Missouri women’s basketball picked up its second SEC win of the season, defeating the Georgia Bulldogs 69-57. Mizzou was led by two highly contributing seniors, Hayley Frank and Mama Dembele, as well as a high percentage night from the field
“These players do such a tremendous job, you see it in the huddles, you see it in the locker room,” Mizzou coach Robin Pingeton said. “I walk in the locker room, they’ve already been talking about tactical solutions. It’s just a group that doesn’t need a lot of motivation.”
The senior guard Dembele continued her high assist totals, racking up three in this matchup, and remains first in the SEC in the assists per game category. Dembele’s assist tally moved her up in the Mizzou history books, passing former Tigers guard Dee-Dee Polk and rising to fourth all-time.
“You’ve always seen flashes in Mama, but I think she’s been playing at an all-time high,” Pingeton said. “She finally has a grasp of what the quarterback of a team looks like and how to direct traffic as well as the impact her vibe has on everybody in that locker room.”
The Tigers came out firing in the first quarter, shooting a consistent 62 percent through the first two quarters. Despite shooting zero for six from beyond the arc, Mizzou senior forward Haley Frank led the Tigers in both scoring and passing with 24 points and five assists on the night.
Frank was backed by freshman guard Grace Slaughter, who was balanced in her scoring across each of the four quarters, ending the game with 16 points. She also added four rebounds and two assists.
“Nothing really replaces experience, and so I am just getting farther into SEC play, I’m getting to see it more and more often,” Slaughter said. “Playing against it has definitely allowed me to be a little bit more comfortable and then getting the opportunity to be in the high post, which I hadn’t really done much this season.”
Mizzou sophomore guard Ashton Judd was held under her scoring average of 13.9 to four on 1-6 shooting. The Bulldogs were led in scoring by De’Mauri Flournoy with 12 points and sophomore Javyn Nicholson led Georgia in rebounds with seven.
The Bulldogs percentage from the floor was well under their normal average of 41 percent on 14-50 shooting. Their percentage from three also proved unreliable, going 2-12 from beyond the arc.
The victory ended Mizzou’s four game losing streak against the Bulldogs and evened the record to 4-4 against Georgiain Columbia since joining the SEC prior to the 2012-13 season.
Mizzou (11-7, 2-3 SEC) will look to continue its winning ways in Lexington against the Kentucky Wildcats (8-10, 1-3 SEC) this upcoming Sunday at 1 p.m.