The Tigers took down interstate matchup, the Kansas City Roos, on the back of freshman forward Hannah Linthacum’s exceptional outing.
After a big time Braggin’ Rights victory over Illinois on Dec. 17, Missouri women’s basketball kept the momentum going with a dominant 85-42 home victory over Kansas City on Dec. 21.
In what was the Tigers’ final non-conference matchup of the season, they were firing on all cylinders from the get-go.
Freshman forward Hannah Linthacum’s scoring output was the highlight of the first quarter along with the Tigers’ suffocating defense. The youngest Linthacum sister scored a career high with 10 points in the opening period alone. The Tigers’ relentless defense, led by senior guard Mama Dembele and her four steals, allowed Missouri to build a 21-6 lead by the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter saw much of the same from both the Tigers’ offense and defense. Kansas City was stumped on the offensive end, as they closed the quarter shooting 18.8% from the field compared to Missouri’s 42.9%. The Roos were held to just a 6/31 clip from the floor in the first half while Missouri cruised to a gargantuan 42-16 first half lead.
The Tigers were back at it after the break, expanding their lead. They sank four of their eight 3-pointer attempts in the third quarter, including two from All-Conference graduate student forward Hayley Frank. These efforts extended the Tigers’ lead even further to 64-26 heading into the final period of play.
Many Tigers got involved during the final quarter, with 11 different players checking into the game and seven of them scoring. Head coach Robin Pingeton’s squad was ecstatic on the bench as they closed out the game with a 85-42 win.
Linthacum led all scorers with 20 points while sophomore Ashton Judd, graduate student Abby Feit and freshman Hilke Feldrappe each broke double digits as well with 12, 12 and 11 points, respectively. Judd also posted a double-double as she tallied a career-high 13 rebounds. Dembele led the Tigers with five assists and seven steals.
The Tigers will have some time to rest before they head into conference play, facing off against head coach Kim Mulkey and the reigning 2023 national champions, the No. 7 LSU Tigers, on Jan. 4.
Edited by Quentin Corpuel | qcorpuel@themaneater.com
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