Two different plays summed up the entirety of the game.
The first was when Missouri sophomore forward Jordan Frericks hit a layup within seconds of the start of the game.
The second was when Southeastern Missouri State guard Jasmine Robinson stood under the basket with three Missouri players standing over her with their arms outstretched, completely halting any possible field goal attempt.
Mizzou (2-0) crushed the Redhawks 88-42, holding Southeastern Missouri State (1-1) to 23.6 percent shooting. The Redhawks scored just 15 points in the first half.
The Tigers, meanwhile, made nearly 60 percent of their field goal attempts.
Leading the Tigers were Frericks and sophomore forward Bri Porter with 17 and 18 points, respectively.
“I haven’t changed anything mechanically,” Frericks said. “But before games I’ve done a lot more visualization, putting myself through situations and knowing my shots are going to go in.”
Senior guard Bree Fowler also put up points, tying her career high of 10 points and draining two treys in the first half. Missouri coach Robin Pingeton attributed Fowler’s performance to her experience and her work ethic.
“I’m just trying to make an impact,” Fowler said. “I put in the work so I feel like, if I can shoot it, it’ll go in.”
Pingeton also said she found Fowler’s attitude and leadership to be intangible and she’s hoping Fowler and senior guard Morgan Eye will have that “special senior season.”
While the offense was doing all the right things, Pingeton still found flaws in the Tigers’ performance. Pingeton didn’t like the Tigers’ 21 personal fouls, nor that the Tigers gave up 15 offensive rebounds to Southeastern Missouri State. Pingeton said those problems need to be addressed before Missouri’s games in the Wahine Classic in Honolulu later this week.
“We have a lot of work to do on the defensive end,” Pingeton said. “We’re getting better, and we’re starting to take some pride in it.
“We’re starting to embrace what it takes to be a good defensive team but we have a long ways to go before we’re a great defensive team.”
In Hawaii, Missouri will play Nevada-Las Vegas on Friday and California on Sunday.
“We understand that the competition is going to get tougher,” Pingeton said. “Cal has a top 15 team and UNLV has a really, really good team, and I’m excited to measure up against them and see where we’re at.”
