It was the lowest scoring game of the season. And boy was it low.

In a highly defensive contest, the Missouri women’s basketball team went into the third quarter with a score still in the 20s. The unproductive offensive night saw the opposite on the other end, as the Tigers battled through yet another physical defensive battle at No. 11 Mississippi State. With the two squads combining for as many fouls as the winner had points (52), it was clear their energy was spent mostly guarding their buckets.

Right from the beginning it was a defensive fight as the Tigers held their opponents scoreless for nearly the first four minutes of play. That is until the Bulldogs hit six back-to-back shots and took off on their 11-0 run.

In the first quarter, Missouri scored in single digits, a trend that would be repeated in the third period as well. Shots were simply not falling.

As a team that lives and dies by the three pointer, the single trey the Tigers scored all game served as their ultimate downfall on offense. The team’s lack of productivity wasn’t just behind the arc though. In the second and third quarters, the players shot 15 and 23 percent, respectively, uncharacteristic numbers for the usually effective shooting squad.

Although a late run brought Missouri within a point of its opponent, the squad didn’t have enough to get over the hump, giving Mississippi State a revenge victory at home, 52-42.

The Tigers, now 6-5 in conference play, took another step back in Starkville as it was their second loss of the week. With this, Missouri drops down to eighth in the Southeastern conference, a place fans wouldn’t have expected them to be after a 13-0 start.

Playing two unranked opponents in Arkansas and Alabama at home this upcoming week, the Tigers will have a chance to regain a winning conference record if they can bounce back on offense.