Before Missouri women’s basketball even stepped onto the court for its Jan. 6 home game against Auburn, head coach Robin Pingeton spoke about the importance of overcoming adversity. 

“E plus R equals O,” Pingeton said. “Events are going to happen and how we respond to them will dictate or strongly determine the outcome.”

After defeating No. 1 South Carolina with only eight scholarship players available due to COVID-19 protocols, the Tigers were forced to postpone their Jan. 2 meeting with Vanderbilt because they could not meet the requirement for available players. 

Missouri’s COVID-19 issues affected its practices leading up to the Auburn game as well, limiting the team’s time together. 

“I haven’t seen [the team],” Pingeton said. “I saw them for a minute on Saturday, but my hopes are that we’re going to be in a great place.” 

When the final horn sounded on Thursday, the Tigers were where Pingeton had hoped. 

Missouri came from behind for a 72-63 victory in overtime against Auburn, responding from the adversity with a hard-fought win.

Missouri trailed throughout a majority of the game but used its toughness and efficiency to outlast Auburn, which had come off a 3-point loss to Alabama. Auburn found success in the mid-range game but went cold when the overtime period began. 

Four players scored in double figures for Missouri, including a career-high 25 points from redshirt senior forward LaDazhia Williams. The junior trio of guard Lauren Hansen, guard Aijha Blackwell and forward Hayley Frank combined for 45 points. The four accounted for 70 of Missouri’s 72 total points. 

Auburn junior guard Sania Wells scored a career-high 20 points while exposing Missouri’s mid-range defense. Sophomore guard Aicha Coulibaly and redshirt junior guard Honesty Scott-Grayson scored 15 points each and grabbed a combined 10 rebounds. 

Blackwell finished with 14 rebounds in her return, showing toughness in the paint and collecting her 10th double-double of the season. She recorded her 1,000th career point on a layup in overtime, becoming the 38th Missouri women’s basketball player to achieve the feat. 

Defensively, Missouri struggled to stop Auburn’s fast-paced play throughout a majority of the game. However, Missouri found defensive success in the third quarter when it held Auburn scoreless for over six minutes and in overtime where it held Auburn to 20.0% shooting.

Missouri’s defensive toughness persevered throughout a game surrounded by adversity. 

“The one thing COVID doesn’t take away is your grittiness,” Pingeton said. 

The gritty Missouri team went back and forth with Auburn throughout the first quarter, but a 5-2 Auburn stretch over the final 1:46 of the quarter gave Missouri a 17-13 deficit to begin the second quarter. 

Auburn and Missouri mimicked their first-quarter play with another close quarter. Coulibaly found success in the paint early, while Williams countered with 8 second-period points to keep Missouri within striking distance. After a 15-15 quarter, Auburn retained its 4-point lead at 32-28.

Hansen began the third quarter with a jumper, followed by a free throw basket from Frank to cut Auburn’s lead to 1 point. Scott-Grayson responded with an and-1 and Wells capped off a 5-0 Auburn spurt with a signature mid-range jumper to push the lead to 37-31. 

Missouri then used its offensive efficiency and defensive prowess to provide a response to Auburn’s control. Over the final 6:31 of the quarter, Missouri forced its opponent into tough shots, only allowing one successful field goal attempt for Auburn, a 3-point jumper by Coulibaly.

While its defense consistently stopped Auburn, Missouri’s offense used the momentum to score 14 points, including a 12-0 run to break free of Auburn’s grasp. Missouri finished the quarter 5-8 from the field and 6-7 from the free throw line, establishing a 45-42 lead entering the fourth quarter.

Auburn began the fourth quarter with an 11-3 stretch to recapture the lead at 53-48. With Missouri staring at another 5-point deficit, Hansen and Williams led a 10-2 charge to capture a 58-55 lead with 1:34 left in the fourth.

After another Coulibaly layup and a free throw basket by Blackwell, Wells knotted the game at 59-59 with a short jumper from the paint. Missouri received one more opportunity to win the game, but Hansen could not recreate her heroics from the South Carolina contest, sending the game to overtime.

From the opening tipoff in overtime, it was all Missouri. Hansen started the extra period with a 3-pointer from the top of the key, while Williams and Frank scored 8 consecutive Missouri points to pull away. Auburn couldn’t stop the Missouri offense, which shot 4-5 from the field and 4-5 at the free throw line during the extra period.

Missouri’s adversity over the past week and the lackluster start against Auburn gave it several reasons to allow the events to control its destiny, but Missouri responded with its 13th victory of the season. 

Edited by Riley Gearhart | rgearhart@themaneater.com