COLUMBIA The stage seemed to be set for a dramatic come-from-behind victory for the Missouri women’s basketball team. The Tigers (9-5, 0-1) outplayed No.3-ranked Texas A&M (13-1, 1-0) for the majority of Saturday night’s game at Mizzou Arena. But in the end, a sluggish second half start that allowed the Aggies to open up a 17-point lead proved to be too much for Missouri to overcome.

“I was very disappointed in our last two minutes of our first half,Football shirts, and then obviously we didn’t start the second half off very well,” Missouri coach Cindy Stein said. “I just felt like if we could have taken away three or four minutes it could have been a different ballgame.”

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The Tigers and Aggies traded leads seven times in the first half, but consecutive turnovers by junior Marissa Scott and sophomore Shakara Jones enabled Texas A&M to end the period on a 6-0 run and carry a 27-23 lead into halftime. Missouri wouldn’t get that close again until the 3:24 mark of the second half.

Missouri’s slow start in second halves has been a developing trend over the last couple of home games. The Tigers got off to quick starts against Southeast Missouri State and Chicago State before losing their intensity level. But the difference in the level of competition the Tigers were facing was apparent on Saturday. Rather than coasting to 20-point victories as they did in their previous two home games the Tigers fell behind by 17 points and were forced to play catch-up the rest of the night.

“I think we probably have to get a little more bounce into them,” Stein said. “Whether it’s your warm-up when you come out of the half or maybe it’s three-hour practices so they endure that.”

Stein added that she didn’t think her team’s second-half woes were necessarily an indication of a poor effort, but she said it is something that the coaching staff must take responsibility for.

“We probably have to get them out here (on the court) a little earlier,Lazio shirt,” Stein said. “I kept them in the locker room for quite a bit, so we probably got to get them out of here. It’s probably my fault.”

Stein said the intensity that her team starts games with makes it difficult for them to sustain the effort for the game’s entirety.

“It’s hard to sustain that intensity, but you’re going to have to do it to win games in the Big 12,Newcastle United shirt,” Stein said. “I think that we had a little drop-off where our kids questioned whether we could do it or not, and then basically we subbed. And we got a little more bounce and got a little bit more life and we went on a roll.”

The Tigers didn’t lack opportunities to get back into the game. They pulled within four points on three separate occasions in the final 3:24. But Scott, senior Alyssa Hollins and junior Jessra Johnson each missed three-point attempts that prevented the Tigers from getting any closer.

The Tigers’ effort was not lost on the home crowd. As the Missouri players walked off the court, the announced crowd of 1,763 gave the Tigers a standing ovation. Jones said she had mixed emotions as she listened to the applause after suffering a defeat.

“We’re disappointed because we wanted the W,” Jones said. “But we also can’t hang our heads because we played good and we fought to the end, and that’s what we want.”

But Stein made it abundantly clear that there were no feelings of contentment in her locker room after the game. As pleased as she was with her team’s effort, she pointed out that there are still plenty of things it has to improve at if it wants to win games in the Big 12.

“That was nice of them (the fans), obviously,” Stein said. “But we’re not content. And I can tell you when I walked into our locker room,Atletico Madrid shirt, our players aren’t content. We want to feel good about our effort, but we want to have that fire in our bellies still about getting a win.”

The Tigers’ next game is against Kansas at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Allen Fieldhouse.

Tigers senior Alisha Robinson received the Kansas City Collegiate Athlete of the Year Award Tuesday from the Kansas City Sports Commission.

This year Robinson set a Missouri NCAA Championship record on the vault at 9.900,Porto shirt, beating the previous mark of 9.875. She also set Missouri records in the floor and all-around categories. Robinson’s 9.850 qualified her for the NCAA Individual Championship Final where she placed fifth. It was the third time she competed at the meet.

In her senior year,Bordeaux shirt, Robinson won 18 event titles and was named Big 12 Conference Gymnast of the Week twice.

COLUMBIA Nebraska men’s basketball coach Doc Sadler is no stranger to Marcus Denmon’s scoring capabilities.

“He creates so many problems for you because he can really shoot the basketball,” Sadler said in Monday’s Big 12 media teleconference. “But he’s really not just a one-dimensional player.”

Tuesday’s game

No. 22 Missouri Tigers (22-7, 8-6 Big 12)
at Nebraska Cornhuskers (18-10, 6-8 Big 12)

WHEN: 7 p.m.
WHERE: Bob Devaney Center,Football shirts, Lincoln, Neb.
RADIO: KTGR 100.5 FM/1580 AM
TV: KZOU Channel 17

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Denmon lit up the Cornhuskers when they lost to the Tigers in Columbia earlier this season. His 27-point performance tied his career best. But Sadler is also aware of Denmon’s other strengths,Sevilla shirt, the same strengths that Missouri coach Mike Anderson says he thinks qualify Denmon as a Big 12 Player of the Year candidate.

Sure, Denmon can score. As of Monday, the junior guard is seventh in the conference in points with 484 (16.7 points per conference game).

But what sets Denmon apart is his accuracy. He is fifth in the Big 12 in shooting percentage (50.7 percent). Take into account that the four players ahead of him are forwards and centers, and that makes Denmon the most efficient guard in the conference.

When he escapes a defender and sets his feet firmly behind the 3-point line, the result is usually points added to the scoreboard. That is if he decides to take the shot.

Denmon seems to select his shots like a picky shopper searching for a perfectly-ripe piece of produce. If it’s not there,Kaizer Chiefs shirt, he won’t take it.

Missouri fans often let out audible groans when their leading scorer passes up a shot. They wouldn’t complain if he pulled the trigger twice as much. Even Denmon himself has said he reigns in his offensive production at times.

After bolting to a 18-point first half in Missouri’s win over Texas Tech in February, Denmon added only two more in the second half. He said he was trying to get his teammates more opportunities.

“I was trying to be a little more passive in the second half just because I felt like I could help get some other guys involved,Santos shirt,” Denmon said after the game. “A lot of teams around the country, they have just one key player, and if you can key on him, you can stop the team.”

As much as Missouri’s fans wish he would fire away, Anderson thinks Denmon’s scoring is just where it needs to be.

“He’s playing the game the right way,” Anderson said.

In fact, Anderson said focusing on Denmon’s shooting and scoring is an injustice to the other aspects of his game. To understand what Denmon brings to the table, you have to look at the big picture.

“Everybody gets so caught up in scoring,” Anderson said. “What’s the impact he’s having on our basketball team? To me, that’s what you look at when you are talking about someone that’s a player of the year candidate. I think he’s been playing at that level all year long.”

Anderson pointed out that Denmon is second in the conference in steals (53), as well as a strong rebounder for his size.

On Tuesday, Sadler will likely be more focused on stopping Denmon’s scoring than his steals or rebounds. After the last meeting between the two teams, he is probably hoping some of Denmon’s scoring stays in Columbia. That wasn’t the case when the Tigers came to town last season. Denmon scored 24 points after starting the game on the bench.

After a lackadaisical start to his team’s Tuesday night loss at Central Methodist, Stephens College basketball coach Dane Pavlovich thought the Stars needed a new warm-up to get ready to go at the beginning of each game.

The new warm-ups accomplished that purpose Saturday,Glasgow Rangers shirt, as Stephens jumped out to a 15-0 lead and cruised to an easy 88-19 victory against Mount Mary College,Lyon shirt, which arrived at Silverthorne Arena from Milwaukeewith only five players.

“(With) our warm-up before, we were doing a lot of stuff where we were standing,Kaizer Chiefs shirt,” junior captain Amy Burklund said. “We just wanted to add some things that we could individually add our own flair (to) and just get us going so we’ll get more ready and focused for the game.”

The Stars (4-15) also used a man-to-man full-court press in the first half to boost their intensity.

“We wanted to jump start a little momentum for us,” Pavlovich said. “At times we have the tendency to get lackadaisical and we didn’t want that from the beginning. We wanted to jump on them quick.”

Stephens forced the Blue Angels into 19 first half turnovers and held them to nine points in the first 20 minutes.

The Stars defense fueled its offense. All nine players scored in the first half.

“I loved the way we shared the basketball today,” Pavlovich said. “We really played together tonight. We had nine players working towards a very common task and doing something together.”

“It allowed (us) to work on some things,” Burklund said. “In the second half we wanted to focus on our offense and executing.”

Mount Mary (0-8), was outmanned.

“In the first half they kept up, but in the second half,Ajax shirt, they were pooped out,” coach Bernell Hooker said.

The victory opened up a three-game home stand for the Stars. Their next game is7 p.m. Monday against Avila.

“A lot of things that we did tonight I think we can take and learn from,” Burklund said. “(We can) take it into our next game.”

Missouri men’s basketball coach Mike Anderson landed one of the nation’s top point guards when he announced Friday that Second Team Junior College All-American Stefhon Hannah (Chicago, Ill./Hyde Park High School/Chipola Community College) has signed a national letter of intent to play for the Tigers next season.

A 6-foot-1, 175-pound guard originally from Chicago’s Hyde Park High School, Hannah started each of the past two campaigns at Chipola where he led the Indians to a two-year record of 60-7, including a No. 4 finish at the 2005 National Junior College Athletics Association National Tournament in Hutchinson, Kan.,Dortmund shirt, and a No. 1 ranking for a majority of the 2005-06 season.

“I am very excited that Stefhon Hannah is joining our program at Missouri, and he is very excited to be coming here,” Anderson said in a release. “The signing of Stefhon is an outstanding way to close out the recruiting period and it gives us added quality and depth in the backcourt. He is a tremendous leader and winner and he does the things that make his teammates around him better. Stefhon is a tenacious player and a very gifted offensive performer. He scored at a high level at both the high school and junior college ranks, and he gives us an experienced player for our roster.”

Hannah joins Jonathan “J.T.” Tiller (Marietta, Ga.), and transfers DeMarre Carroll (Birmingham, Ala./Vanderbilt) and Darryl Butterfield (Miami, Fla./Mineral Area College) as Mizzou signees during the past week. They will combine with Keon Lawrence (Newark, N.J.) and Vaidatos Volkus (Klaipeda, Lithuania), who both signed in November during the early period – as Anderson’s first class at Mizzou.

ROCK BRIDGE BOYS’ TENNIS: The Bruins swept past Joplin and Kickapoo Saturday in the state team sectionals in Springfield and will advance to their fifth consecutive state semifinal Thursday.

Rock Bridge will meet 10-time defending state champion Rockhurst in the semifinal at 9 a.m. Thursday.

The Bruins got two wins from Daniel Lopez, Ryan Olson, Sefan Nosic, Scott Hawf and Jay Kinderknecht to push past Joplin 5-0 and Kickapoo 5-1.

The Bruins remain unbeaten on the year at 22-0.

MU BASEBALL: The Tigers won their second game in as many days over No. 3 Texas, with an 8-5 victory on Saturday afternoon at Taylor Stadium. Senior Zane Taylor led the Tigers with his fifth three-hit game of the season, finishing 3-for-4 with a pair of RBI in the game.

Sophomore Jacob Priday hit his team-leading 11th home run of the season in the bottom of the first inning to give MU the early 1-0 lead. Priday added an RBI single in the seventh inning, finishing 2-for-4 with two RBI and a pair of runs scored.

Junior Hunter Mense, had his first of two hits on the day in the third inning,Lazio shirt, with a solo home run over the right field wall. It was his second homer of the year and capped off a three-run third inning for the Tigers.

Freshman Rick Zagone recorded the win,South Africa football shirt, allowing four runs on eight hits in 6 2/3 innings of work. He moves to 5-3 on the season. Junior Nathan Culp pitched the final two innings and allowed one run despite not giving up a hit. He struck out three and picked up the first save of his career.

The win,Villareal shirt, coupled with Texas Tech’s loss to Oklahoma State on Saturday, guarantees the Tigers at least a seventh-place finish in the Big 12 Conference with the final game of the regular season today.

The Tigers will take the field at Taylor Stadium for the last time in 2006 at Noon today to close out the series with Texas.

HICKMAN TRACK & FIELD: The Kewpies qualified for the state championships in six events Saturday at the Class 4 sectional in Rolla.

Junior Asia Walker won the girls’ triple jump (38 3/4), placed second in the girls’ long jump (18-6 1/4) and ran on Hickman’s second place girls’ 4 X 400 relay team (4:00). Ciara Tatum, Emily Young and Jabarbara Jennings joined her in the relay, while Tatum placed third in the girls’ 400 (59.0). Sam Masters was second in the boys 1600 (4:23) and joined David Garmon, Zach Chapman and Josh Mantooth on the Kewpies second place 4 X 800 relay team (4:23).

HICKMAN LACROSSE: The Kewpies dropped a 17-3 decision to Rockhurst in the state quarterfinals Saturday. Rockhurst is the No. 1-ranked team in Missouri and the No. 2-ranked team in the country. Zach Nikin scored two goals for the Kewpies. Kendall Eckles had one.

BOXING: Eight boxers from the region will be fighting for the championship in today’s second day of the Show-Me State Games Boxing Classic at the Holiday Inn Expo Center in Columbia. Justin Jones of the Columbia Boxing Club (119), Jonah Brown of the Moberly Boxing Club (132), Germion Forrest of Columbia (129), Ted Glasgow of Columbia (152), Noah Kidd of the Jefferson City Boxing Club (70), Darrian Dowdy of Jefferson City (95), Carlos Smith of Moberly (132) and Joe Knorr of Columbia (201) will fight today. Boxing begins at 2 p.m.

COLUMBIA — It’s a good sign of the state of the program when coach Ben Loeb doesn’t remember the last time his Rock Bridge boys tennis team didn’t win districts.

The Bruins clinched the Class 2,Wales football shirt, District 5 tournament Saturday at Rock Bridge before it was postponed. The semifinals for singles and doubles were all taking place at the same time and the Bruins were represented on every court.

“Mathematically,Santos shirt, we’ve won the district tournament,” Loeb said. “It’s just a matter of how many we get in the state tournament.”

Loeb called the semifinals “the money round” because the winners in that round qualify for the individual portion of the state tournament. Rock Bridge has been to six straight final fours in the state tournament and Loeb couldn’t remember the last time the Bruins didn’t win the district tournament.

“It feels good to win (districts) again,” Loeb said. “But it will feel better to get more guys into state.”

Senior Aron Franck was the top seed in the singles draw and made it to the semifinals without much effort in his first two matches. Franck was just about to start his semifinal match when lightning forced the players off the courts,Fulham shirt, and then rain caused the tournament to be postponed. It will be completed 4 p.m. Monday at Rock Bridge.

“I kind of wanted to play the match,” Franck said. “I didn’t want to go indoors because the court speed is quicker.”

The other three semifinals had been under way for a few minutes.

“It’s not something players like,Lazio shirt,” Loeb said of pausing matches. “You get in a flow of playing. When you get an interruption, it disrupts that.”

Rock Bridge’s No. 2 doubles team of freshman Aaron Skinner and sophomore Blake Buchert was trailing 4-2 to the Helias team of Michael Leroy and Tony Stevenson when they had to stop play. Loeb said the next game was going to be crucial and the match had the makings of being a classic.

Senior Arthur Jago and the team of senior Jay Kinderknecht and junior Eemaun Latifi were the other Bruins (21-0) in the semifinals.

The Daniel Boone Little League American All-Stars won their first game of the Midwest Regional Tournament on Saturday in Indianapolis. They defeated Riverton Area Little League, the Kansas state champions,Wales football shirt, 7-6.

Daniel Boone Little League trailed 6-1 going into the final inning of the six-inning game.

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“We were really tight early on,Valencia shirt, anxious to do well,” head coach Greg Kespohl said by phone. “They pressed a little and didn’t handle not being successful very well early on.”

But they didn’t give up, scoring six runs in the top of the sixth, capped off by a two-out, two-run triple by Adam Lafferty to put the team on top.

“They just wanted to win so bad,Birmingham shirt,” Kespohl said of his team’s ability to pull off the comeback. “They went from being disappointed to just being mad. They started taking each at-bat one pitch at a time,l.a.galaxy shirt, and every player was willing himself to get on base.”

Daniel Boone Little League continues play on Sunday with a game versus Canyon Lake Little League, from South Dakota, at 11 a.m.

COLUMBIA Last week, Rock Bridge football coach A.J. Ofodile sent in junior quarterback Shawn Rush Jr. to spark the Bruins in a season-opening victory. After Rushs slow start Friday night, Ofodiles tried using junior quarterback Mark Pickerel to lift the Bruins. But it wasn’t enough, and Rock Bridge lost 31-14 to defending Class 6A champion Hazelwood Central on Friday night in the Bruins’ home opener.

Down 14-0, Pickerel came into the game and connected on a 46-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Sheldon Gerau midway through the second quarter to keep Rock Bridge within striking distance of the Hawks.

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• Rock Bridge junior quarter back Mark Pickerel avoids a tackle from the Hazelwood Central defense Friday night. Central, the defending 6A High School champs,Italy football shirt, defeated Rock Bridge 31-14.
• Rock Bridge sophomore quarterback Bo Bell is tackled by the Hazelwood Central defense on Friday night. Central defeated Rock Bridge 31-14.
• Rock Bridge senior defensive end Chase Rome runs onto the field at the start of Rock Bridge’s football game against Hazelwood Central on Friday night.
• Rock Bridge junior quarterback Mark Pickerel avoids a tackle from the Hazelwood Central defense Friday night. Central defeated Rock Bridge 31-14.
• Rock Bridge junior Sheldon Gerau punts during Rock Bridge’s football game against Hazelwood Central on Friday night. Central defeated Rock Bridge 31-14.

Pickerel continued his solid play in the first half by putting the Bruins within a field goal when he hit Jay Bush in the end zone for a 39-yard touchdown pass with 10.4 seconds remaining.

Pickerel said the the team deserved credit for the late first-half success.

“We are a completely different team than last year,” Pickerel said. “We didnt roll over and die like our old team would have.”

After entering the second half only down three points, tired defense,Werder Bremen shirt, turnovers and missed assignments knocked the Bruins off course, and they watched Hazelwood Central run away with the game.

After three fumbles in the first half, Rock Bridge added two more turnovers after halftime.

“Our defense was out on the field way too much,” Pickerel said. “When they are getting no breaks, they are going to wear down and get tired.”

Pickerel also had a difficult time staying off the ground in the second half. Despite 46 rushing yards, Pickerel was sacked five times and finished the game with -7 yards. Ofodile said Pickerel shouldn’t be blamed for the losses on offense.

“Ninety-nine percent of the problems we had today were based on running backs missing assignments,Wales football shirt,” Odofile said. “The linebackers had good timing, and knew when to blitz.”

Despite losing, Pickerel said he is still optimistic.

“The team was really excited in the first half,Lazio shirt,” Pickerel said. “We saw that we could keep up with the No. 2 team in the state. We know we were capable of winning that game, we just made some mistakes at the wrong times. It could have easily been a very different score.”

Getting chosen for the random extra security check before boarding the plane at the Cleveland airport was the finishing touch to one of the worst weekends EeTisha Riddle has ever had to experience.

Riddle, supported by crutches, watched Saturday as airport security rummaged through her carry-on bag and allowed herself to be patted down.

“I’m not trying to be funny,Football shirts,” Riddle said, “but why would I have liquid in my shoes?”

EeTisha Riddle, who had 12 double-doubles and had two 31-point games this season for MU, recovered from a torn left anterior cruciate ligament she suffered in high school. “It took a whole year to stop playing scared,” she said. (Missourian file photo)

The former center for the Missouri women’s basketball team was in Cleveland attending the WNBA Pre-Draft Camp. But before she even had a chance to show off her skills to coaches and general managers, Riddle injured her right knee and had to leave the camp early.

“They say my name is still on the board,” Riddle said, “but I doubt I will get drafted after something like that.”

Riddle’s draft status is unknown. Missouri coach Cindy Stein said earlier in the season that WNBA scouts were interested in Riddle and had attended some of her games. The impression the left-handed player made on the scouts during the season could still be enough to carry her through. But Riddle seemed pessimistic.

She said she had barely been on the court for 90 minutes when her team began two-on-two drills. About the third repetition, Riddle was hurt.

Riddle underwent an MRI right after the injury, and is now waiting for the swelling to go down before she receives a more accurate prognosis from a doctor.

Riddle said she was advised not to speak of the extent or type of injury, but she said she anticipates at least six to eight weeks of rehabilitation.

Her right knee was supposed to be her good knee, she said. She tore her left anterior cruciate ligament in high school. Even if she is drafted and the injury isn’t severe, Riddle said the mental game is going to be a rough one to play.

“It took a whole year to stop playing scared,” Riddle said about her first knee injury. “I played real scared. I didn’t drive to the lane at all.”

Playing in the WNBA is Riddle’s dream,Valencia shirt, even if she didn’t admit it too often to the media, fans or other players. This season, after two 31-point games, 12 double-doubles and impressive statistics, Riddle seemed to answer reporters’ questions with apathy during the season.

“The questions would come at the wrong time,Peru football shirt, and I didn’t want the focus on me,” Riddle said. “I just didn’t want the air in the locker room to be like, ‘She’s thinking about other things.’”

Riddle was adamant through the season that her personal performance meant nothing if the Tigers did not win. Riddle said she wanted everyone, fans, teammates and coaches, to understand she played for her team, not with the idea of saving herself for the possibility of professional basketball.

In a phone interview Sunday from her home in O’Fallon, Ill., Riddle’s voice was positive and strong, not wavering and quiet like it sometimes was after Missouri’s toughest losses this season.

“It’s a front,” Riddle admitted. “I’m making my mom sick. I can’t have all these people worried and stuff, so I just smile and joke around. When I get by myself, that’s when it all goes downhill.”

She said she doesn’t want people feeling sorry for her; pity is not something Riddle will accept.

Today, Riddle is once again an MU student. She said she will put her attention back on school work, which she said she has neglected with all of her recent travels for games. After all, graduation for Riddle will be May 12.

For now, the free WNBA gear will be left in a closet in O’Fallon. It’s too painful to think about that logo and it’s unsure possibilities. Riddle said the noon draft on Wednesday will be out of mind.

“I don’t think I’m going to watch it,Bordeaux shirt,” Riddle said. “I’ll just get mad. I’ll just go about my regular day, my school day. I’ll go to class and go back to sleep.”

COLUMBIA It’s just one loss,Bordeaux shirt, but Missouri head coach Gary Pinkel is taking it pretty hard.

“We’re not playing our best, offensively or defensively,” Pinkel said Monday at Missouri’s weekly media day. “It’s my job to get our football team to play better than that, off the bat, and I didn’t do a very good job.”

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Missouri will now try to bounce back from the 31-17 loss to Nebraska. The Tigers (7-1, 3-1 Big 12) face Texas Tech on Saturday in a nationally-televised, prime-time road game.

INJURY REPORT

Pinkel announced that middle linebacker Luke Lambert, who has a sprained right knee, will miss his third-straight game.

Lambert is expected to be the only Tiger out for the Texas Tech game. But that’s not to say that the Tigers are in perfect health.

“When you play the schedule we have played and are going to play, you are going to have some guys with bumps and bruises,” Pinkel said.

Quarterback Blaine Gabbert sustained a bushel of big Cornhusker hits this past Saturday in Nebraska, raising suspicion that he might have sustained a concussion during the game. But Pinkel didn’t see any reason to be concerned about Gabbert’s health.

“I don’t know what you are talking about.. he seemed fine to me,” Pinkel said. “He took some hits, it’s a tough business.”

UNDER REVIEW

One big hit on Gabbert will be receiving extra scrutiny this week, after Pinkel asked the Big 12 to review of a fourth quarter play in which Nebraska safety Courtney Osbourne hit Gabbert helmet-to-helmet.

Nebraska linebacker Eric Martin was suspended from the Missouri game for a helmet-to-helmet hit the week before.

Pinkel claimed that his intentions in asking for a review were not vengeful,South Africa football shirt, but rather educational.

“It’s very important for us in teaching our players, our defensive players and everybody, how they are going to call it, how they are going to interpret it,Bayern Munich shirt,” Pinkel said. “We don’t always agree with officiating, never will, never have. But they do a good job, and the communication, I think, is really good.”

WHICH QB?

Although Pinkel knows who his starting quarterback will be Saturday, he does not know who he will be preparing to face in Lubbock. Texas Tech has used two different quarterbacks this season. Both Taylor Potts and Steven Sheffield received playing time in the Red Raiders’ loss to Texas A&M last week.

“I don’t think you can really be concerned about that,Atletico Madrid shirt,” Pinkel said. “We look more at the scheme that they play and what they do.”