The Tigers struggle to find their footing early in SEC play with two straight losses
While 2024 has just begun, the new year has been seemingly unkind to the Missouri women’s basketball team.
With conference play underway, Missouri lost its first two games by an average margin of 17.5 points. In addition to the losses, injuries continue to pile up for the Tigers. Here are three takeaways from the first week of SEC play:
Sour second halves
Missouri has struggled to find success for all 40 minutes, outscored in the second half of both conference losses.
In their 92-72 road loss to LSU, the Tigers trailed 39-32 at halftime. But they failed to keep up in the third quarter, as LSU dropped 32 points in 10 minutes to put the game out of reach. The home team made only three triples all game, all of them coming in the third quarter.
“I don’t know what kind of magic [LSU coach] Kim Mulkey has for the third quarter, but that quarter bothers everyone they play,” said head coach Robin Pingeton.
Missouri faced a similar situation in its home game against Alabama, tied at 41 after 20 minutes. This time the Tigers’ offense staggered, scoring only six points in the third quarter, losing by a final score of 79-64.
The Tigers turned the ball over six times in the third, while the Crimson Tide turned it over once.
“They were making it really tough,” said graduate forward Hayley Frank. “I think we finally figured it out so it could work, but it was just too late.”
Stiff competition
While Missouri falls near the bottom of the SEC standings, these losses come to extremely talented programs.
Both LSU and Alabama are two of only four SEC teams in the top 30 in NET Rankings. LSU is currently ranked No. 7 in the AP polls, as the defending national champions have won 15 straight games.
This talent level is hard to adjust to for the Tigers, as they played only one team in the top 30 NET Rankings during non-conference play — Kansas State in an 84-56 neutral site loss.
Freshman guard Grace Slaughter has struggled with the talent difference, with a -19 plus-minus when on the court against LSU and a -20 in the Alabama game.
“We have to be super locked-in in this league, and it’s anyone’s game any day,” Slaughter said after the Alabama loss.
Injury to insult
While third quarter woes have been Missouri’s primary detractor, staying healthy has been an added difficulty all season.
Late in the fourth quarter against Alabama, senior guard Mama Dembele left the game after bumping knees with an opposing player. Dembele was unable to walk without aid, leaving under the guidance of the team trainer.
The injury was a major shock to everyone on the court, putting a damper on an exciting back-and-forth matchup.
“My thoughts and prayers are with Mama [Dembele],” said Alabama head coach Kristy Curry. “She’s a really good player. She’s really grown and matured. She’s just so quick with and without the ball.”
After missing the game against No.1 South Carolina, Dembele returned to the court in the road matchup against Vanderbilt.
Dembele has had an impactful year for Missouri thus far, averaging career-highs in points, rebounds, assists and steals.
“She’s the engine I think that makes us go,” Pingeton said. “It’s been really fun to see her have such a special senior year.”
The Tigers have also faced a pair of injuries so far that have forced players to miss signifcant time. Sophomore guard Averi Kroenke has missed every game with an ankle injury in the preseason, and graduate forward Angelique Ngalakulondi has missed the last seven with a wrist injury.
Without these players, Missouri has been left with a thin bench, and Pingeton has been forced to rely heavily on her five freshmen.
Edited by Chase Gemes | cgemes@themaneater.com
Copy edited by Sterling Sewell | ssewell@themaneater.com