Missouri's Haley Troup guards Lindenwood's Jamie Bain on Thursday, October 28th, 2021 at Mizzou Arena in Columbia.
Missouri women’s basketball completed its exhibition play Nov. 4 with a 90-35 victory against Division II opponent Southwest Baptist University.
The Tigers allowed fans a glimpse into their potential game plan this season, and showed where their points of emphasis will be when they begin the season on Nov. 11 against Murray State University. Here are the biggest takeaways from the game.
Internal focus remains on defense
In her first press conference of 2021, Missouri head coach Robin Pingeton stressed the importance of defense. She said that, throughout the offseason, her team worked on making strides on that side of the ball.
“We weren’t very good at the defensive end last year and that hurt us,” Pingeton said.
The Tigers’ dedication to defense paid off against Southwest Baptist, as they forced 30 turnovers with 18 steals, and added 3 blocks.
Missouri’s swarming defense helped spark its attack as well. With 8:37 remaining in the third quarter, Missouri junior guard Aijha Blackwell stole the ball from Bearcats freshman forward Micah Clayton, dribbled to the 3-point line and connected on a 3-point basket to extend the Tigers lead to 52-22.
The Tigers took full advantage of Southwest Baptist’s mistakes to grow its lead and establish momentum. After Blackwell’s steal and basket, Pingeton’s team finished the third quarter on a 25-7 run. Missouri’s defense stepped up to hold the Bearcats scoreless for over five minutes during part of that stretch.
Southwest Baptist’s scoreless stretch exhibited a recurring theme. The Bearcat’s shot 25.6% from the field and only connected on 21.4% of their 3-point attempts. These percentages emphasize the impact of Missouri’s defense and give a peek into the type of defense the Tigers’ hope to implement. As the season approaches, the question will be whether Missouri can establish defensive consistency against a stronger program.
The offense runs through Aijha Blackwell
In the SEC’s preseason predictions, Blackwell landed on the preseason All-SEC Second Team. Last season, she earned second team All-SEC honors, while averaging 14.5 points and 11 rebounds in 28.8 minutes per game.
With those numbers, it’s evident why Missouri’s offense runs through Blackwell. Against Southwest Baptist, Blackwell finished with 21 points, 10 rebounds and 6 steals in 24 minutes.
Blackwell scored 17 points between the second and third quarters as Missouri outscored Southwest Baptist 55-23.
Defensively, Blackwell’s 6 steals led to offensive success as well. Missouri scored 15 points off turnovers the junior produced. Blackwell also finished with 5 offensive rebounds, providing the Tigers with several second-chance opportunities. Blackwell finished her night shooting 80%, including a perfect 100% from beyond the arc.
Going forward, Blackwell’s presence allows Missouri players an opportunity to find open looks and establish momentum. Her rebounding and defense also creates more second-chance opportunities for the offense. With Blackwell leading the way, the Tigers hope to exceed the preseason coaches’ prediction of a tenth-place finish in the SEC.
The offense depends heavily on three-point shooting
Missouri finished the 2020 season with a 38.2% three-point percentage and wasn’t afraid to go right back to the attack against Southwest Baptist. The Tigers started the game by connecting on 4 of its 6 three-pointers to jump out to a 12-3 lead. Missouri success from the 3-point line declined from there.
The Tigers missed nine consecutive 3-point shots following their early success, while only managing 16 points from the 6:08 mark in the first quarter to the 5:41 mark in the second quarter.
A 3-point field goal by junior forward Hayley Frank ended the cold streak and sparked a run of five consecutive 3-point makes in three minutes. The Tigers used this flurry of shots to turn its 28-11 lead to a 43-16 advantage within minutes.
In the second half, Missouri focused primarily on layups and jumpshots, only connecting on one 3-point attempt. The Tigers ended the match with a 33.3% three-point percentage, but nine of the 10 makes came in the first half.
Looking Ahead
Missouri’s season opener takes place Thursday at 7 p.m. against Murray State. The Tigers play at home and begin their 13-game non-conference schedule against the Racers, who finished 16-11 last season.
Edited by Kyle Pinnell, kpinnell@themaneater.com