Phoenix wins tourney, loses key player Tiffany Mor covers her eyes as her left knee is checked out on the court. She tore the ACL and will be out for the season (photo by Tina Gohr). UWGB's title-clinching victory was marred by the season-ending injury sustained by Tiffany Mor By Tim Froberg News-Chronicle It should have been a shining moment for Kevin Borseth's wildly successful University of Wisconsin-Green Bay women's basketball program. But, instead of hugs, high-fives and enthusiastic chatter in the UWGB locker room following a landmark win, the mood was somber and serious. The Phoenix's impressive 74-64 victory over Big 12 opponent Missouri in Saturday's championship game of the Oneida Bingo & Casino Holiday Tournament came at such a costly price that none of the players or coaches felt like celebrating, or even cracking a smile. Shortly after successfully defending its Oneida title before a Resch Center crowd of 1,435, the Phoenix learned that senior post player Tiffany Mor had torn the anterior-cruciate ligament in her left knee and would be lost for the season. Mor, who scored 17 points and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds in the game, was injured with 9 minutes, 26 seconds remaining after going up for a shot inside the lane, losing her balance and falling on the knee. Mor finished the tournament with 24 points and 12 rebounds, and was selected as the tourney's MVP. In the first four games of 2003, the 6-foot-1 Mor was off to a terrific start, averaging 17.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. Last year, she was UWGB's top interior reserve, averaging 7.9 points and 4.0 rebounds. "That was the somberest locker room I can remember," said Borseth. "She is so doggone strong, but the knee just collapsed on her. She was in the wrong situation at the wrong time." The post position that Mor plays is a critical part of the Phoenix offense, and Borseth doesn't anticipate changing his scheme a great deal. Mor was replaced in the game by former Bay Port start Nicole Soulis, who scored three points and grabbed three rebounds in nine minutes of work. "The kid on that block is who we run our entire offense around," said Borseth. "I think the players will rally around that kid and we'll build up that kid." Guard Abby Scharlow, who scored 17 points to tie Mor for scoring honors and was also named to the all-tournament team, summed up the mood of her team. "Right now, we're all a little down," said Scharlow. "It hurts." Mor's injury spoiled a significant accomplishment for Borseth's program since it came over a solid opponent from a top-notch conference, the Big 12. Prior to Saturday, UWGB had lost its last five games against Big 12 opponents, including an 80-75 setback last season to the only Big 12 team it played, Kansas State. "Tonight was a defining moment, much like our win last season over Texas Christian (60-58) when we battled back from 19 points," said Borseth. "Any time you beat a team that's named after a state, it's a big win. Now, we've got to pick the pieces up." With Tricia Grassell scoring16 points and Natalie Yudt adding 13, UWGB (4-0) placed four players in double figures, nailed 8 3-pointers and showed great poise down the stretch to hand Missouri (3-1) its first loss of the season. Missouri went 17-13 last season and 9-7 in the Big 12. "Green Bay has a lot of scrappy players and they were a little more physical than us," said Missouri coach Cindy Stein. "They have a really good team. The kid that went out (Mor) is an incredible player and our prayers go out to her. The Phoenix started fast and finished strong. UWGB shot 59.3 percent from the floor in the first half to charge out to a 40-24 lead at the intermission. Mor and Yudt were the early catalysts, scoring 12 and 11 points, respectively, while Grassell added nine. The Phoenix forced 13 first-half Missouri turnovers and scored 14 points off them. Yudt nailed three 3-pointers in the first 10 minutes to get the Phoenix rolling early, driving UWGB to a quick 18-9 lead. Missouri fought back on the strong play by forward Evan Unrau, who scored 10 points to cut the gap to 26-24 with 5:21 left in the half. However, UWGB seized control by closing the first half with a 14-0 surge, triggered by Grassell, who drained a pair of 3-pointers and scored nine points. Scharlow finished off the game-turning run with a bucket inside the lane with three seconds left in the half. UWGB led by as many as 19 in the second half, but the Tigers wouldn't cave in, fighting back behind the strong inside play of Stretch James, who finished with 24 points, and Unrau, who added 20. Missouri trailed 55-43 at the time of Mor's injury, and made its move after her departure. The Tigers put together a 15-6 run to cut the gap to 64-58 with 3:14 left and slashed the margin to four (66-62) with 1:32 remaining. But UWGB didn't fold. The Phoenix calmly nailed a perfect 10-of-10 free throws in the final 1:07, four by Grassell, to secure the win. "Green Bay is a very potent offensive team," said Stein. "You got to be right there when they catch the ball. Defensively, they made us pay for our mistakes." ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM SELECTED Named to the all-tournament team along with Mor and Scharlow were Centenary's Alexis Pettway, Austin Peay's Gerlonda Hardin, and Missouri's James and Unrau. AUSTIN PEAY WINS CONSOLATION TITLE Austin Peay won the consolation game 72-60 over Centenary. Hardin paced Austin Peay with 23 points and 11 rebounds. Cassandra Peek and Ashley Hayes added 13 points apiece for Austin Peay , which shot 45 percent from the floor. Centenary (1-4) was led by Alex Pettway's 14 points. PHOENIX BREEZES IN OPENER In UWGB's tourney opener Friday, the Phoenix blasted Centenary 97-48. Mor led a balanced UWGB attack with 17 points and also pulled down a team-high five rebounds. Amanda Popp (14), Soulis (13), Mary Kulenkamp (12) and Grassell (11) also reached double figures. UWGB shot a sharp 57.1 percent (32 of 56) from the floor and was 53.3 percent (8 of 15) from beyond the arc. The Phoenix held Centenary to a cool 37.5 percent (18 of 48) from the floor and forced 27 turnovers. UWGB pounded Centenary on the boards, holding a 35-23 advantage. SATURDAY'S GAME MISSOURI (66) - Unrau 8-17 2-4 20, Fisher 2-2 0-0 4, Roney 2-2 0-0 4, Lozier 3-10 0-0 8, Bond 3-9 0-0 8, James 11-17, 2-2 24, Savant 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 29-62 4-6 66. UWGB (74) - Yudt 5-8 0-0 13, Mor 7-12, 3-3 17, Grassell 4-11 5-6 16, Kulenkamp 2-5 3-4 8, Scharlow 6-15 4-4 17, Soulis 1-3 1-4 3, Fieck 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 25-55 16-21 74. Halftime - UWGB 40, MISS 24. 3-pointers - MISS 4-14 (Unrau 2-3, Lozier 2-8, Bond 0-2, Savant 0-1; UWGB 8-18 (Yudt 3-4, Grassell 3-7, Kulenkamp 1-1, Scharlow 1-6). Rebounds - MISS 38 (Unrau 16), UWGB 30 (Mor 7). Steals - MISS 11 (Roney 3), UWGB 12 (Scharlow 4) . Assists - MISS 16 (Lozier 6), UWGB 13 (Mor 4, Scharlow 4). Attendance - 1,435. FRIDAY'S GAME CENTENARY (48) - Pettway 2-5 3-6 7, Melvin 1-3 0-0 2, McHenry 1-1 0-0 2, Alloway 0-0 3-4 3, Danieles 1-5 0-0 3, Rushing 1-1 1-2 3, Wilkins 3-10 0-0 8, Way 1-8 0-0 3, Smyth 2-3 0-0 5, Aleksic 5-11 0-0 10, Gyuricza 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 18-48 7-13 48. UWGB (97) - Yudt 3-3 2-2 8, Mor 4-9, 8-8 17, Grassell 4-5 2-2 11, Kulenkamp 4-6 3-4 12, Scharlow 3-6 0-0 8, Berglin 3-7 2-2 9, Soulis 6-8 1-2 13, Fieck 1-3 0-0 2, Popp 4-5 4-4 14, Witkowski 0-1 0-0 0, Dixon 0-3 3-4 3. Totals 32-56 25-28 97. Halftime - UWGB 56, CEN 24. 3-pointers - CEN 5-13 (Danieles 1-2, Wilkins 2-5, Way 1-4, Smyth 101, Aleksic 0-1; UWGB 8-15 (Mor 1-1, Kulenkamp 1-2, Scharlow 2-4, Berglin 1-4, Popp 2-2, Grassell 1-2. Rebounds - CEN 23 (Melvin 4), UWGB 35 (Mor 5). Steals - CEN 7 (Daniels 2, Way 2), UWGB 22 (Kulenkamp 5, Scharlow 5). Turnovers - CEN 27, UWGB 16. Attendance - 1,077.