LaDazhia Williams guards Ole Miss’ player in her attempt to score. Williams was the top shooter of the night with 24 points.
Despite frigid temperatures and mounds of snow, the weather did not delay the play of women’s basketball in Mizzou Arena on Feb. 3.
With classes being remote for the remainder of last week, students and community members braced the cold and ventured out to Mizzou Arena to watch Missouri women’s basketball host Ole Miss.
The Tigers fell to Ole Miss 61-45, but the work of 6-foot-4 redshirt senior forward LaDazhia Williams did not go unnoticed.
After a slow start for Missouri, with Ole Miss opening the game with a 6-0 run, Williams began the Tiger scoring with less than seven minutes remaining in the first quarter. On the next Tiger possession, Williams made a layup, which brought Missouri within four points once again.
At the end of the first, Williams had contributed six of the eight points for the Tigers.
Ole Miss continued to play tight man-to-man defense, however, Missouri was able to cut the lead to eight multiple times before entering halftime with a 29-14 deficit.
The Tigers came out with an aggressive start after their first half woes. Multiple Tigers scored during the third period including 5-foot-8 junior guard Lauren Hansen and 5-foot-10 redshirt senior guard Haley Troup. However, it was Williams that continued to consistently score, chipping away at Ole Miss’ lead.
Williams utilized her height and finishing skills under the basket to create open shots to score at the rim. Multiple times she backed the defensive post player up to the rim, kept the ball in tight and maneuvered her way past the defender to score. Other times, she pulled up for mid-range jumpers, displaying her versatile offensive skill set.
With 3:17 left to go of the third, Williams drew a foul on her layup as she was in the post battling for a basket. The shot was good, and Williams added two more points at the line.
Williams finished with 24 points, 10 of which came in the fourth quarter where she continued to make layups and jumpers against a gritty Ole Miss defense.
Despite the SEC loss, Williams made a huge impact on the Tigers’ game whenever she stepped onto the court. She contributed over half of Missouri’s points, and this marked the second time this season she has reached the 20 point mark of scoring in a game.
Missouri suffered a tough loss, however, they are back in action in Knoxville, Tennessee when they take on Tennessee on Feb. 10.
Edited by Brandon Haynes | bhaynes@themaneater.com