Dec. 2, 2000
COLUMBIA, Mo. - Junior Tanisha Knight scored a career-high 22 points and San Diego State got another 15 from junior Claire Swinbank, but it wasn't enough to overcome high-scoring Missouri as the Tigers defeated the Aztecs, 89-69, in the championship game of the Unilever Lady Tiger Classic Saturday night.
Missouri (5-1) was paced by tournament MVP Amanda Lassiter, who led all scorers with 31 points. Tracy Franklin and Marlena Williams each added 16 for the Tigers, who captured their fourth straight Lady Tiger Classic.
Freshman Nicolette McCartny also finished in double figures for San Diego State (3-4), which had won its last two on the road.
Missouri threatened to turn the game into a rout on several occasions. But the Aztecs, who were never able to find an answer in last year's battle in San Diego, had one tonight, countering all but the final Tiger run with one of their own.
"We kept fighting and battling back all night long," said head coach Barb Smith. "But we would give up an offensive board or commit a turnover and that would keep us from getting over the hump. We were tough tonight, though, and I think the game was a lot closer that the final score indicated."
San Diego State trailed 40-31 at intermission and by 18 with just under 18 minutes to play after Missouri opened the second half with a 9-0 run. The Aztecs, however, responded with a 14-2 spurt of their own, including seven points from Knight, to close the Tigers' lead to 51-46.
But that's as close as SDSU would get as Lassiter took over the game down the stretch, scoring seven of the Tigers' next 10 points to put the contest out of reach.
San Diego State returns to action on Tuesday, Dec. 6 when the Aztec wrap up their current four-game road streak at San Jose State.