A blown second-half lead results in an 82-66 Tiger loss
The Tigers took to the court on Feb. 16, looking to achieve consecutive conference wins for the first time this season. Those hopes had a chance of becoming reality, as Missouri led 44-40 after the first half of play. Instead, the Tigers came out of halftime slow and the Sooners took off without looking back.
As the clock hit zero, the final score read 82-66 in favor of Oklahoma, knocking the Tigers down to 13-14 on the season. Given that the contest was a conference matchup, the loss brought the Tigers to 2-10 in SEC play, tied for last in the conference.
Missouri struggled all over the floor, losing the turnover, rebounding and free throw battle. Despite nearly matching the Sooners in free throw attempts, 17 to 19, the Tigers sank just nine compared to Oklahoma’s 17 makes. Leaving that many points on the board made it hard to compete in a tough competition like this.
Junior and guard Ashton Judd surges to complete a basket against University of Oklahoma women’s basketball team on Saturday, Feb. 16, 2025 at Mizzou Arena in Columbia, Mo. Judd scored 13 points during the game.
As for the turnover battle, Missouri turned the ball over 18 times as opposed to 15 for the Sooners. Spearheading this turnover plethora was sophomore Grace Slaughter, who committed a career-high six turnovers. Slaughter did succeed in other facets of the game, however, logging 12 points on 57% shooting.
Other top scorers for the Tigers included Ashton Judd, who poured in 13 points off the bench to lead scoring. Laniah Randle matched Slaughter’s total with 12 points, but was less efficient, shooting 33% from both the field and the free throw line.
Randle did lead the team with five rebounds, though she averages six rebounds per game. The Tigers struggled mightily on the glass, getting outrebounded 36-23 by the Sooners.
Senior and guard Nyah Wilson searches for a teammate to pass to in the women’s basketball on Saturday, Feb. 16, 2025 at the Mizzou Arena in Columbia, Mo against the University of Oklahoma. Wilson scored 8 points during the game.
Inefficient free throw shooting, carelessness with the ball and poor rebounding led to a loss for the Tigers, stopping any chance at a winning streak before it could gain traction.
Edited by Colin Simmons l csimmons@themaneater.com
Copy edited by Natalie Kientzy | nkientzy@themaneater.com
Edited by Annie Goodykoontz | agoodykoontz@themaneater.com