MU looks to rebound

"When you look at our record, we're still 11-5, 2-3 in the conference. Coming close in games doesn't change that," Stein said. "What we can take from these losses is that we can learn from them and take what we learn into our next game."

The Tigers return home to face Kansas State at the Hearnes Center after going winless in a two-game conference road trip this week. After starting the conference season 2-1, the Tigers have since fallen to the bottom half of the league standings. The Wildcats (11-5, 1-4 Big 12) lost their first four conference games, but upset No. 17 Texas at home on Wednesday 72-63, spoiling UT coach Jody Conradt's 1,000th game and giving K-State its first win over a ranked team since beating then-No. 8 Iowa State at home last year. This is the same Longhorn team Missouri upset earlier in the season 68-52 on Jan. 6 in the Tigers' conference home opener, when Texas was ranked No. 12.

"Some people don't realize that in the Big 12 everyone beats up on everybody," Stein said. "We can tell that by beating Texas you can't take K-State lightly. We know that Texas is a tough team to beat."

Against Iowa State on Wednesday the Tigers relied heavily on Amanda Lassiter, who scored a team-high 21 points, but were forced to seek other scoring options when the Cyclones went on a zone defense at halftime. This forced Lassiter to make tough shots or pass up the ball and limited her to five second-half points. The game went back and forth in the second half with Iowa State going on a 17-0 run followed by a 10-0 run by the Tigers. Lassiter had chances to give the Tigers the lead in the final minute but missed two crucial 3-pointers, including one with 20 seconds remaining that hit nothing but air.

"We need to get our swagger back," said Stein. "We need to get stronger. Now after two games on the road we come back refreshed."

They will face a mediocre Wildcat team that is led by freshman sensation Nicole Ohlde. The 6-foot-4 center is averaging 15.9 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. Kansas State features a strong backcourt of Kristen Rethman and Kim Woodlee, averaging 12.5 and 12.4 points per game, respectively. Missouri swept the season series against KSU 2-0 last season.

"K-State is a lot like ISU," said Missouri guard Kerensa Barr. "They like to shoot the 3-point shot. We have to take care of the ball and set the tempo of the game. We have to do a better job at defending the three. That could have made a difference against Iowa State."

Missouri starting freshman forward Evan Unrau will face another tough conference post player in Ohlde. Against ISU Unrau battled against preseason All-Big 12 pick Angie Welle. The 6-foot-4 ISU junior finished the game with 18 points and a career-high 20 rebounds against the Tigers.

"Defensively I think we did a good job containing her. She didn't take as many shots as she would have liked," said Unrau of Welle, who was limited to seven field goal attempts - making six.

Unrau was involved in a controversial play in the final minute of the game. With less than 20 seconds remaining and with the Cylones up 67-65, Unrau grabbed a rebound off a Welle missed free throw. The freshman power forward was bumped by Cyclone forward Megan Taylor on her way down and the ball squirted loose out of bounds. The officials called a turnover on Unrau, but she saw it differently.

"That ball was definitely touched. She poked it out," Unrau said. "I have to learn to deal with these letdowns. It's part of the game. Playing at Iowa State was another pressure situation, playing in that atmosphere. Every game is a learning experience. We just have to keep playing consistently in order to win in this conference."

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