Tigers pick it up after halftime

The Tigers' shooting percentage rose in the second-half.

By Emily Durfey

Published Dec. 8, 2009

The Missouri women's basketball team resumed regular season play Saturday as it defeated Ball State 66-56 at Mizzou Arena. Although the team got off to a slow start in the first half of the game, the Tigers came out strong in the second half and held on for the victory.

"I felt like it was a game that we rushed things in the first half," coach Cindy Stein said. "We calmed down a lot in the second half."

Before Thanksgiving break, the team suffered a loss to Memphis on Nov. 18, after holding a 17-point lead at the end of the first half. At the time, Stein said the game featured two different halves, and the Tigers would have to work on bringing intensity in both halves due to poor play in the second half of games.

During the break, the Tigers played in the Seminole Classic in Tallahassee, Fla., which featured a matchup against ninth-ranked Florida State. During the game, the Tigers were down by 11 points with approximately nine minutes to play in the half. Although they ultimately lost the game 73-66, the Tigers fought back and cut the deficit to one point during the second half.

Against Ball State, the Tigers got off to a slow start. The team shot 33.3 percent from the field, and Ball State took a one-point lead into the locker room at the half. During halftime, Stein drew up a play in order to give the Tigers motivation to start the second half, which was designed for senior guard Amanda Hanneman to execute a 3-point shot.

She made the basket, which gave the Tigers a 29-27 lead. Ball State went on to score the next eight points until senior forward Marissa Scott hit a field goal to cut the score to 35-32. The teams exchanged baskets until senior forward Jessra Johnson hit a basket that sparked a 13-point scoring run by the Tigers, and the team never relinquished its lead.

During the second half, Missouri shot 58.6 percent in field goal shooting (hitting 17 of 29 shots) and also shot 60 percent in 3-point shooting as opposed to 14.3 percent in the first half. Johnson scored 10 of her 18 points, and Hanneman scored all six points in the second half. Scott added all her points in that half as well.

Stein said the success in the half came from paying attention to offensive movement.

"They did a better job of setting screens," Stein said. "They did a good job of picking them apart. Our movement was better in the second half as well."

Junior RaeShara Brown said play at both ends of the court helped spark the Tigers in the second half.

"In the first half, our offense wasn't creating a lot, and we had to find some way to score," Brown said. "We couldn't have two dead halves of not scoring. We came out more intensely on defense, and that created our offense."

Junior forward Shakara Jones said there was personal motivation in the second half for the team.

"Our intensity in the second half picked up," Jones said. "We worked harder because we really wanted the win."