Missouri women’s basketball held senior night on March 2, as head coach Robin Pingeton and her seniors said goodbye to the Mizzou Arena. In its last regular season game of the season, Missouri fell to Vanderbilt 100-59. 

After 15 seasons with Missouri, this was head coach Robin Pingeton’s final regular season game. Emotions were high throughout the game as the team began to realize this was goodbye. 

“She kind of bet on me throughout high school, and nobody else did,” junior guard Ashton Judd said. “I’m really thankful for the relationship that we’ve been able to go through and experience.”

“It’s not a four-year commitment, a two-year commitment, or a one-year commitment, it’s a lifetime commitment,” Pingeton said. “They become a part of your family and you become part of their journey in life. This isn’t the end, this is the end of a chapter, but I’m looking forward to what’s next.” 

Graduate guard De’Myla Brown led the way in scoring with 16 points, while also tacking on three rebounds. Following her was fellow senior forward Laniah Randle, who finished the game with 10 points. Judd and sophomore guard Grace Slaughter matched each other’s totals both in the scoring and on the glass, as each finished with seven points and five rebounds. 

 Missouri was faced with some of the Commodores’ top scorers throughout the first half of the game. Vanderbilt’s biggest strength in this game was shooting, finishing 15-32 from deep. Freshman guard Mikayla Blakes got around every guard Missouri stacked in front of her. She was the Commodores’ top scorer with 29 points and two rebounds. Senior guard Iyana Moore and sophomore forward Khamil Pierre knocked down back-to-back jumpers early on, making it impossible for the Tigers to keep up. The pair finished with a combined 34 points.

This relentless Vanderbilt offense made 10 consecutive points in the third quarter, leading to instances when Missouri had to use their timeouts. This was a trend throughout the game, as it seemed to be the only way for the Tigers to limit the Commodores’ points.  

Along with the scoring onslaught, Vanderbilt’s defense was ruthless against the Tigers. From trapping Tiger players to intentional fouls, the Commodores threw everything they had at Missouri. 

“I felt we really struggled throughout the game,” Judd said. “We had 24 turnovers. I don’t know how many points they converted off of that, but I think that really hurt us.”

Vanderbilt scored 14 points halfway through the second quarter without giving the Tigers a chance to breathe. Missouri kept up as best it could, but the Commodores were relentless. The quarter ceased with Vanderbilt in an 18-point lead, 44-26.

Pierre was making it impossible for the Tigers to score, grabbing 10 rebounds along with tallying a steal and a block each, proving to be another obstacle for Missouri. With each Tiger possession, she continued to push players into a trap, forcing a turnover for the Commodores.

Missouri’s scoring struggles continued until the final buzzer with a final score of 100-59, the Tigers taking a 41-point loss to Vanderbilt.

The Tigers went on to the SEC tournament where they suffered a 75-55 loss at the hands of Mississippi State, officially ending their 2024-25 season.

Edited by Killian Wright | kwright@themaneater.com

Copy edited by Natalie Kientzy | nkientzy@themaneater.com 

Edited by Emily Skidmore | eskidmore@themaneater.com