The Missouri women’s basketball team fell to Alabama 69-76 after a strong first half during Sunday’s “Pink Out” game. Hayley Frank led the Tigers with 26 points including going 11 of 11 from the free throw line. Missouri couldn’t handle Brittany Davis however, allowing 33 points to the senior guard from Alabama.
The Tigers started off hot, building a six-point lead through the first quarter and expanding it to nine fifteen minutes in behind Frank and Haley Troup’s 21 combined points. The Crimson Tide struggled offensively during that stretch, only mustering 19 points, but they started to pick it up near the end of the first half as Brittany Davis began to shine. She scored six quick points in the final five minutes and helped cut the Tigers’ lead to three with a buzzer beater to close the half.
Davis continued her tear, and eight minutes into the third quarter, the Tide held a commanding nine-point lead. The Tigers were outscored 21-9 over that stretch as turnovers and missed opportunities plagued Mizzou. The two teams played closely the rest of the way, with the Tigers cutting the lead down to two points at a time, but the Crimson Tide held on for victory.
Throughout the game, Tigers’ guard Lauren Hansen struggled to find success, shooting one of nine from the field with two turnovers, while starters Jayla Kelly and Mama Dembele also combined to go zero of six from the field. Troup and Ashton Judd both recorded double digit scoring nights while Frank tried her best to keep the team afloat, scoring 26 on an efficient 7 of 12 shooting from the field.
“She’s got great maturity and had a huge night for us tonight,” coach Robin Pingeton said of Frank. She described Frank as a “warrior” and was “giving every fiber of her body to this team.”
Frank also had zero turnovers throughout the match, much different from the rest of the group. The team combined for 16 turnovers and allowed 20 points off those turnovers.
“You look at our turnovers and you know, those come back to bite you,” Pingeton remarked. She explained film sessions are like “Groundhog Day,” seeing controllable turnovers going the wrong way each game.
Having been in a rough patch as of late, the Tigers are looking for a sense of motivation.
“We have to have a chip on our shoulder, we have to go into games and be grittier, more physical,” Troup explained.
The Tigers have now lost seven of their last eight games and are seemingly on the bubble of the NCAA tournament in March if they don’t turn things around, but the team is staying hopeful.
“I know what’s in that locker room, I believe in these girls,” Pingeton declared. “We’re going to figure it out.”
Following the game, the Crimson Tide moved to 6-4 in conference play. The Tigers dropped to 4-7 in conference play and will head to Fayetteville in a matchup against Arkansas Sunday in hopes to get back on the right track.