By JASON STACY
Missourian staff

Amanda Lassiter summed it up in just seven words.

"We knew we could win this game," the MU women's basketball forward said after the Tigers defeated Georgia in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Those seven words also summed up the attitude change of the MU squad under coach Cindy Stein.

Stein inherited an 11-16 team just three years ago. Since then, the Tigers have risen from obscurity and proven they can win in the Big 12 Conference, finishing 10-6 this season. More important, they have proven it to themselves, posting a 22-10 overall record.

Many experts picked the Tigers to finish in the middle of the Big 12. After finishing the non-conference schedule 9-2, the Tigers seemed tentative entering conference play. Beating No. 12 Texas 68-52 on Jan. 6 gave the Tigers confidence, but MU was 4-5 after nine games. After giving No. 7 Iowa State all it could handle in two meetings, the Tigers began to think differently about conference play.

"We should play them tough," became "we should beat them," which evolved into "we want to win the Big 12 Tournament."

Mizzou was embarrassed in the second round of the tournament by Colorado, but regrouped to challenge in the NCAAs.

A young team with a young coach grew up quickly and proved that MU was better than the credit it was getting.

OVERALL: A-

The Tigers did the one thing this season that teams always hope for -- they played their best possible basketball at the end of the season.

The Tigers won seven of their past nine just to make the NCAA Tournament as a No. 10 seed. MU then beat No. 25 Wisconsin and No. 3 Georgia.

The Tigers' overachievement had many people actually expecting MU to beat No. 6 Louisiana Tech in the Sweet 16.

They almost did just that. MU trailed by just four with two minutes left, and it looked like another upset was coming.

Eventually MU ran out of gas. Eventually the hustle and hard work was not enough to overcome sheer talent.

By the time the run was over, the Tigers had their best season in almost 15 years.

The Tigers hadn't made the NCAA Tournament in seven years, won a tourney game in 15 or won two, well, ever.

They hadn't swept Kansas since 1985-86, won in Lincoln, Neb., since 1990 or had a winning record in conference since 1992-93.

Without the continual foul trouble for seniors Amanda Lassiter and Marlena Williams, the Tigers would have beaten the Lady Techsters and maybe reached their goal of playing basketball in Missouri in April at the Final Four in St. Louis.

COACHES: A

The attitude adjustment came with the hiring of former Emporia State coach Cindy Stein three seasons ago.

Stein moved to an uptempo pace and created a family atmosphere in the locker room.

"Since coach Stein got here, we have become a family," senior guard Tracy Franklin said before the Big 12 Tournament. "These people will be with me the rest of my life."

Stein took a good team and made them believe they were great. So much so that the effort and desire the Tigers played with helped MU defeat more talented teams.

Stein persuaded the Tigers to play to their greatest potential at the greatest time of the season.

In the NCAA Tournament, the Tigers went from a team with two double-digit scorers to a team that would get four or five to hit double figures.

In three seasons, MU has gone from 13-15 to WNIT to 22-10 and the NCAA Sweet 16. A big reason for that is Stein.

GUARDS: B+

For the first half of the season, MU starting guards Tracy Franklin and Kerensa Barr were doing C work.

But like the rest of the Tigers, the guards played their best down the stretch. Franklin scored 24 points in the 89-84 overtime victory against Kansas on Feb. 10 and was named Big 12 Player of the Week.

After being benched for two games, against Iowa State and Nebraska, Franklin broke out of her scoring slump and averaged 11.1 points in the next eight games. She ended the season as the Tigers' third leading scorer with 9.3 points a game and shot 39.9 percent from behind the 3-point arc.

Barr finished the season fifth in the Big 12 in assists with five a game and eighth in steals with 2.2 a game.

After scoring in double figures in just four of the first 21 games, she tallied double digits in nine of the last 11 games, averaging 12 points a game. She finished the season averaging 8.1 points.

If there's one play that shows the desire and effort Barr brought from her point guard position, it was the dive against Louisiana Tech.

With about 10 minutes left in the regional semifinal, Barr dove headfirst into press row. She was dazed, but despite the referee's plea to stay down, Barr jogged to the sideline and was back in the game just a minute later.

FORWARDS: A-

The Tigers did not play with a natural center, instead using three forwards against bigger teams.

Forwards Amanda Lassiter, Marlena Williams and Evan Unrau often used their quickness to out play their bigger opponents.

Lassiter was first team all-Big 12 after averaging 19 points, three steals and 2.2 blocks a game. She is third on the Tigers all-time blocks list.

Williams finished the season as an honorable mention all-conference selection. She averaged 13.1 points a game.

Seniors Lassiter and Williams often used their outside shooting ability to exploit the opposing posts. They made 35 and 31 percent from behind the arc, respectively. Lassiter set the MU single-season record for 3-pointers in a season with 65.

But the two also had the same flaws. Both were often in foul trouble and erratic from the field.

Williams averaged 3.6 fouls and fouled out of eight games while Lassiter averaged 2.8 and was disqualified three times.

The duo combined to shoot just 41.9 percent from the field.

Unrau, a freshman, finished fifth in the Big 12, making 57 percent of her shots.

She grabbed 20 rebounds against Texas A&M on Jan. 10 and scored 18 points against Texas on Jan. 6. She tied for first on the squad with Lassiter with four double-doubles.

She slumped midway through conference play but averaged 11 points and 10 rebounds in the conference tournament.

BENCH: B-

MU's bench play was better than average this season.

Junior guard Natalie Bright started 28 games as a sophomore, but just two this season. She averaged 4.7 points a game until returning to 2000 form with 11.3 points a game in the NCAA Tournament.

Junior Wendy Okeson was a junior college all-American last season, but saw limited action this season.

Sophomore Wannette Smith was the first post off the bench and averaged 3.5 points and 2.5 rebounds a game. She scored a career-high 10 points in the 78-61 victory against No. 17 Colorado on Feb. 28.

Freshmen Terianne Wolford and Tracy Lozier averaged 3.1 points and 1.9 points respectively but saw their roles diminish in the playoffs.

Junior Christa Millham was the Tigers' backcourt defensive stopper off the bench. Her role grew toward the end of the season, and she should see a good amount of time as a replacement for Franklin next year.

Six-foot-4 freshman Amy Loftus added the needed size and had a career-high six points and seven rebounds against Nebraska on Feb. 13.

Sophomore post Jennifer Simpson and Tyler Junior College (Texas) transfer Aimee Michelson left in midseason for personal reasons. Simpson appeared in three of six games, while Michelson was a key reserve off the bench and even started four games. She averaged five points and 2.2 rebounds in 11 games and could have been helpful in the NCAA Tournament.