Coatney's Call: Coatney Game Preview

Nebraska vs. Missouri
Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2011 (7 p.m.)
Mizzou Arena (Columbia, Mo.)
Radio: Husker Sports Network (25 stations, including 105.3 FM-Lincoln, 93.3 FM-Omaha)
Internet: Huskers.com Free Live Audio

It was a great day of basketball this past Saturday at the Devaney Center in Lincoln.  Why?  Anytime you can see the Huskers men and women's teams both defeat ranked teams, it's a great day!  After the men knocked off No. 11 Texas A&M, the Nebraska Women's Basketball team won their second conference game in a 56-53 win over No. 25 Texas Tech.  Catheryn Redmon  and Jordan Hooper both scored 16 points while Lindsey Moore and Katya Leick added 10 apeice.  The Huskers will try to get their first road Big 12 win this Wednesday night when they face the Missouri Tigers in snowy Columbia.
 
Missouri is 10-11 overall this season with a 2-5 record in Big 12 Conference play.  Mizzou opened league play with an overtime win over Texas, but then lost four games in a row.  After beating Kansas last Wednesday night in Columbia, the Tigers fell 71-56 at Iowa State.  Missouri has been led by 5-8 senior guard RaeShara Brown, one of the top defensive players in the nation.  She needs just seven more steals to become MU's all-time leader.  Brown has led the Big 12 in steals the last two seasons.  This season she has been asked to take on more of an offensive role on the team and play point guard.  She has responded in a big way and has had some big games, including a 33-point effort at Kansas State, the most by a Missouri player in six seasons.  Brown leads MU in scoring (16.6 ppg), rebounding (6.3 rpg), steals, assists, three pointers (31), field goals and minutes per game.

6-3 junior forward Christine Flores  has been hampered recently by a broken finger suffered in the Texas Tech game.  However, she still is second on the team in scoring (13.9 ppg) and rebounds (6.2 rpg) and leads the team in blocks (45).  6-2 senior forward Shakara Jones  is a true veteran of the Big 12 wars.  She has started 107 games in her Missouri career.  Her father Ron played basketball for legendary men's coach Norm Stewart in the 1980's.  She is 22nd on the all-time MU scoring list. 

Jones is currently third on the team in scoring (10.1 ppg) and rebounds (6.0 rpg).  5-9 senior guard Jasmyn Otote (oh-TOTE-tay)  joins Brown and Jones as MU players who have started all 21 games this season.  She recovered from an 0-for-28 slump from beyond the three-point arc in early January to rank fourth in Big 12 league games in three-point field goal percentage (.433).  She averages 5.0 ppg.  5-7 sophomore guard Trenee Thornton rounds out MU's probable starting lineup.   She has started the last four games and averages 1.6 ppg.

Robin Pingeton  came to Missouri after seven seasons as the head coach at Illinois State.  She led the Redbirds to three Missouri Valley Conference titles and two NCAA Tournament appearances.  Prior to her tenure at ISU, she led St. Ambrose College to five NAIA National Tournaments in her eight seasons coaching her alma mater.

Nebraska leads the all-time series with Missouri 39-30.  The Huskers have won three in a row and five of the last six games against MU.  Nebraska has also won seven of the last eight games in Columbia.
 
I cordially invite you to join Jeff Griesch and me for Nebraska Women's Basketball on the Husker Sports Network.  Our radio broadcast Wednesday night begins with the Husker Courtside pre-game show at 6:45 p.m. (central) with the tip-off scheduled for 7:00 p.m. on KLNC 105.3 FM (WOW-FM) in Lincoln, KTWI 93.3 FM (Twister 93.3) in Omaha, KWBE 1450 in Beatrice and available to our entire twenty-five network stations.  All Husker Women's Basketball broadcasts are also available for free worldwide on the internet at www.huskers.com.  I hope you can join us.  

Go Big Red! 

Matt