The Missouri Tigers were coming off of a sloppy three-game homestand as they headed in to the Florida Gulf Showcase over the weekend. The results yielded an overall mixed back that seemed a fitting representation of the wobbly start to MU’s season.
By its end, Missouri (5-2) had taken an unexpected beating, rebounded with two wins against potential NCAA Tournament teams, then still fallen from the ranks of the AP top 25.
The Tigers’ first game clashed them with the Big Ten’s Michigan Wolverines, considered a team reaching the fringe of the league’s elite. The Tigers were at a loss for offense and Michigan (5-1) beat them handily by the final of 70-54.
The Wolverines got off to a fast start, scoring the first 9 points of the contest. Missouri never got in rhythm offensively and never could close the gap to take any sort of lead. It only scored 14 points in the half, shooting 17 percent from the field. The Tigers also managed to only make it to the free throw line four times in the half, converting two of those attempts.
Meanwhile, the Wolverines overpowered the Tigers on offense. Michigan shot 46 percent from the field, and 75 percent (15-for-20) from the free throw line. The Wolverines also out rebounded the Tigers 42-28.
This was in large part due to the fact that Missouri was missing so many shots. It shot a mere 33 percent from the field overall. No Tiger could emass double figures in points, as the leader was senior Sophie Cunningham with 9 points.
The Wolverines were led by sophomore Deja Church with 15 points. The Wolverines forced 18 turnovers and scored 20 points off those turnovers. While the Tigers also forced 18 turnovers, they couldn’t overcome their poor shooting night in the loss.
After Friday’s loss, the Tigers took on Quinnipiac University on Saturday in the consolation semifinals. Cunningham made an early statement, scoring 11 points in the first quarter to become the fifth all-time leading scorer in program history. Missouri led 17-13 after the opening period.
Cunningham and Amber Smith would each lead the way with double-doubles as the Tigers never trailed en route to a 65-51 win. Missouri stretched its lead to as many as 19 points in the third quarter before Quinnipiac narrowed the margin slightly in the fourth.
The Bobcats, who had lost their opening round game to eventual tournament champion Texas in by 1 point, struggled offensively against Missouri. They created chances with 20 offensive rebounds, but it wasn’t enough to overcome their 21 percent shooting.
After the Quinnipiac victory, Missouri advanced to Sunday’s fifth-place game, where it would face Duke. The Blue Devils, who advanced to the Sweet 16 in last year’s NCAA Tournament, had begun their weekend with a loss to Fordham and a win over Ball State.
In a bizarre first half, the Tigers went to the locker room tied at 26 despite not making a 2-point basket in the opening two quarters. Eight 3-pointers and two free throws were the entirety of Missouri’s first half scoring.
The second half was defined by the sudden offensive dominance of Missouri redshirt junior Hannah Schuchts. The Florida native played the game of her college career in her home state, scoring 25 points on perfect 8-of-8 shooting from the field. Her six 3-pointers set a program record for the most 3s made in a game without a miss.
The Tigers were able to pull away in the second half and pick up a 62-54 win.
The victory marked the first time this season where Missouri was able to come out on top despite a bad game from Cunningham. The star senior scored 8 points on 3-of-14 shooting, and was the only Tiger to play all 40 minutes of the game.
Later Sunday, Schuchts was named to the Gulf Coast Showcase All-Tournament team.
Missouri was dropped from the AP top 25 rankings in the wake of the tournament, and won’t be in action again until next Sunday, Dec. 2. The Tigers will travel to Morgantown, West Virginia to face West Virginia, who received the same number of AP votes as the Tigers this week.
_Edited by Bennett Durando | bdurando@themaneater.com_
