‘Paint it Pink’ promotion helps increase breast cancer awareness
Sitting five rows up from the floor in one of the padded seats at Mizzou Arena on Friday night, Sherry Moreau had a pink scarf hanging from her neck. She had borrowed it from her friend Sondra Small who was sitting next to her, wearing a pink polo shirt.
Draped around Small’s neck was a neon-pink feather boa that she had borrowed from her granddaughter.
Scattered through the stands were fans wearing all shades of pink on all forms of clothing. The Missouri women’s basketball team was warming up on the court with pastel-pink long-sleeved T-shirts.
In the Tigers’ 74-53 victory over Arkansas State, Missouri’s black and gold was temporarily replaced for the “Paint It Pink” promotion, an effort to increase awareness about breast cancer.
“I love the fact that the girls try to get involved in the community,” Moreau said. “I just wish the community supported them better.”
Breast cancer has affected both Moreau and Small. Moreau’s grandmother died from breast cancer and two of Small’s aunts and her mother had breast cancer.
Missouri coach Cindy Stein said it is the little things like a theme night that can make a difference.
“This is a cause that is deep to many of our hearts and our team really liked the fact that we were going to do it,” Stein said. “A lot of them have been affected, one way or other by somebody in their family or friends with breast cancer.”
Despite sporadic first-half shooting, the Tigers had an 11-point lead at halftime and 16 offensive rebounds.
“We were missing a lot of shots, that’s the first thing,” Stein said. “When you’re only shooting 29 percent you better go after the boards.”
Senior guard Tiffany Brooks and senior forward Carlynn Savant had 22 points apiece to lead the Tigers. Brooks also had a career-high six steals, while Savant had her fourth career double-double with 12 rebounds.
Savant said the large crowd helped the energy of the game.
“With it being ‘Paint It Pink’ and everything, we had a really great crowd and they were really into things,” Savant, a senior, said. “I think playing on our home court and really trying to defend our home court was a major advantage for us.”
Brooks said she made the best of her opportunities.
“We have players that can do the same thing that I did,” Brooks said. “I just did what I know I am capable of doing.”
Moreau is a season-ticket holder and member of the Sixth Strip Club, the Missouri women’s basketball booster club, and she would have been at the game with or without her borrowed pink scarf. She says basketball is her passion. She played basketball at New Franklin High School in the early 1970s before coming to MU. Her dream was to play for MU, but there were a few snags.
“They had no team, and I doubt that I was good enough,” Moreau joked.