Women's basketball can't push over Nebraska

Nebraska pulled away in the final minute to maintain its perfect season.

By Eric Short

Published Feb. 16, 2010

It has been a rough season for the Missouri women's basketball team, and it didn't get any easier Saturday when the Tigers tried to do something no team in the country has been able to do so far: beat Nebraska.

The Tigers fought hard to spoil the Cornhusker's bid for perfection but were unsuccessful as No. 3 Nebraska (23-0, 10-0 Big 12) pulled away in the final minute and left Mizzou Arena with an 82-78 victory.

Missouri (11-13, 1-10) was up by a point with 45 seconds left in the game when Cornhusker senior guard Yvonne Turner stole the ball from Tiger senior forward Amanda Hanneman and made two free throws that put Nebraska up 79-78. Nebraska's defense continued to clamp down on the Tigers, getting two more steals and making three free throws to seal the win.

"One thing that I bring to this team is defense," said Turner, a two-time Big 12 All-Defensive Team selection. "I have to bear down and get stops. Coach (Connie Yori) said we needed to pick up our defensive intensity at the end of the game."

What kept the Tigers in the game with the Big 12-best Cornhuskers was their uncharacteristic hot shooting. Missouri shot 40 percent from 3-point land, much better than its Big 12-worst 29 percent average. Missouri also shot above its season averages from the field and the free throw line, shooting 44.4 percent and 93.3 percent, compared to 38 percent and 65 percent, respectively.

The Tigers' 3-point shooting success was largely in part to junior guard RaeShara Brown's ability to distribute the ball.

"I just took what the defense gave me," said Brown, who finished the game with 14 points, five assists and five steals. "I was able to get penetration if they gave me the lane. If they closed the lane, I had shooters on the outside who were knocking down shots."

The Tigers scored the most points they have all year in Big 12 play and gave Nebraska its closest game of the year, but none of that was enough to overcome the effort made by Nebraska's star senior forward Kelsey Griffin.

Griffin, who is third in the Big 12 in scoring, racked up her 13th double-double of the year and went for 28 points and 12 rebounds.

"I let the game come to me, I don't worry about my stat line," said Griffin, a two time All-Big 12 selection. "We weren't looking over Missouri at all. They played a good 40 minutes of basketball."

Coach Cindy Stein had different thoughts than Griffin on how long her team played well.

"For 38 minutes I was extremely proud of this team," Stein said. "It was a very good day for us, but it just comes down to a few plays here and there. We have to finish games."

The Tigers have four losses by less than four points.

Missouri senior guard Jessra Johnson was the leading scorer for the Tigers as she recorded her second 20-point game of the year, racking up 21 points and going 5-of-5 from the free throw line.

The Tigers' next game will be Feb. 20 at No. 20 Iowa State.