After one week of action under head coach Kellie Harper, the Mizzou women’s basketball is off to a 2-0 start with close wins over Central Arkansas and Tulane. While those games were very different in terms
of pacing and contributors, the result was the same.
“I think we’ve seen quite a bit of growth in the first couple of weeks, so we want to continue to see that trend,” Harper said. “We try to find ways to get better after wins as well, and hopefully we can carry it into another big week.”
The Tigers have an appetizer at home Tuesday against Arkansas State before the main course in a neutral site matchup in Kansas City against kU. Here’s what you should know about these two matchups this week:
Rowdy Red Wolves
While we are all looking forward to the kU game, it’s important to not overlook this scrappy Arkansas State team. This is the first time these two teams have met since 2018, where Mizzou won at home 70-50.
The Red Wolves are 1-1 after being in a pair of close games themselves; losing at home to Ball State 68-66 and beating Tarleton State on the road. A big part of this team’s offense is the long-ball, shooting 29 in the Ball State game and 28 against Tarleton State.
“You’ve got to know that you’re going to get out and contest threes,” Harper said. “A lot of times their threes are coming off of quick transition, so they turn you over with their press, and they’ll get to kick out and get quick threes. So you’ve got to be prepared to transition quickly.”
Junior guard Crislyn Rose is leading that offensive charge, averaging 23 points through two games. After going 0-2 on threes in the opener, Rose found her rhythm going 4-5 in the Tarleton State win on her way 26 points while adding four assists. If Mizzou hopes to slow down this high-powered Red Wolves offense, it starts with Rose.
Jailing the Jayhawks
The Border War continues this Saturday, this time on the women’s basketball front. The last time these two teams met was in the WNIT back in 2023. These teams haven’t faced off in the regular season since the Big 12 days, when Mizzou beat kU in Lawrence back in 2012. Another fun piece of trivia is that this is the first meeting in Kansas City in 2005 where the Tigers won during the Big 12 Tournament.
kansas is 2-0 to start the season, defeating Kansas City and Northwestern State at home by double-digits. The biggest advantage for the Jayhawks has come through the paint, outscoring their opponents close to the basket 78-36.
Freshman forward Jaliya Davis has been a big part of that averaging 19 points per game alongside 4.5 rebounds. She put herself on the map in the Northwestern State win with 28 points thanks to 10-15 shooting from the field and 8-10 from the free throw line. Davis was the No. 19 ranked prospect in the 2025 class, the highest ranked Jayhawk recruit since 2007. The matchup between Davis and Jordana Reisma down in the post will help decide the neutral site game.
However, I have major concerns when it comes to Mizzou fan attendance at the game. KC is roughly 4x closer to Lawrence than it is Columbia, and Mizzou football is playing at home at practically the same time; kU is on a bye week.
“If you’re really good at multitasking, this is the day for you,” Harper said. “We know that that football season’s still here. It’s a big deal.”
Player to Watch: Reka Toman
Perhaps the biggest struggle this year for Mizzou has been injuries. Currently the Tigers are missing four players including Averi Kroenke who has been ruled out for the season due to a torn ACL. As a result, the team is only playing with nine healthy players. That means that everyone who is healthy has been asked to contribute.
One player who has stepped up to the occasion is freshman forward Reka Toman. She has played 22 minutes thus far, scoring six points, collecting four rebounds and dishing out three assists through her first two collegiate games.
“Reka is uncomplicated on the court. She’s actually very easy to play with,” Harper said. “She typically makes the easy play, and if that is just a one more pass to get an open three, her timing’s good…she’s very productive, whether it’s getting a deflection, tipping the ball to a teammate, the little things that don’t show up on the stat sheet.”
Toman had plenty of high-end experience before enrolling at Mizzou. She played on the U19 Hungarian national team this past summer, averaging 10.3 points and 4.7 rebounds during the tournament. If the Tigers hope to stay competitive with this short bench, Reka will have to continue to contribute.
