Tigers lassoed

This season was supposed to be different for the Missouri women’s basketball team.

The Tigers returned three starters and seven seniors from the previous season. Their 12-1 nonconference record was the best start for any Tigers squad. Before their first of 11 Big 12 Conference losses, the Tigers were receiving votes in national polls.

The season was not supposed to end in the second round of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament with a 73-67 loss Sunday at Wyoming.

“This is not how we wanted it to end,” senior Tiffany Brooks said via cell phone. “Of course we wanted to be in the championship game of the WNIT. But that’s not what we were dealt.”

The Cowgirls (23-9) started out strong, going on a 10-0 run in the first half until senior center EeTisha Riddle scored Missouri’s first two points with a layup.

Although the Tigers (17-14) came back and tied the game at 17 midway through the first half, they were forced to play catch-up the rest of the game.

Riddle matched her career high of 31 points in her last collegiate game. With 12 rebounds, she recorded her 12th double-double of the season. Like in other games when faced with postgame statistics, Riddle wasn’t even aware of her performance.

“I didn’t even know till you just said something,” Riddle said with indifference. “It wasn’t enough, so it really don’t matter. At all.”

Although the experience seven seniors can bring to a team is invaluable, the emotions and the pressure they carry can sometimes be too heavy a load to bear. Missouri coach Cindy Stein has said the Tigers seniors have had trouble dealing with their emotions, especially as a disappointing season has continued.

“This group, they really wanted to continue playing,” Stein said in a radio interview, “and this loss devastated them.”

Stein and the Missouri players praised the Cowgirls’ energy and performance. Hanna Zavecz led Wyoming with 21 points, but it was forward Justyna Podziemska who had the more impressive statistics. Podziemska had 19 points and 11 rebounds, and made four of her five 3-pointers in the first half.

“I think you got to applaud Wyoming,” Stein said. “We threw everything at them. We put a lot of pressure on them through the night, and it came down to we missed a lot of easy shots under the basket.”

Missouri shot 41.4 percent and had 22 points from the bench. But senior starters Brooks and Carlynn Savant had only two points each, well below their double-figure averages.

With less than four minutes left, Wyoming was up 12 points before an 11-4 run put the Tigers within three points. Fouls committed by the Tigers allowed Wyoming to seal the win.

Senior Blair Hardiek had 11 points, well above her average of 5.3 per game.

“Personally, I just wanted to go out there and do everything I can and bust my butt and not look back and have any regrets,” Hardiek said.

“I mean, I think everyone’s disappointed. We’ve been working hard all season. And the WNIT was the second chance for us, and we’ve been practicing hard all week, but the outcome just wasn’t what we expected.”

Wyoming’s Jodi Bolerjack, of Columbia, finished with 15 points, including 10-of-14 free-throw shooting in 40 minutes of play.

The Cowgirls will face Oregon in the third round of the WNIT this week.