Mississippi State entered its home matchup against Mizzou with all the momentum in the world, coming off a pair of top 25 wins. But the Tigers weren’t phased, taking down the Bulldogs 88-80 thanks to a superb offensive showing.
Mizzou trailed 78-74 with just over three minutes remaining before Grace Slaughter hit back-to-back triples to give the Tigers the lead once again. After an MSU turnover, Shannon Dowell hit a circus-style layup in what ended up being the game-winning bucket. Slaughter and Dowell led the way
all game, combining for 39 points in the win as the two-leading scorers for the Tigers.
This was a particularly strong game for Dowell after coming off a 4-point performance in the win against Texas A&M. She finished with 21 points in the win, shooting 7-10 from the field and a perfect 7-7 from the free throw line. In addition to her scoring output she led the team with six rebounds and five assists.
Slaughter scored 18 points, coming in clutch with eight in the fourth quarter. The junior shot 7-12 from the field and 4-6 on three-pointers. She got no free points, as Mississippi State kept her away from the free throw line all game.
It was a back-and-forth battle all game with 20 lead-changes and 12 ties in total. In fact the 8-point margin of victory was the largest lead for either team all game.
Mizzou finished the game shooting absurd splits of 58/46/80. The most impressive of which was the 3-point shooting, finishing 12-26 beyond-the-arc, many of which came in key moments. Four Tigers finished in double-digits as Abbey Schreacke (13) and Saniah Tyler (12) joined Slaughter and Dowell.
This was a massive win for the Tigers, marking their first back-to-back SEC wins since January 2024. Through only nine conference games the team has already matched their win total from last year. Plus this moves the Tigers up into 11th place in the conference, ahead of MSU. While there is still much work to be done if Mizzou wants to make the NCAA Tournament, I don’t know how you’re not impressed with the work Kellie Harper and her staff have done in year one.
Here’s how the rest of the game played out:
Mizzou led 22-20 at the end of the first quarter thanks to an impressive offensive explosion. The two teams traded baskets back and forth, as neither team held a lead more than 5 points all quarter. The Tigers shot 9-15 from the field thanks to four players combining for 12 points on a hyper efficient 5-5 on field goals. Grace Slaughter was the real superstar of the frame with a team-leading 7 points on 3-5 shooting and 1-2 on threes.
Mississippi State took a 44-43 lead into the half as both offenses continued to roll early. The biggest issue for Mizzou was turnovers with six in the frame. The Tigers finished with eight turnovers in the first half, which Mississippi State turned into 15 points. Shannon Dowell led the offensive attack in the second quarter with six points while shooting a perfect 3-3 from the field. Dowell and Slaughter were the key first half contributors with 10 points each through 20 minutes.
Mizzou scored 25 points in the third quarter to retake the lead at 68-65. Those 25 points came from all over the floor as they finished with splits of 56/50/100 in the quarter. In addition it came from all over the roster, with six different Tigers making a field goal. This came without the help of Grace Slaughter, who scored no points while only shooting one shot. Abbey Schreacke helped limit a hot Bulldog start thanks to a pair of threes to open the quarter. This helped keep the deficit at five after a 10-6 run to open the frame, allowing the Tigers to bounce back with the help of seven points from Dowell.
The fourth quarter started off abnormally slow, with no points through the first three minutes for either team. It was a frame of runs, with Mizzou building a 73-68 lead after five straight points. The Bulldogs bounced back with a 10-2 run, taking a four-point lead with 3:12 remaining. The aforementioned 14-2 Mizzou run to close the game proved to be the difference in the win.
The Tigers will look to continue to momentum as they travel to Arkansas, searching for their first three-game winning streak in conference play since the 2022-2023 season. The Tigers face off against the Razorbacks at 6:30 on Thursday in Fayetteville. The game will be available to watch on SEC Network+ on the ESPN app.
