When Colorado women’s basketball player Britney Blythe drilled a 3-point shot with 15 seconds remaining to give her Buffaloes a final lead and the victory over the Missouri Tigers, a familiar feeling settled down from the rafters at Mizzou Arena.
That close. Again.
Although it boasts a record of only 12-16 and 4-10 in the Big 12 Conference, Missouri’s 2010-2011 season has had no shortage of drama. Close games, whether they result in uplifting wins or demoralizing losses, have become the signature of coach Robin Pingeton’s first season on the sidelines of the Missouri Tigers.
“There’s no doubt about it. What we’re going through right now is tough,” Pingeton said. “We’re in the trenches. We’re laying the foundations and trying to build a program. There (have) been some great moments and some times of adversity and some gut-wrenching losses.”
Those looking for great moments need to merely flip the calendar back six weeks. An all-around effort sparked by senior guard RaeShara Brown’s 27 points made up a 12-point deficit against the visiting Texas Longhorns to notch a Tigers win in overtime on Jan. 8.
Meanwhile, a perfect illustration of the close-loss feeling took place in the same building Feb. 5 when the Tigers similarly blew an 11-point lead to lose in overtime to the visiting Kansas State Wildcats.
Some of the great moments include fending off a late rally to upset then No.12 Georgetown a double-digit comeback victory over Oklahoma State.
Conversely, the Tigers have suffered tough losses such as overtime defeats at the hands of the two Kansas schools, Kansas and Kansas State.
All in all, the Tigers have had 13 games this season decided by single digits. For every RaeShara Brown-fueled comeback, there seems to be a dagger like Blythe’s to match it.
“It’s a learning process,” Brown said. “You learn something in wins: how hard you have to play to finish it off. You learn something in losses: what you can’t do and what you should have done.”
Win or lose, the Tigers have made their mark as a team in it until the end of every game. Opponents are starting to catch on.
“I think Robin does a nice job of getting them ready to play,” Colorado coach Linda Lappe said. “Anytime you take over a program, you try and teach how to compete and be in every game.”
Despite a year of struggles, the young Tigers look to now take what they’ve learned through playing close games and use it to end the season strong, Brown said.
“Going into the Big 12 Tournament is kind of a new season,” Brown said. “We know how good we can be. We just have to prove it every night. You still have to lay everything out there every night. Don’t hold anything back, and that’s what we focus on whether it’s a close game or not.”