Cierra Porter’s second free throw clanged off the rim, and the crowd of 12,004 went wild in Columbia, South Carolina.
The game was already mostly decided, but Porter’s back-to-back free throw misses early in the fourth quarter gave everyone in attendance the right to a free sandwich thanks to a promotional deal with Chick-fil-A. It was a fitting way to cap Missouri’s (15-5, 4-2) performance in a 79-65 loss to South Carolina (13-5, 5-1).
The No. 19 Gamecocks shut down the Tiger offense for most of the evening, keeping No. 25 Missouri behind early and snuffing out all hints of a possible comeback. It was the fifth-straight matchup won by the home team in a budding rivalry between the two programs.
Missouri’s offense found itself challenged from the start. Six turnovers led to 13 of South Carolina’s 24 first quarter points. The Tigers shot just 35.7 percent from the field in the opening frame and were behind 24-14 entering the second.
Turnovers and rebounding have been among Missouri’s weak spots all season, and South Carolina exploited both to keep the Tigers at arm’s length the rest of the game. The Gamecocks forced 16 turnovers and outrebounded Missouri by a 35-29 margin, including 14-7 on offensive rebounds.
Missouri senior Sophie Cunningham scored a game-high 24 points despite running into foul trouble and attracting plenty of jeers from the home fans. However, the Tigers struggled to find contributions across the roster. After junior guard Amber Smith and freshman guard Akira Levy – who combined for 28 points – no Tiger managed to score more than 5 points.
The Gamecocks finished with four players in double figures, led by Mikiah Herbert Harrigan and Tyasha Harris with 16 points each.
Much was made before the game of how the teams would respond to the bad blood left behind by two tense games last season. On Jan. 7, 2018, the Tigers upset the Gamecocks at Mizzou Arena as South Carolina coach Dawn Staley was ejected and star senior A’ja Wilson fouled out for the visitors.
Three weeks later in South Carolina, the Gamecocks evened the season series with a 64-54 win. A brief scuffle late in the first half led to a lengthy review and unsportsmanlike calls against Cunningham and South Carolina’s Doniyah Cliney.
On Jan. 30, 2018, Missouri athletic director Jim Sterk accused Staley of promoting a hostile environment toward Missouri’s players. Staley sued Sterk for defamation, resulting in a $50,000 settlement last May. The SEC also fined Sterk $25,000.
Missouri coach Robin Pingeton and Staley each downplayed the importance of last year’s controversies leading into Monday’s game, which passed without any notable incidents. A double technical foul against Missouri’s Akira Levy and South Carolina’s Lele Grissett after a third quarter tussle was the extent of the drama.
The Tigers dropped to 0-4 all-time at South Carolina, which took sole possession of second place in the SEC with the victory.
The road ahead will not get much easier for the Tigers, who play at No. 15 Kentucky on Thursday. It will be Missouri’s third top-25 road game this month.
_Edited by Adam Cole | acole@themaneater.com_