At the midway point of conference play, Missouri women’s basketball sat at 2-6 against SEC teams. Things have gone from bad to worse though, as the Tigers have lost all three games since the midpoint. Here are three reasons that Missouri has struggled:

To be frank, no Frank

A big aspect of the downward spiral has come with the absence of graduate forward Hayley Frank due to an unspecified injury. In her final year, Frank leads the team with 17.5 points and 6.7 rebounds averages per game. In the 21 games the leading scorer has played, Missouri is 11-10. Without Frank, Missouri sits at 0-3.

The biggest drop-off came on the offensive end of the floor. With Frank, the Tigers averaged 73.7 points this year. Without Frank, that number has fallen all the way to 56.7.

“She’s a great player,” Auburn head coach Johnnie Harris said after defeating Missouri 70-59. “They missed her on offense as well as defense.”

After being listed as day-to-day, Missouri head coach Robin Pingeton said Frank is expected back for their next contest against Arkansas. 

Slow starts

A major problem for Missouri has been its tendency to get behind early. In their last three games, the Tigers have been outscored 65-35 in the opening frame. These quick deficits serve as a mental barrier, immediately taking the team out of the game at hand. 

“I thought our slow start really hurt us,” Pingeton said after the Auburn loss. “In the SEC, it’s trying to put 40 minutes together.”

By comparison, Missouri was outscored by only three combined points in the final three quarters in the losses to Tennessee and Auburn. The outlier came in the 85-43 loss to No. 1 South Carolina.

Gamecocks galore

The South Carolina women’s basketball team is a juggernaut. The Gamecocks are the only Division 1 basketball team that remain undefeated. In the matchup in Missouri, South Carolina left with an 81-57 win.

Facing this team on the road without your lead scorer is a recipe for disaster. When it comes to this matchup, disaster barely covers it. Missouri failed to match physicality, as South Carolina outscored the Tigers 44-8 in the paint. Turnovers were a huge issue for Missouri, giving up 21  and leading to 28 points for the Gamecocks.

The main positive from this encounter is that Missouri will not have to face South Carolina for the rest of the regular season. 

Edited by Grace Ainger | gainger@themaneater.com 

Copy edited by Sterling Sewell | ssewell@themaeater.com 

Edited by Scout Hudson | shudson@themaneater.com