Robin Pingeton’s time as Missouri’s head coach is over and a new chapter begins
Missouri women’s basketball ended the season with a blowout loss to Mississippi State, resulting in a first-round exit from the SEC tournament. The Tigers looked poised to win as they led by double digits with 6:29 left in the third quarter until disaster struck.
A familiar feeling then kicked in, as a late-game Tiger collapse began with 18 straight missed shots and a 31-0 Mississippi State run. Missouri didn’t score again until just 4:39 remained in the game, with its final effort coming too little and too late. A final score of 75-55 officially ended the Tigers’ season in an embarrassing fashion.
Leading the charge against Missouri were guards Jerkaila Jordan and Destiney McPhaul, who combined with 41 of the Bulldogs’ 75 points. McPhaul was firing on all cylinders from the perimeter, knocking down four of her five 3-point attempts. Jordan, on the other hand, did the majority of her damage in the restricted area, setting the tone for a Mississippi State offense that poured on 38 points in the paint.
In addition to forcing Missouri into 20 turnovers, the Bulldogs’ chaos-ensuing defense tallied nine steals and ten blocks. The defense turned to easy offense for the Bulldogs, allowing Mississippi State to score 21 points off forced Tiger turnovers.
Despite the crushing defense, Missouri’s offense walked away with one bright spot on the night: junior guard Ashton Judd. She eclipsed 1000 career points with the Tigers, a milestone few achieve.
Despite second-half struggles from Judd, she was still a key reason the Tigers were in the game.
“I thought she did a great job of setting the tone for the rest of our team. Great accomplishment and many more baskets to come,” head coach Robin Pingeton said.
Judd’s 15 first-half points helped her reach this mark, but her second-half performance was one to forget. She missed the mark on all five attempts to close the game, going ice-cold with the rest of the team.
The only other Tiger to score double-digit points was senior guard Nyah Wilson, whose 11 points made up her highest point total since Missouri faced Wichita State in late November. Sophomore guard Grace Slaughter led the team in points per game this season with 15, yet only finished with eight in the biggest game of the season. Senior forward Laniah Randle also averaged double-figure scoring on the season with 11.6, but could only put up six against the Bulldogs.
This loss officially marks the end of the Pingeton era, as she announced her departure on Feb. 26. The program will have a new leader next season, and the search will begin soon.
Mississippi State went on to lose 85-73 to Ole Miss in the next round of the SEC tournament, ending its season as well.
This defeat marked the end of Missouri’s season. Now they turn to the offseason, when the search for a new head coach and more will commence.
Edited by Michael Stamps | mstamps@themaneater.com
Copy edited by Natalie Kientzy | nkientzy@themaneater.com
Edited by Annie Goodykoontz | agoodykoontz@themaneater.com