Missouri women brace for dominant senior forward.
When Missouri women’s basketballcoach Cindy Stein said her team spent its practice time working on new wrinkles to add to its game plan Saturday against Texas Tech, one wrinkle stuck out when she was asked how to stop Texas Tech forward LaToya Davis.
“With a two-by-four I think,” Stein said, laughing. “She’s a very explosive player and obviously we’re going to have our hands full. But we’ve been able to play against so many great post players that she’s just another one that you’ve got to continue to keep under wraps.”
Jokes aside, the Tigers (14-4, 4-2 Big 12 Conference) weren’t laughing after committing 30 turnovers in a loss at Texas A&M on Saturday. The full week between games has left the team with a few mixed emotions entering the 1 p.m. game at Mizzou Arena.
On one hand, Stein and her players said the loss to the Aggies stuck in the team’s mind for a longer period than normal. On the other hand, junior Carlynn Savant viewed it as an opportunity for the team to get some serious work done on its rebounding and trying to stop Davis, who averages a double-double per game for the Red Raiders (9-8, 4-2 Big 12 Conference).
“We’ve been really focused this week on stopping their post players like Davis,” Savant said. “They’re going to be tough.”
Stein said she saw a lot of disappointed faces in the locker room after the loss. Like Savant, she also saw an opportunity with a full week of practice ahead.
“You’re going to have one of those games where a lot of things don’t go right,” she said. “If we continue to use those games as learning scenarios, I think that this team will be OK.”
That education started as soon as Missouri got back from its road trip. Stein emphasized defense and conditioning to prepare for not only for Davis but for senior point guard Erin Grant. The main point Stein tried to get across was the need to slow Grant down and prevent easy entry passes to Davis. Stein tried to accomplish this by including extra running into practices.
Junior guard Tiffany Brooks, who has usually drawn the opposing team’s best perimeter player this season, said she would have to play at the top of her level to slow Grant down.
“Erin Grant is a great point guard,” Brooks said. “She leads that team and she’s a great shooter so we have to find a way to stop her.”
If there’s any solace for the Tigers in playing against two of the Big 12’s best players, it’s that the game is at home, where they are 10-0 this season.
“You have to bounce back,” Stein said. “You have no choice. You have to protect your home floor.”
EXTRA: Tiger fans can see the game at a special price on Saturday. All tickets are $1 for the annual “Pack the Zou” game.