Mizzou women’s basketball faced little resistance in its third game of the regular season, besting the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles 106-59. Grace Slaughter, who left some questions on the board after a disappointing season opener, carried her momentum from her performance against Little Rock and led the Tigers with 25 points on 10-of-17 shooting.
This was the first time in the Kellie Harper era that the Tigers have surpassed the century mark. The 47-point win was also the biggest margin of victory
since Nov. 20, 2024.
It was a cut-and-dry affair for the Tigers, earning an early lead and maintaining it for much of the match. Mizzou trailed for just 10 seconds, after Evelyn Freeman’s layup gave Tennessee Tech a 9-7 lead with 6:37 left in the first quarter.
Nevaeh Caffey tied it 10 seconds later, and Slaughter’s three-pointer at the 5:06 mark made it 14-11 and started a lead the Tigers never gave back. Tennessee Tech hung around early, shooting 53% in the first quarter, and trailed 22-19 after one.
Slaughter got her night started early, going 2-for-2 on three-pointers in the first quarter. She and McKenzie Mathurin led the team with six points each in the quarter, totaling more than half of the team’s 22 points.
Beyond-the-arc shooting emerged as a strength for the Tigers throughout the entire matchup. Mizzou went 10-24, with Slaughter and Abbey Schreacke each adding three. Missouri had previously made 11 threes in its first two games combined.
Mizzou built a 46-31 halftime lead behind a 24-12 second quarter, in which the Golden Eagles went just 5-of-20 from the field. Slaughter had 17 points at the break, and Mathurin added 11.
The game blew open in the 3rd quarter, when Missouri went on a 20-2 run, capped by five straight three-pointers. Schreacke hit three in a row, Mathurin added a fast-break three and Natalya Hodge made it 78-40 with 1:06 to go in the quarter.
Schreacke scored all nine of her points in that stretch, and the Tigers outscored Tennessee Tech 32-10 in the period while shooting 6-of-10 from deep. The lead peaked at 47 when Tanyuel Welch finished a fast-break layup, off a Hodge assist, as time expired.
Welch posted a double-double with 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting and 12 rebounds, adding six assists. Mathurin finished with 14 points, while Caffey and Hodge each scored 13. Hodge scored 11 of her points in the second half and picked up four steals in 22 minutes. Khloe Ford added 10, and Ellie Muller scored just two points but grabbed 11 rebounds and blocked five shots in 20 minutes.
Missouri shot 56.4% from the field and 64% in the second half, when it scored 60 points. The Tigers outrebounded Tennessee Tech 52-28, dished out 21 assists to the Golden Eagles’ 15, and had 10 steals and 10 blocks. Mizzou also won the points-in-the-paint battle 52-38 and outscored the Golden Eagles 26-8 on the fast break and 26-17 off the bench.
Amaya Redd led Tennessee Tech with 13 points, followed by Lareesha Cawthorn with 12 and Freeman with 11. The Golden Eagles shot 37.1% and went 5-of-22 from three.
Mizzou stays at home to host UT Martin on Thursday at Mizzou Arena.
