After fouling out with 5:57 left, Lassiter could only wonder what kind of difference she could have made in Missouri’s 73-63 home loss to No. 7 Iowa State last night.

"I’m really disappointed in myself," she said. "I know that in crucial games like this I need to be on the floor."

Lassiter carried the team in her 22 minutes of action, scoring 20 points, adding six rebounds, and getting two blocks and four steals. More importantly, she gave the Cyclones the heebie-jeebies with her aggressive style on defense, chasing down loose balls and pressuring ball-handlers into turnovers.

"Amanda did a good job of not just guarding" guard "Megan Taylor, but she’s quick enough to come off of people, and she stole an entry pass and blocked some shots," ISU coach Bill Fennelly said. "That’s something she gives to them, and I think it’s a lot harder for them to create 94 feet of pressure defense when she’s not in the game."

Without Lassiter, the final 5:57 of the game saw the Tigers go from two-point deficit to a 10-point defeat.

"Obviously, anytime Amanda is not on the floor it hurts us offensively and defensively because she does so many things and she creates so many things," said Missouri coach Cindy Stein, who is now 0-7 against Iowa State. "But our kids understand the fact that her fouling out was going to happen especially as aggressive as she plays."

Lassiter sat down after her fourth foul with 13:06 remaining. Stein re-inserted her with more than seven minutes remaining, but Lassiter did not last long.

"There are so many games where it’s worked that you take your chances," Stein said. "I knew that when we put her back in with four fouls that she’d be okay. I thought she could last seven and a half minutes, but it was two."

Lassiter’s first four fouls were during hustle plays, but her final foul was perhaps the worst. While swiping at a Lindsey Wilson outside shot, she drew a whistle.

"Personally I thought I got all ball, but I guess the ref saw differently," Lassiter said. "When you have four fouls you’ve got to think better than that, let little stuff go. Two points is nothing compared to what I could have done if I were on the court.

"… I know I’m real aggressive and sometimes that can get me into trouble. I just have to learn how to play aggressive but just a little smarter."

Reach José Alfredo Flores at (573) 815-1780 or sports@tribmail.com