On Dec. 30, the Missouri women’s basketball team demolished Sam Houston State 66-48 at Mizzou Arena. The Tigers haven’t had a win since.
“Losing absolutely sucks,” senior forward Christine Flores said. “We have come together so much this season.”
Some of the struggles correlate to the strength of the Big 12 Conference, which has arguably been the most impressive league in the nation this season.
The Baylor Bears (21-0, 8-0 Big 12) are No. 1 in both the AP Top 25 and ESPN/USA Today Coaches polls. Texas Tech and defending national and conference champion Texas A&M are also in the AP Top 25 (No. 14 and No. 21, respectively). Oklahoma, Kansas and Kansas State all received votes in the most recent editions of both polls. Missouri hasn’t been ranked all year, even with an impressive 10-1 record before league play.
“We know it is one of the toughest conferences in the nation, but we really want to get that win,” freshman guard Morgan Eye said. “It’s really frustrating when you go to work each and every day and you just really want it to show up on the scoreboard.”
With half of the Big 12 interleague play over, the Tigers have yet to notch a win, and they host the No. 1 Baylor Bears on Wednesday.
**Rematch with No. 1**
Even though Saturday’s loss knocked the Tigers to 0-8 in the Big 12, Pingeton was optimistic for Wednesday’s matchup.
“I think these girls finally got it figured out and understand the kind of toughness we are going to compete with night in and night out,” Pingeton said. “If I know them the way I think I know them, they’re not going to take a step back from here.”
The Tigers play best when both members of the Tiger tag team are on their games. Flores and senior forward BreAnna Brock have continued to lead the team in scoring and rebounding throughout the season. They have been equally as impressive defensively, as Flores broke the all-time Missouri blocked shots record Saturday.
But while Flores and Brock have dominated the stats there has been significant improvement displayed by freshman guard Morgan Eye. She had the best game of her college career on Saturday with 13 points, seven defensive rebounds and a perfect 4-of-4 from the free-throw line.
The Tigers’ defense hopes to contain the Bears better than in their first meeting. The last time these schools played, five different Baylor players scored in the double digits, led by Odyssey Sims with 22.
Losing the ball also plagued the Tigers the last time they played the Bears, as the team had 21 turnovers. Pingeton made sure to mention the turnovers after Saturday’s 62-59 loss to Oklahoma, in which the Tigers lost the ball on 18 different occasions.
“For us to have a chance in this league — and we talk over and over about this — is how important each possession is, and there was a few we wish we could’ve had back tonight,” Pingeton said.
But Pingeton said the team has not lost hope for this season.
“We are a long way from being deflated,” Pingeton said after the Oklahoma game. “I am so proud of these girls, to be 0-7 and to take the court the way they did with the kind of enthusiasm they did … that’s how Mizzou should be represented and that’s how we’ll play from here on out.”