A low-scoring second quarter left Missouri on the losing end on the road
Missouri women’s basketball remains winless in Lexington as they fall to Kentucky 76-71.
Missouri led early, pushing a 22-16 at the beginning of the second quarter. But the Tigers struggled shooting headed into the half while Kentucky went on a 22-10 run during the second quarter. Missouri continued to battle back, cutting the lead as close as 1 point in the third.
Kentucky proceeded to stretch the lead as the game went on, holding a 71-62 advantage with 2:48 remaining in the fourth quarter. But the Tigers refused to go away, tying the game with 1:15 to go after a 9-0 run.
The Wildcats came up with a big shot when it mattered, then forced Missouri into a miss on the other end. Missouri chose not to foul with 35 seconds left, hoping to force a miss and get one final shot.
“[We] didn’t want to take the chance of making it a two possession game,” head coach Robin Pingeton said.
This plan failed, as Kentucky secured a pair of free throws with five seconds remaining. After making the first free throw, the Wildcats secured the offensive rebound with a 3 point lead, forcing Missouri to foul. After the Wildcats made both free throws, the Tigers did not have enough time and Kentucky secured the big home win 76-71.
Despite the loss, it was another big scoring performance for graduate forward Hayley Frank. In 36 minutes, Frank racked up 24 points on 50% shooting, while making all six of her free throws. Frank still ranks No. 5 all time in Missouri scoring, but has surpassed 1,900 points in her career.
“She wants [to win] so bad,” Pingeton said.
Sophomore guard Ashton Judd served as the leading rebounder for Missouri with 10, six of which came in the first quarter. Rebounding has been a major strength for Judd. She leads the team with 6.5 rebounds per game.
Missouri matched Kentucky in rebounding, losing the rebounding battle by only one. Kentucky led 35-34 in overall rebounds and 14-13 in offensive rebounds. The difference came in second chance points, as the Wildcats held a 15-7 advantage.
The Tigers struggled to make threes, shooting 6-22 from beyond the arc. It was an inefficient shooting game for freshman guard Abbey Schreacke, who made one of her six 3-pointer attempts.
Schreacke shot 50% or better on 3-pointers in five of her first nine games. She has now cooled off, at 50% or better in only two of her last 10 games.
“It’s huge for our young players to get that experience and to understand the intensity,” Pingeton said.
Fouling was an issue for the Tigers, racking up 24 fouls compared to 19 for Kentucky. As a result, the Wildcats shot 24 free throws to Missouri’s 14. Four Tigers fouled out during the game, leaving Missouri’s bench shallow down the stretch: Judd, Frank, Hannah Linthacum and Abby Feit.
Missouri looks to get back in the win column as they return home to face off against Texas A&M on Thursday, Jan. 25.
“We gotta roll up our sleeves and continue to go to work,” Pingeton said.
Edited by Michael Stamps
Copy Edited by Briana Iordan
Edited by Sophie Renstchler | srentschler@themaneater.com