The Missouri women’s basketball team is in free fall. After beating No. 9 Tennessee on Feb. 3, the Tigers have lost five straight games, dropping to 4-10 in the Southeastern Conference as turnovers continue to plague the team.
In the five consecutive losses, Missouri averaged 19.2 turnovers per game, up from 16.3 per game before the skid.
“Until we decide that we’re going to shore that up, we’re going to have a hard time,” coach Robin Pingeton said after Missouri’s loss to Louisiana State on Friday.
Over the course of the streak, Pingeton has attempted to stop the bleeding through lineup changes, most notably removing freshman point guard Lianna Doty from the starting lineup. Doty leads Missouri with 137 turnovers in 28 games. No other Tiger has 70.
“Sometimes I just feel like she plays with such reckless abandon, which can be a really good thing, but it can also be detrimental at times,” Pingeton said.
Despite removing her turnover leader from the lineup, Pingeton’s team still averaged 20 turnovers in those two games. Pingeton has grown frustrated with the futility of her lineup shuffle.
“I think if we could answer (the turnover problem), we would, we would make those adjustments,” Pingeton said.
Missouri ranks last in the SEC in turnover margin, coughing up an average of 2.11 possessions more per game than its opponents. During the streak, that number has reached almost four.
“This is the big leagues and you’ve got to be able to take care of the ball and play through bumps and pushes and contact,” Pingeton said. “We’ve got to make better decisions.”
The effort by Missouri in the games against Mississippi State and Arkansas disappointed Pingeton.
“We had a let-down,” Pingeton said. “We just flat out had a let-down. No excuses, it’s exactly what happened. We had a hard time responding following up that high of beating a team like Tennessee.”
Pingeton was more lenient on her team when it came to losses to Vanderbilt and LSU. She cited poor shooting and Vanderbilt’s odd gym for the Valentine’s Day road loss and an overmatched squad for Friday’s home loss.
“LSU, you know, … they’re just ahead of us,” Pingeton said. “Bottom line, there’s no secret formula or anything else going on, we’re just not there yet, and we’ve got to continue to work hard and continue to build this program.”
Senior center Liz Smith said she feels Missouri might be closer than Pingeton gives it credit for.
“I think just as a team we need to get tougher,” Smith said. “Mentally, we’re there. I don’t know if it’s the games or what because I feel like our practices, with the exception of one, have been pretty solid. We just need to step up to the plate and take what’s right in front of us.”
Missouri has two more chances to stop the skid before SEC Tournament play begins March 6 in Duluth, Ga. The Tigers play their final home game Thursday against South Carolina before finishing the regular season March 3 in Tuscaloosa, Ala.