Sophie Cunningham trudged off the court with the opposing fans’ chants ringing in the air. For the sixth time this season, she had fouled out and would be unable to help her Missouri teammates down the final stretch of a game.
Already trailing by nine, Missouri (16-7, 5-4 SEC) couldn’t find its way back into the game after the star senior’s departure, slumping to a 61-51 loss at the hands of Louisiana State (13-8, 4-5) on Monday night in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
The black and gold Tigers struggled against LSU’s defense, which entered the game ranked second in the SEC in scoring allowed. Uncharacteristically poor shooting from beyond the arc (26.1 percent) and from the free throw line (43.8 percent) haunted Missouri throughout the night.
Both teams experienced dry spells in the first half. After holding an early 12-8 lead, LSU went nearly seven minutes without a bucket as Mizzou scored 11 points in a row. The tables turned late in the second quarter when Missouri went cold for over four and a half minutes, enabling the home Tigers to claw back into the game.
LSU senior Shanice Norton beat the first half buzzer with a long jumper to cut Missouri’s lead to 23-21.
Early in the third quarter, Missouri junior Jordan Roundtree limped to the locker room with an apparent ankle injury. While she returned to the team’s bench minutes later, she never re-entered the game.
Missouri continued to lag offensively in the second half as LSU pushed its way to a lead it would not relinquish. By the end of the third quarter, LSU had doubled its halftime score and held a 42-36 lead, its largest of the game at the time.
Missouri needed a run in the fourth quarter to get back into the game, but the foul outs by Cunningham and fellow senior Cierra Porter left it without two of its best forces around the rim. LSU’s steady defense continued, keeping the visiting Tigers at arm’s length for the rest of the contest.
One of four LSU Tigers to score in double figures, junior Ayana Mitchell dropped a game-high 17 points and 12 rebounds. She registered her 11th double-double of the season, the second-highest total in the SEC.
Missouri remained winless at LSU as a member of the SEC, dropping to 0-4 at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center since joining the conference.
The loss leaves Missouri in a four-way tie for the critical fourth-place spot in the SEC standings. The top four teams in the conference will earn a double bye in next month’s SEC Tournament.
Missouri will host No. 18 Texas A&M, who currently sits in third place in the conference, on Thursday at Mizzou Arena. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. CST.
_Edited by Emily Leiker | eleiker@themaneater.com_