Missouri women’s basketball fell short 62-51 to the Georgia Lady Bulldogs Thursday evening in Athens, Georgia, marking the Tigers’ fifth consecutive loss. Missouri is currently in the midst of its toughest stretch of games — having lost to Arkansas, No. 3-ranked LSU, No. 1-ranked South Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia. Poor shooting plagued the Tigers all night as they couldn’t seem to find a rhythm offensively.

For the Tigers — who are slugging toward the finish line — winning on the road was important. The 62-51 loss brings Missouri to just 3-5 in conference play. The Tigers’ offense is averaging just 55.6 points per game in their last five games. Senior forward Hayley Frank, however, provided a spark for the Tigers, leading the team with 13 points.

Frank carried a heavy load against the Lady Bulldogs, playing 38 minutes and hitting three 3-pointers. Junior guard Sara-Rose Smith provided major contributions off the bench, scoring 12 points and snagging five rebounds.

For the Lady Bulldogs, senior guard Alisha Lewis came off the bench and scored a season-high 18 points. The senior from Pennsylvania was unconscious from 3-point land, hitting four 3s in just 20 minutes of game time. As a team, the Lady Bulldogs were on point from 3 — shooting 40% on the night compared to the Tigers’ 23%.

Another area of the game where Missouri struggled was at the free-throw line. The Tigers were sent to the line 14 times, but only converted five. The Tigers shot 35.7% from the free throw line, including missing key free throws down the stretch, which ultimately aided their downfall.

Missouri came out strong in the first quarter of play, asserting itself with a 13-10 lead early on. The Tigers finished the first quarter tied with the Lady Bulldogs at 15 apiece. However, that momentum was short lived, as the home-sided Lady Bulldogs fought back in the second quarter and found themselves up 29-20 at the half.

For the entire second half, both teams maintained a level pace — Georgia leading by double digits for most of it. With just over two minutes left, Missouri sparked a late run led by none other than Hayley Frank. Frank and the Tigers cut the lead down to just 5 points with 52 seconds remaining, but it proved to be too little too late as they conceded the games’ final 6 points and fell 62-51 to the Lady Bulldogs.

The next few games for the Tigers are important for the team, as they continue to push for an NCAA tournament bid down the stretch.

Edited by Matt Guzman | mguzman@themaneater.com
Copy Edited by Grace Knight