The Tigers could not contain Alabama’s hot shooting as they came up short in their first home game in SEC play
Missouri women’s basketball (9-5) fell to the Alabama Crimson Tide (13-3) despite a hard-fought fight from the Tigers. Both teams were looking to capture their first SEC win of the season, and it ended with the Tide dealing MU their first home loss of the season by a score of 79-64.
Sunday’s contest kicked off with both teams playing at a frenetic pace while still maintaining sky-high efficiency throughout the first quarter. Alabama hit 73.3% of their shots, including a 6/9 3-point shooting clip. Missouri responded by making 71.4% of their shots while going 3/4 from 3-point range. The opening frame closed with the Crimson Tide leading 28-23.
“We want to play up tempo,” head coach Robin Pingeton said. “We want to get out and go in transition, and I think that’s when we are at our best.”
The Tigers managed to claw back in the second quarter with their suffocating defensive presence and rebounding efforts, as Missouri held Alabama to 25% shooting in the period. An 8-2 Missouri run would bring both squads to a 41-41 tie game at the end of the first half.
The Crimson Tide controlled the third quarter sparked by a 13-2 Alabama run to start the half. Old turnover woes began to haunt the Tigers once again, as they committed six turnovers in the quarter after they had just seven total in the first half. The Tigers’ struggles allowed the Crimson Tide to take a 60-47 lead heading into the final period.
The Tigers would continue to fight through the fourth quarter as they cut the lead to 5 points with 3:27 left in the game. However, the game would come to a halt when senior Mama Dembele suffered a knee injury. The star point guard was in tears while being helped off the court as the Columbia crowd showed their support with a standing ovation. The injury brought a shift in the momentum as the arena fell silent. Alabama capitalized as the Tigers looked lost without Dembele, running away with the 79-64 win.
The Tigers had five players reach double figures in points. This included senior Hayley Frank, who scored a team-high 15 points along with seven rebounds to lead all Tigers. Prior to the injury, Dembele notched a double-double with 10 points and 10 assists along with three rebounds and three steals.
The Tigers’ young talent seemed more comfortable shooting than they were in the SEC opener as sophomore Ashton Judd, freshman Grace Slaughter and freshman Abbey Schreacke scored 12, 11 and 10 points, respectively.
“We definitely have some vets on this team,” Slaughter said. “Looking up to them and talking to them and understanding that we have to be locked in in this league.”
Edited by Quentin Corpuel | qcorpuel@themaneater.com
Copy edited by Sterling Sewell | ssewell@themaneater.com