Last season senior point guard Maddie Stock drained the game-winning shot she hit one that pushed Missouri women’s basketball over Texas A&M in an unforgettable 70-69 victory over the Aggies
Thursday night, the Tigers, now ranked 23rd in the nation, returned to College Station to halt the momentum the 13th-ranked Aggies. Led by two-time SEC Defensive Player of the Year, senior guard Jordan Jones, the Aggies defense has been the source of their success thus far this year.
Texas A&M opened the game on a scoring run that was halted by a timeout by Missouri coach Robin Pingeton. Pingeton seemed to gain her team’s attention, and despite four turnovers, the Tigers roared back from an 11-4 deficit to end the first quarter tied at 13, following a buzzer beating shot by junior guard Liana Doty.
Entering the second, the Tigers continued to pester the Aggies on the court in a match that the announcers briefly described as a “day at the racetrack,” with action continuing back and forth between the squads. After combining for 19 total turnovers in just the first half, both teams struggled to secure any type of tangible lead. At halftime, the Aggies led 25-23.
In the second half, the Tigers seemed were outplayed in the third quarter. From the opening whistle, the Aggies took control of possession and ultimately the points. An impressive six-point swing by Texas A&M senior guard Chelsea Jennings inspired the Aggies to maintain their dominance throughout the quarter.
Freshman sensation Sophie Cunningham failed to find her shot in the first half and that story certainly carried over into the third quarter as the young Rock Bridge alum went 2-6 in a tough night for the star.
The Aggies led 52-40 at the entering the final quarter of play.
At the whistle to start the last quarter, Pingeton notably substituted her original starting lineup for a much more experienced lineup. While many may have left the game or changed the channel, the injection of aged experience by Pingeton paid off and provided an unbelievable 16-6 run in Reed Arena, pulling the Tigers within two points.
With little over two minutes left in the game, the Tigers managed to bring the game to a tie.
Off a steal and a lightning fast counter attack, junior guard Sarah Michaelis found junior forward Jordan Frericks to take the first Tiger lead of the game for the Tigers, capping a 20-6 run. Then, led by a previously quiet Cunningham, the Tigers had a crucial three-point play, taking a 63-59 lead with 45 seconds left.
After the Tigers stormed back to within one, freshman Cierra Porter hit a clutch shot to put the Tigers up three with 20 seconds left. Still, the Aggies managed to rush down the court, win a foul and hit three clutch free throws to tie the game with 16 seconds left.
In a controversial inbounding play by the Aggies that left the Tigers with the ball with two seconds left, the Tigers had a chance, but failed to gain the lead and the game was sent to overtime.
In their first overtime matchup of the season, the Tigers played the Aggies tough, but between fouls and the lead changing at least five times, the Aggies managed to take a 78-77 lead with 12 seconds left in overtime and a final chance to silence the Tigers.
The Aggies managed to ice the game 81-77 and finally silence the No. 23 Missouri Tigers. In a brilliantly hard-fought game by both teams, both coaches have a lot of positives to take from both team’s performances.
The Tigers are now 12-4 and host the No. 22 Florida Gators on Sunday in Columbia.
