All-Rookie teams. The forward posted 10.5 ppg. in 27 starts to go along with 5.5 rpg.
A pair of juniors, Amanda Hanneman and Marissa Scott, both started at least 15 games last year. Hanneman averaged 7.6 ppg. and had a eight game stretch where she scored in double figures seven times. Scott started 19 of the 28 games she played in and grabbed 3.6 rpg. to go along with 2.0 ppg.
Height aplenty
Last season the Tigers were one of the smallest teams in the Big 12. This year Mizzou could be one of the tallest after the addition of four newcomers.
Frazier is the squad’s tallest member at 6-5, two inches taller that last year’s tallest player, Nicole Wilson, and a legitimate center in the paint. Flores and Brock add more height in the middle thisseason, standing 6-3 and 6-2, respectively. Additionally, Gee gives Mizzou height on the wing at 5-11.
Starting where they left off
The Tigers continual growth and improvement last season all came together in Mizzou’s opening round game at the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship. The Tigers made history with a 70-64 overtime victory over No. 11 Oklahoma. The victory marked the first time in Big 12 history a 12-seed upset a five-seed in the tournament.
The score remained tight throughout the first half, with the Sooners holding a slim 24-21 lead at the break. Mizzou stayed tough and built a 40-34 advantage with 12:24 left but Oklahoma stormed back to take a three-point lead in the final minute. After an Oklahoma miss, Jones grabbed the rebound and Hollins found Hanneman behind the arc. Hanneman nailed a game-tying three-pointer with 15 seconds left to send the game into overtime.
In the overtime session, Hollins scored eight consectutive Missouri points and Mizzou went up six, 63-57, when sophomore Jessra Johnson hit two free throws with 1:51 left. Clinging to a 65-62 lead with just 20 seconds on the clock, the Tigers hit 5-of-6 free throws to hold on for the victory.
