Missouri's Jayla Kelly shoots the ball as Kentucky's Dre'una Edwards defends on Thursday Feb. 24, 2022, at Mizzou Arena in Columbia, Mo. Kelly shot 11 points out of 63 against Kentucky.
Missouri women’s basketball continued its homestand on Thursday night against the Kentucky Wildcats. After defeating Mississippi State in a presumed must-win game 76-66 Sunday, the Tigers found themselves with momentum heading into another pivotal game.
However, less than an hour before the game, Missouri announced it would be without four players: junior guard Aijha Blackwell, redshirt senior forward LaDazhia Williams, freshman forward Kiya Dorroh and redshirt freshman forward Skylah Travis.
The Tigers fell 78-63 to the Wildcats, who won their fifth consecutive game after losing eight of their first 10 SEC matches. Kentucky jumped out to a quick first-quarter lead before holding off a Missouri comeback attempt in the second and third quarters to come away victorious.
The Kentucky duo of senior guard Rhyne Howard and redshirt junior forward Dre’una Edwards both finished the game with double-doubles. Howard tallied 19 points and 12 rebounds, while Edwards scored a career-high 30 points with 10 rebounds.
“You got to give Rhyne Howard a lot of credit,” Missouri head coach Robin Pingeton said. “She’s a tremendous player.”
Missouri countered with a balanced scoring attack led by junior forward Hayley Frank’s 16 points. Sophomore center Jayla Kelly filled in for Blackwell and scored 11 points in her first collegiate start. Junior guard Lauren Hansen, redshirt senior guard Haley Troup and freshman guard Izzy Higginbottom added a combined 28 points for the Tigers.
“I’m really proud of these girls,” Pingeton said. “I thought they really battled and really leaned in. Obviously a little shorthanded tonight, but they left it all out there.”
The plentiful scoring and strong effort did not make up for the missing talent, however.
The Tigers felt the absence of their key players early as Kentucky jumped out to a 19-4 lead within the first four minutes of the game. The Wildcats’ duo of Howard and Edwards combined for 10 of those points. Kelly then traded baskets with Howard and Edwards before Frank brought the Tigers back to life.
“I felt like we were on our heels, not playing with the confidence that we deserve,” Frank said. “I feel like we raised the intensity and played with more confidence.”
Frank knocked down a second-chance 3-pointer to bring Missouri within 12 points. Then, after Kentucky sophomore guard Treasure Hunt missed a 3-pointer of her own, Frank found an open look and made another 3-pointer. Hansen stole the ball from Hunt on the ensuing possession and found Higginbottom, who knocked down the Tigers’ third consecutive 3-pointer.
Kentucky senior guard Robyn Benton connected on a 3-pointer to beat the first quarter buzzer, but Missouri had already gained momentum on an 11-3 run and cut the deficit to 9 points entering the second quarter.
The Tigers continued to chip away at the Wildcats’ lead throughout the second quarter. Both teams traded baskets for most of the quarter before Missouri pieced together a stretch that once again began with a 3-pointer.
Troup knocked down the 3-point basket with just over three minutes remaining in the first half to bring the Tigers within 10 points. After Edwards responded with a layup, Frank drained 3-pointers on back-to-back Missouri possessions to make it a 6-point game.
Sophomore guard Mama Dembele and freshman forward Sarah Linthacum capped off the 13-4 Tiger run with two free throws and a layup, respectively. Missouri’s deficit dwindled to 4 points, and it finished the first half 6-9 from beyond the arc, while Kentucky finished the half shooting 48.4% from the field and a perfect 100% from the free throw line on 11 attempts.
After Kelly made two free throws to begin the third quarter, the Tigers had an opportunity to tie the game on the following Missouri possession, but Kelly missed a layup in the paint. Howard and Edwards responded with a quick 4 points for the Wildcats to reestablish a 6-point lead.
A small-ball lineup featuring Hansen, Higginbottom and Dembele followed with a 7-2 spurt to bring the Tigers within 1 point, the smallest deficit they faced all game. However, both teams struggled to score within the next two minutes before trading baskets to close out the third quarter with a 1-point Kentucky advantage.
“It was a game of back and forth, and we were right there,” Pingeton said.
That is when the tides shifted for Missouri.
Edwards scored her first basket of the fourth quarter on a layup, and Kelly responded with a free throw, bringing Missouri back to a 59-57 deficit. Then, Edwards and Howard took over, scoring 10 points over the next three and a half minutes to give Kentucky another double-digit lead.
With less than four minutes remaining, Missouri failed to rekindle its hot-shooting and tried to create opportunities by driving to the basket. The Wildcats locked down enough defensively to hold off the Tigers, outscoring them 9-4 over the last three and a half minutes en route to the 78-63 victory.
For a shorthanded Missouri team, the loss deals another blow to its NCAA tournament hopes and raises questions about the Tigers’ ability to overcome off-court issues, which has plagued them multiple times this season.
“I’m still really confident,” Pingeton said. “I believe in this team, and I think in the SEC, you want to be a well-oiled machine. But if you look up and down the SEC standings, there are probably only three or four teams that have not gone through stretches of three to four losses.”
Missouri fell to 17-11 overall and 6-9 in SEC play with the loss. The Tigers close their regular season on Sunday against the Florida Gators before playing in the SEC tournament, which takes place from March 2-6.
Edited by Riley Gearhart | rgearhart@themaneater.com