In the entire month of February, Missouri women’s basketball had one win against Texas A&M while accumulating five losses. Here are three takeaways on the Tigers’ February performance.

Fall apart in the third quarter

A pattern that both critics and head coach Robin Pingeton have pointed out is Missouri’s third quarter struggles.

“We know that the third quarter is our Achilles’ heel, we just can’t seem to figure that out,” Pingeton said after the loss to Kentucky. “It just always comes back to that third quarter.”

During the Oklahoma game, the Tigers entered the third quarter in the lead 44-42. OU quickly took over, concluding the quarter with an 11-point lead.This happened once again in the Tennessee game, as Missouri held a 35-33 lead before losing its flow and falling 76-71.

Both Pingeton and players are aware of the struggle, hopefully they will figure out how to maintain energy in the third quarter.

Can’t control foul trouble

Another pattern was the constant foul trouble the Tigers faced during the month. Defenders like senior forward Laniah Randle, graduate student forward Angelique Ngalakulondi and sophomore guard Averi Kroenke consistently found themselves on the brink of fouling out.

“I’d rather be the aggressor and be more physical,” Kroenke said. “If I get a few fouls, that’s better than me trying to take a step back and maybe give up a shot or give up a look.”

Randle is usually the Tigers’ top defender, leading the team with 53 steals. During the Tennessee game, Randle fouled out of the tight contest in the fourth quarter.

While it is important to have a tough defense, it could result in free points for the other team. This could lead to a loss for the Tigers as seen in the fourth quarter of the Tennessee game. As the season closes out, the Tigers will likely try to avoid fouls to keep players on the court.

Finding the fire

Lastly, something that can be gathered from Missouri’s games is that they can’t seem to stick to a rhythm. During the Tennessee game, the Tigers found its flow early. The team made quick passes while playing strong defense. But once Tennessee adjusted, Missouri’s rhythm fell apart.

During the LSU game, the Tigers made quick passes and close jumpers, but lost the lead early in the second quarter.

“When we have a turnover, or we don’t score, it’s just a heightened sense of urgency to make sure that this is a possession more than anything we need to get a stop on,” Pingeton said. “We just haven’t been able to do that at the level that we need to for.”

Whatever is holding Missouri back, the team has two regular season games remaining to address these struggles. With players like sophomores Grace Slaughter and Abbey Schreacke, the Tigers have the talent, but need to use it.

Edited by Dylan Heinrich | dheinrich@themaneater.com
Copy edited by Amelia Schaefer and Natalie Kientzy | nkientzy@themaneater.com
Edited by Annie Goodykoontz | agoodykoontz@themaneater.com