Mizzou women’s basketball went through an unexpected loss Thursday, falling to Auburn at home 71-58. Head coach Kellie Harper’s team fell behind in the first minute and never found the lead. Auburn led 18-8 after the first quarter and held that double-digit lead for most of the contest.
The difference was simply a measure of volume, as Mizzou shot the ball quite well but had 34 fewer shot attempts. This was a combination of 30 turnovers for the home team and 14 offensive rebounds for Auburn. The visitors
turned these extra opportunities into 38 points, constantly keeping Mizzou at bay.
“They did a good job of jumping some passing lanes,” Harper said. “Their ball pressure was good, and I thought it disrupted our vision to see an open man at times.”
Mizzou shot the ball quite well when they had the chance, finishing 57.1% from the field and 35.3% from three. The Tigers struggled from the line, shooting 66.7% on free throws. Getting to the line was an issue all game, as the team shot no free throws in the first half.
“I think that just goes to show offensively, you know, we can hurt you from a lot of different places,” guard Grace Slaughter said. “When we’re moving the ball we’re at our best.”
Slaughter led the offense once again with 19 points while shooting 7-9 from the field, 1-1 from three and a perfect 4-4 from the line. Slaughter has now scored in double-digits in all 28 games which she has played this season.
Jordana Reisma returned to the starting lineup after a three-game absence with a lower body injury. The senior forward was the other Tiger in double-digits with 10 points while shooting a perfect 4-4 from the field and grabbing seven rebounds. Coach Harper revealed after the game that she did all this after competing in maybe half a practice leading up to the game.
“The only reason she didn’t have better stats is because we couldn’t get the ball down the floor and get it to her,” Harper said. “She played tremendous.”
Here’s how the game played out from start to finish:
Auburn jumped out to a 10-point lead after the first quarter, forcing Mizzou into 12 turnovers. The visitors consistently converted on the extra possessions, finishing with a 10-0 lead in points off turnovers after 10 minutes. The Mizzou offense actually shot the ball quite well, ending the quarter 4-7 from the field. However the limited opportunities as a result of turnovers put them at an early disadvantage.
Auburn held a 10-point lead at 37-27 at the midway point. The Mizzou offense played much better in the second quarter, scoring 19 points while shooting 8-11 from the field and 3-5 from three. Slaughter guided the offensive attack with 13 points on 6-7 shooting with one made triple. But Auburn matched the output with 19 points of their own to maintain a double-digit lead heading into the half. The Mizzou turnover issues continued, piling up to 19 through the first 20 minutes.
The Auburn lead was up to 12 through three quarters as Mizzou trailed 60-48. The Auburn offense scored 23 points in the quarter while controlling the offensive glass. The visitors finished the quarter with six offensive rebounds, leading to 7 second-chance points. The Mizzou offense did its best to keep up with 21 points in the quarter. Abbey Schreacke made a pair of triples as the leading scorer in the quarter with six points.
It was all elementary in the fourth quarter as Auburn won the quarter 11-10, stifling the Mizzou offense to prevent a comeback. Mizzou finished the quarter shooting 2-9 from the field and 0-5 from the three-point line, failing to bring the game within single digits. The team did a good job getting to the free throw line in the final frame, attempting 10 shots from the stripe.
This now marks three consecutive losses for Mizzou. Things don’t get any easier down the stretch, either, as the Tigers face three top-15 opponents to close the regular season.
“They don’t punch pause on the season and let you regroup and figure it out,” Harper said. “Hopefully we’ll get some energy and…be ready to practice tomorrow.”
Mizzou travels to play No. 7 LSU at 3 p.m. on Sunday in Baton Rouge. The game will be available to watch on the regular SEC Network.
