Nov. 20, 2009

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COLUMBIA, Mo. - The University of Missouri women’s basketball team hits the road for its first away contest of the season with a 2 p.m. ET (1 p.m. CT) matchup with the Indiana Hoosiers on Sunday, Nov. 22 at Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Ind. The Hoosiers, who own a 3-0 record this year, lead the all-time series with Missouri (1-1) 2-1, including a 63-54 win over the Tigers on Nov. 25, 2008.

UP NEXT
Missouri then hits the road again next week 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 and No. 10/13 Florida State at 1 p.m. CT on Sunday, Nov. 29. The Tigers then return to Mizzou Arena for a Saturday afternoon contest with Ball State on Dec. 5 at 12:30 p.m.

SCOUTING INDIANA
The Hoosiers enter their contest with the Tigers a perfect 3-0 on the season, with wins over Memphis (78-74), IUPUI (75-52) and Cincinnati (64-57). The team averages 72.3 ppg. on an impressive 47.2 percent shooting from the floor and 37.5 percent shooting from behind the arc. The team also have outrebounded its opponents by 4.7 (39.7-35.0).

Junior forward Hope Elam, a junior college transfer, leads three players in double figures with 14.7 ppg. on 53.1 percent shooting from the field and 40.0 percent from the three-point line. Senior guard Jamie Braun averages 12.0 ppg. and a team high 4.3 apg., while junior guard Jori Davis adds 11.3 ppg. and 6.3 rpg. Sophomore forward Sasha Chaplin leads Indiana with 8.3 rpg.

Head Coach Felicia Legette-Jack is in third second season with the Hoosiers and boasts a 61-40 mark at the school.

2008 MIZZOU-INDIANA RECAP
Indiana scored the last six points to record a 63-54 win over Missouri on Nov. 25, 2008. Junior Jessra Johnson notched her second consecutive double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds to go along with a career high five assists and four steals while senior Alyssa Hollins led the Tigers with 16 points.

Johnson tied up the contest, 45-45, with 8:47 on the clock when she made a layup and converted the ensuing free throw. However, the Hoosiers used a 10-1 run to go up by nine, 55-46, at the 5:01 mark.

A jumper from Hollins with 2:13 left got the Tigers back within three, 57-54, but Indiana recorded the final six points of the contest for the 63-54 victory.

LAST TIME OUT
Junior RaeShara Brown missed a basket as time expired as Memphis earned a come-from-behind 75-74 victory over Missouri Wednesday night at Mizzou Arena.

After Mizzou junior Shakara Jones hit two free throws with 30 seconds remaining in the contest to put the home team up one, 74-73, Memphis’ Brittany Carter made a clutch jumper with 13 seconds on the clock for a 75-74 Memphis advantage. The visitors played tight defense to force a under the basket heave by Brown as time expired for the Memphis win.

Mizzou led by 20 points late in the first half and had a 17-point halftime advantage but Memphis outscored the home Tigers 51-33 in the final 20 minutes to pull out the victory.

Senior Jessra Johnson led the home team with 22 points and nine rebounds, while Jones posted her fourth career double-double with 16 points and 10 boards. Brown also hit double figures with 13 points to go along with three steals.

A TALE OF TWO HALFS
In both of Mizzou’s two games this season, the team has come out strong out of the gate, building a 38-18 lead over Memphis and a 29-7 advantage over Northern Iowa. The Tigers have scored 41 first half points in both games, while giving up just 16 (UNI) and 24 (Memphis).

The second half is a different story as Mizzou has been outscored in the final 20 minutes 92-66 combined in both games. Field goal percentage also has done a role-reversal:

FG%                            First                      Second
MU/UNI          44.1% / 23.1%       38.9 / 46.2%
MU/Memphis   43.6% / 36.7%       30.0 / 60.0%

JONES COLLECTS DOUBLE-DOUBLE
Junior forward Shakara Jones registered 16 points, on 7-of-9 shooting, and a team high 10 rebounds in Mizzou’s 75-74 loss to Memphis on Nov. 18. It marked Jones’ fourth career double-double as a member of the Tigers and the first time she accomplished the feat since her freshman season. In her first game with Mizzou, Jones erupted for 27 points and 14 rebounds, still career highs. She also had double-doubles against Texas State (20 points, 13 rebounds) and UMKC (17 points, 10 rebounds).

Despite recording just six points in the season opener against Northern Iowa, Jones is shooting an impressive 62.5 (10-16) percent from the floor so far this year. Last season she led the team with a 50.4 (130-258) percent clip.

JOHNSON STARTS SLOW, COMES ON STRONG
Senior Jessra Johnson scored only eight points in the season opener against UNI but battled back to post a team high 22 points to go along with nine rebounds, a team high four assists, two blocks and two steals in Mizzou’s game against Memphis on Nov. 18.

The forward did not shoot particularly well in the game (8-23) but hit her shots when they mattered most. She hit her last three shots from the floor, grabbed a steal with MU up by four and assisted on Marissa Scott’s big three-pointer to give the Tigers a 63-60 lead.

SCOTT REMAINS HOT
Senior Marissa Scott continued her hot shooting against Memphis as she hit 4-of-5 shots from the floor for nine points. The forward made 5-of-6 field goal attempts in the season opener against Northern Iowa and is not shooing 81.8 (9-11) from the field this season. With her stellar field goal percentage, Scott is tied with Baylor’s Ashley Field for second among all Big 12 players in field goal percentage.

BROWN NOW A SCORING OPTION
Just two games into the 2009-10 season junior RaeShara Brown accomplished something she could not do in her first two years with the program: reach double figures in points for two consecutive games.

Brown scored 13 points against Memphis on Nov. 18 after notching 10 in the season opener on Nov. 15. Prior to this year Brown reached double figures just four times in her career, all in 2008-09.

JOHNSON NEARING THE CENTURY MARK
Senior Jessra Johnson enters the 2009-10 season with 902 points in her career, just 98 shy of the century mark. The forward posted 22 points against Memphis to up her career total to 932, only 68 away from 1,000.

Johnson should also end her tiger career ranked in the top-10 in career rebounds as well. Currently sitting on 532 in her career, she needs 137 rebounds to pass Nikki Smith (1992-95) and move into 10th place on the all-time list.

HANNEMAN ERUPTS AGAINST UNI
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.

BROWN BRINGS HER A-GAME
Junior RaeShara Brown, known around the Big 12 for her defense, displayed every aspect of her game on Nov. 15 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 fifth 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 HER 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.

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.