Women's basketball turns things around

The Tigers dominated Toledo on Wednesday by a score of 70-50.

By Evan Glantz

Published Dec. 4, 2008

After the Missouri Tigers women's basketball team lost a triple overtime thriller by one point to Holy Cross last Saturday, things have suddenly begun to turn around. The Tigers were able to rally for a comeback victory over Northwestern a day later and then pound Toledo 70-50 on Wednesday.

"When we went to the Northwestern game, we finally figured out we needed to attack and how to win," coach Cindy Stein said. "That was a big turning point for us. Tonight it was really important that we really kept a foot Toledo to keep them down, because they have the potential to come back."

The Tigers made sure to take control of the game early. A three by freshman guard Bekah Mills gave Missouri a 16-2 lead and forced Toledo to take a timeout. But the team was just getting warmed up. Midway through the first half, the Tigers had a 24-point advantage over the Rockets, leading by a score of 34-10. Missouri shot 45.5 percent from the field, while limiting Toledo to only 31.8 percent.

Sophomore forward Shakara Jones scored 11 of her 15 points in the first half, and senior guard Alyssa Hollins added 10 of her own. Hollins' second three of the half put Missouri up 30-8. And Jones added two free throws to make the score 37-16. But toward the end of the first half, the team started to slow down.

"Everyone on the team is very hungry to prove what we are capable of," junior forward Jessra Johnson said. "We started off really well. But I think we can be better, just by simply sustaining our success for a longer time."

In the second half, Missouri continued with its aggressive play. It limited Toledo to just 32.4 percent shooting in the half, while maintaining its own strong shooting. With a secure lead, Stein was able to incorporate other players into the game. Eleven different Tigers scored, and the team also received 18 points from the bench.

"Coach Stein said that when you sub in, the energy level can't drop," Hollins said. "And I felt like they took that to heart. They're feeling like they belong out there and they can play with these girls. They're getting confident, and when you get confident, you start doing amazing things out there."

Even with the win, Stein noted plenty of areas that the team can improve, starting with the fouls. Due to its aggressive play, Missouri gave the Rockets 19 trips to the line, resulting in 13 points.

"I think we are going to get some 'hustle' fouls," Stein said. "Our team knows that I don't mind the hustle fouls as much. We were playing pretty aggressive and you don't want to take that away."