COLUMBIA, Mo. – The University of Missouri women’s basketball team crushed the Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles 96-62 on Monday evening at Mizzou Arena.The duo of Ashton Judd and Hayley Frank took little time to warm up, combining for 52 points, 10-18 from the arc and 16 rebounds on the night. This marks the first game all year that both scorers had effective and efficient nights from the floor.
The race to ten points was highly contested, with the Screaming Eagles getting out to a 13-8 lead with 5:25 in the first quarter. Ashton Judd then scored five straight points to tie the game. Three triples from Abbey Schreake and Frank would see Mizzou change the narrative, going into the second quarter with a 22-15 lead.
Mizzou’s scoring attack found its rhythm in the second quarter, going on a destructive 13- 3 run in the first few minutes. Southern Indiana only managed 12 points in the second quarter. Mama Dembele snagged both her three pointers and ended the second quarter with eight points, in the same quarter Hayley Frank tallied eight points and Ashton Judd led the quarter with nine.
Mizzou entered halftime with a commanding 51-27 lead. Frank and Ashton Judd held a combined 30 points, yet the Screaming Eagles mounted their best counter in the third quarter. Screaming Eagle Vanessa Shafford scored eight of her 16 points in a last ditch effort to close the gap. Despite the Eagles having their best quarter, Mizzou’s lead shrunk just one point going into the fourth quarter.
Mizzou’s rotation players began to take the court in the fourth quarter with the lead in hand and ten minutes left on the clock. Three straight layups in the paint for Frank and scoring from Abby Feit and Abbey Schreake helped an already sizable lead reach 34 as time expired.
Threes rained down for the Mizzou Tigers tonight, who shot 16-32 on the night from behind the arc. This shooting performance was led by veteran Frank, guilty of knocking down 6-10 threes on the night. The Screaming Eagles struggled to keep pace, ending the night shooting 7-26 (27%) from three and 25-66 (38%) from the field. Mizzou’s rangier lineup contested shots and clogged passing lanes, only allowing Southern Indiana eight assists to go with 14 turnovers.
Mama Dembele guided the Mizzou offense with nine assists to go along with ten points and two steals. “I think anytime you have a night where you have 23 assists on 34 made field goals. That’s a pretty darn good night that we shot it well, that we had good ball movement that we really got out and ran in transition which is something that you know, I think our girls are really enjoyed and and you know, give a lot of credit to mama she does such a great job pushing the tempo,” said head coach Robin Pingeton.
Frank recorded 26 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and dished two assists. Frank also logged two steals and two blocks in 29 minutes of play. Frank has scored 29 and 26 points in the two games since Mizzou’s lone loss to Saint Louis University. She averaged just 10 points per game through the first three games of the season.
The Mizzou tigers managed a season low in turnovers with just 15 to go along with a season low for fouls called.
Missouri hits the road to meet the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles on Friday at 7 p.m. The game takes place at the Daytona Beach Classics in Daytona Beach, Florida.