Aijha Blackwell refused to be silenced like she was in the first half against No. 20 Missouri State Monday night.
Missouri’s star sophomore led the Tigers’ offense with 16 points scored and contributed to multiple dominant scoring runs against New Orleans.
The Missouri offense dictated the game from the start. Missouri forward LaDazhia Williams scored the first two points of the game and continued to impress, aggressively ambushing the Privateers defense.
The Tigers shot 63.2% from the field Wednesday, their tenth-best mark in program history, and they never surrendered the lead and cruised to a 39-point win against New Orleans.
The Missouri offense never slowed down, which allowed coach Robin Pingeton to extend all 12 Tigers the chance to play in the landslide victory.
Two freshmen, Sara-Rose Smith and Jayla Kelly, scored their first points as collegiate athletes on Wednesday night. Players one through 12 found themselves in the middle of the action on Wednesday night, with each Missouri player appearing at some point.
“You love, as a coach, to get those players out there,” Pingeton said after the game. “Everybody puts in a lot of time, works really hard and it’s a chance for them to show what they can do in a game environment.”
Pingeton also emphasized that Missouri has eight athletes that could step up and be a part of the Tigers’ lineup.
Missouri’s depth will be especially helpful this week, with the Tigers playing four games in the span of seven days, with back-to-back matchups this Saturday and Sunday.
After a break from action, the Tigers’ focus remains on finding the rhythm they had developed during their dominant win over North Alabama. Now, having multiple games under their belt, Missouri can finally search for the steady rhythm necessary for their success in Southeastern Conference play.
All 12 players getting consistent touches in a game environment is bound to establish depth and game IQ within all Missouri players that can strengthen their roster and their overall team chemistry.
Pingeton preaches about the importance of a support system attached to a vocal and supportive bench. The Missouri players understand that the more people who can get on the court, the better, and are supportive of their teammates, Pingeton notes.
“We already know what they can do, but sometimes the minutes don’t add up,” Williams said. “It’s kind of fun being a cheerleader for my teammates sometimes.”
After their blowout loss against state-rival Missouri State, Pingeton said it was imperative the Tigers tightened up their defense and cleaned up controllable aspects of the game to compete in one of their final non-conference games.
Pingeton was happy with the Missouri win but felt there was still a need for improvement.
“Today was the first day back on the court [since Monday’s loss to Missouri State] and I think there’s some things that we can take away from all of it,” Pingeton said. “There were things that were really good that we need to continue to do but a lot of areas that we’ve got to continue to watch film on, break down, to practice and get better.”
_Edited by Kyle Pinnell | kpinnell@themaneater.com_
