Nov. 17, 2009

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UP NEXT The Tigers travel to Bloomington, Ind., to face the Indiana Hoosiers on Sunday, Nov. 22 at 1 p.m. CT. The contest with the Hoosiers will be televised live on the Big Ten Network. Missouri then hits the road again for the Seminole Class in Tallahassee, Fla., Nov. 27 and 29. Mizzou will face Florida A&M at 4 p.m. CT on Friday, Nov. 27 before facing off with host No. 12/13 Florida State at 1 p.m. CT on Sunday, Nov. 29.

SCOUTING MEMPHIS
The Tigers enter Mizzou Arena with a 0-2 record so far this season. Memphis dropped a 78-74 decision to Indiana on Nov. 13 before losing to Murray State, 69-59, on Nov. 15.

As a team, Memphis averages 66.5 ppg. while shooting 33.1 percent from the field.

Two games into the season, sophomore Brittany Carter, a transfer from Georgia, paces the team with 16.5 ppg. to go along with 7.5 rpg. Freshman Nicole Dickson comes off the bench to average in double figures at 13.0 ppg. while junior Savannah Ellis leads the squad with 9.5 rpg.

Head Coach Melissa McFerrin is in her second season with the Tigers and boasts a 12-20 mark at the school.

LAST TIME AGAINST MEMPHIS
Missouri and Memphis last met on Jan. 17, 1995 at the Hearnes Center as the MU Tigers pulled out a 72-69 victory. Mizzou shot 50 percent from the field while Memphis shot just 34.8 percent and MU outrebounded the visitors 47-34.

Despite those numbers Memphis lead 40-35 at the break. Missouri stormed back to take the lead in the second half and was on top 65-57 with two minutes remaining. Memphis' Heather Newlon nailed a three with five seconds remaining to knot the score at 69-69 but MU's Erika Martin hit a three with one second left to give the Missouri Tigers the victory.

Martin led MU with 24 points and 13 rebounds.

MCFERRIN RETURNS TO MU
Former Tiger student-athlete Melissa McFerrin returns to her alma mater Wednesday as the head coach of the Memphis Tigers. McFerrin, a native of Cassville, Mo., was a four-year letterwinner at Missouri from 1980-83.

Over her four-year career the Tigers posted a record of 90-40. Her senior season McFerrin and her teammates posted a 25-6 record, won the Big Eight Conference Tournament and ended the season with a No. 15 national ranking. Over the course of the season McFerrin averaged 10.9 ppg.

LAST TIME OUT
Seniors Amanda Hanneman and Marissa Scott each scored career highs to lead Missouri to a season opening 74-57 win over the Northern Iowa Panthers on Nov. 15.

Hanneman paced the Tigers with a personal best 26 points, including six three-pointers, while Scott added 11, also a career best. Junior RaeShara Brown posted a fantastic all-around game and joined the pair in double figures with 10 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and three steals.

The Tigers came out flying and built a 29-7 lead with eight minutes remaining in the half. The shots continued to fall and Mizzou entered the break with a 25-point advantage, 41-16.

HANNEMAN HAS THE HOT HAND
Amanda Hanneman eruped for a career high 26 points in the season opener against Northern Iowa on Nov. 15. The senior also set career marks in field goals made (10), field goals attempted (16), three-point field goals made (six) and three-point field goals attempted (12). Her previous career high in points came when she posted 18 against Delaware State on Dec. 29, 2007.

Hindered by injuries throughout her career, Hanneman is healthy for the first time at MU and is putting her talent on display.

Including stats from Missouri's exhibition contest over Central Missouri, Hanneman is averaging 23.0 ppg. and shooting 66.7 (18-27) percent from the floor and 50.0 (8-16) percent from behind the arc.

BROWN BRINGS HER A-GAME
Junior RaeShara Brown, known around the Big 12 for her defense, displayed every aspect of her game on Nov. 18 against Northern Iowa. The guard scored 10 points, pulled down a team high nine rebounds, dished out a career high assists and grabbed three steals.

Brown narrowly missed her first career double-double with nine rebounds and point total marked the sixth time in her career she reached double figures.

Last season started 28 games and averaged 6.0 ppg. (6.9 ppg. in Big 12 action), 6.1 rpg. and a conference high 2.6 spg.

SCOTT TAKING THE SHOTS
Senior Marissa Scott also posted a new career high in points against Northern Iowa on Nov. 15. The forward registered 11 points to better her previous mark of 10 set against Kansas last season. Scott also shot an impressive 83.3 (5-6) percent from the field, including her lone three-point attempt.

Regarded as a superior shooter who was too unselfish, Scott's six shot attempts are almost four more than she averaged per game last season (2.1).

TIGERS BEST CENTRAL MISSOURI, 80-59
Missouri recorded a 80-59 win over Central Missouri in the team's lone exhibition contest on Sunday, Nov. 8. Four players scored in double figures for the Tigers, led by senior Amanda Hanneman, who had 20 points, including 18 in the first half. Junior Shakara Jones added 16 points and three assists while sophomore forwards Kendra Frazier and BreAnna Brock also scored in double figures with 12 and 10 points, respectively. Seniors Toy Richbow and Marissa Scott and junior RaeShara Brown all pulled down a team high six rebounds.

JOHNSON NEARNING CENTURY MARK
Senior Jessra Johnson enters the 2009-10 season with 902 points in her career, just 98 shy of the century mark. Assuming the forward accomplishes the feat this season, she will become just the 27th player in Mizzou history to score at least 1,000 points.

The forward posted eight points in the season opener against UNI for 910 in her career.

Johnson should also end her tiger career ranked in the top-10 in career rebounds as well. Currently sitting on 520 in her career, she needs 159 rebounds to pass Nikki Smith (1992-95) and move into 10th place on the all-time list.

INJURY BUG HITS MILLS, AGAIN
Redshirt sophomore point guard Bekah Mills is forced to the sideline for the second time in three years after suffering an ACL injury during preseason practice. Mills also injured her right knee in 2007-08 and was forced to redshirt the season.

Last year during her redshirt freshman campaign, Mills started 24 of 29 games for the Tigers. She averaged 23 minutes per contest to go along with 5.9 ppg. 3.2 rpg. and 2.2 apg. Mills was named the Big 12 Freshman of the Week on Dec. 15 after averaging 14.5 ppg. and shooting 72.7 percent from the field in games against Bradley and UT Martin.

HEAD OF THE CLASS
For the first time in three years Missouri has a senior class of more than one player. After a seven-member senior class in 2006-07, the Tigers lost just one player in each of the past two seasons.

The 2009-10 edition of the Tigers has four seniors on the roster: Amanda Hanneman, Jessra Johnson, Toy Richbow and Marissa Scott. With a total of four seniors and juniors on its roster, Missouri is one of the most experienced teams in the Big 12 this season.

BROWN ON THE DEFENSIVE
Junior guard RaeShara Brown emerged as one of the Big 12 Conference's finest defensive players in 2008-09. The Little Rock, Ark., native swiped 79 steals in 30 games for an average of 2.6 spg., tops in the league. In just conference action Brown upped her steals numbers to 2.94 spg., tops in the league by .44.

Her 79 steals stand as the seventh-best single-season total in program history.

TIGERS SIGN TWO PREP STANDOUTS
Two prep standouts have signed National Letters of Intent to enroll at the University of Missouri and play basketball, Head Coach Cindy Stein announced on Wednesday. The signing class includes Maggie Flynn, a 6-1 wing from Troy, Mo., and Paige Spietz, a 6-3 forward from Brimfield, Ill.

Under the direction of Coach Melanie Schmit at Troy Buchanon High School, Flynn averaged 18.1 points, 9.7 rebounds and 5.5 blocks per game during her junior season. Her efforts garnered her a spot on the 2009 Associated Press All-State squad and a place on the Missouri Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association Class 5 All-State second team in 2009. A standout volleyball player as well, Flynn was a All-District 9 second team honoree and a 2009 Academic All-State selection by the Missouri High School Volleyball Coaches Association.

As a junior last season under Coach Jim Blane, Spietz helped lead Brimfield High School to a 33-3 record en route to a Class 1A Final Four appearance after averaging 17.9 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. Following her junior campaign, she was named the Peoria Journal Star Small-School Player of the Year and earned spots on the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association and Illinois Basketball Services first team and Associated Press second team. As a sophomore in 2007-09, Spietz was named to the Illinois Basketball Services third team after averaging 19.0 points, 8.9 rebounds and 5.4 assists per contest. A three-time all-conference selection on the hardwood, Spietz also plays volleyball at Brimfield and is a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the National Honor Society.

NEW YEAR, FAMILIAR FACES
After relying on underclassmen the past few seasons, the Tigers return 12 members of last year's squad. • Senior Jessra Johnson started 25 games last season and led the team with 6.9 rpg. and was second on the squad with 13.0 ppg.
• Junior Shakara Jones has started since she came to Mizzou and averaged 10.3 ppg., 4.3 rpg. and shot 50.4 percent from the floor a season ago.
• Senior Toy Richbow returns to the starting lineup this year after coming off the bench most of last season. Richbow, who started 28 of 31 games as a sophomore, gives the Tigers an experienced point guard despite the loss of Bekah Mills.
• Junior RaeShara Brown started 28 of Mizzou's 30 games last year as she became one of the conference's top defensive players. Brown averaged a league-leading 2.6 spg. to go along with 6.0 ppg. a season ago.
• Finally healthy after an injury-plagued career, senior Amanda Hanneman will be looked on to add a scoring punch this season. A sharpshooter from behind the arc, Hanneman shot 41.4 percent from three as a sophomore in 2007-08.
• Senior Marissa Scott has started 25 of 57 games over the past two seasons. An unselfish player who plays great defense, Scott should see her numbers rise as a senior.
• Junior Jasmyn Otote is also a sharpshooter from the three-point line. After playing in only 16 games as a sophomore, Otote has entered this season in the best shape of her career and looks to make an important impact this year.