COLUMBIA, Mo. – Abbey Schreacke scored 16 points as Missouri used a strong second half to beat Lipscomb 78-57 on Sunday afternoon for its fifth straight win. 

Schreacke, celebrating her 20th birthday on Sunday, finished in double figures for the third time in the last four games, all while coming off the bench. The Quincy, IL native made four three pointers, and scored 10 points in the fourth quarter.

Missouri picked up its tenth win of the season in the process, marking its fourth consecutive season with a double digit win tally under head coach Robin Pingeton. Last year, the team didn’t reach that mark until Jan. 14. The Tigers made 10 three pointers and shot 43% from beyond the arc. It was the fourth game this season where Missouri made 10 or more threes, and the Tigers are a perfect 4-0 in those games. In addition, the Tigers made all but one free throw on the afternoon, shooting 12-13 from the foul line. 

Lipscomb did start out the game strong, opening the game on an 11-4 run. The Bisons knocked down four consecutive three pointers, and took advantage of six Missouri turnovers in the opening frame. However, Missouri’s offense woke up late in the quarter, and the Tigers led 24-22 after the first. In the second quarter, the offense quieted down from both sides. The two teams shot a combined 1-11 from deep, but Lipscomb outscored Missouri 12-11 in the frame. That meant the Tigers only led by one point, 35-34, going into halftime.

“I felt like on both sides of the ball, we just weren’t very good,” Missouri women’s basketball coach Robin Pingeton said to describe her team’s first half play. “Just collectively we just were not competing at the level that we needed to. They knew that, and they took ownership of that.”

Missouri turned the tide of the game in the second half. The Tigers started the third quarter strong, scoring nine of the first 12 points in the period to take a seven point lead. However, Lipscomb cut the lead to two after a basket by Claira McGowan. On the next possession, Grace Slaughter connected on a three pointer to put Missouri back up five points. It was the only three attempted by the sophomore, who is now shooting 57% from deep this season, making her one of the best three point shooters in the nation. 

That big shot turned out to be the start of a strong finish to the game for Missouri. In the final 13 minutes of play, the Tigers outscored Lipscomb 29-13, including a 22-11 advantage in the fourth quarter. During that stretch, the Bisons only made five shots, while Missouri made 11. The Tigers shot 60% from the field during the run, and five different players scored to help Missouri pull away from Lipscomb. 

“For as disappointed as I was in the first half, I was really proud of their second half,” Pingeton said. 

Five different Missouri players finished in double figures in the game. That included senior guard De’Myla Brown, who had 13 points, her best scoring performance of the season. 

“Once I got the opportunity, what I can do and what I’ve always been able to do just shows,” Brown said. “It just feels really good to finally have that breakout game.”

Missouri’s defense was also impressive, as they held Lipscomb to 30% shooting from three. Lipscombs shot 2-13 from downtown in the final three quarters against Missouri’s defense. In addition, it was the tenth time this season Missouri’s opponent scored less than 60 points. Missouri also forced 19 Lipscomb turnovers in the game, and the Tigers scored 26 points off of those turnovers. 

Lipscomb (6-4) has now lost three straight games, and moves to 1-3 on the road this season. The Bisons were led by Molly Heard, who shot 6-10 from the field and finished with 14 points. She was the only Lipscomb starter without a turnover on the day. Lipscomb will now return home for one final non conference game against Division III opponent Oglethorpe (7-3) on Wednesday before beginning Atlantic Sun play in January.

Missouri (10-3)  is now 2-0 against Lipscomb all-time in program history. The Tigers have now won nine of their last 10 games, including all seven of their home matchups, after starting the year 1-2. The Tigers will continue a seven game homestand to finish out the 2024 calendar year. They open SEC play on January 2 at Mizzou Arena against defending national champions South Carolina, who is currently ranked third in the nation in the latest AP Poll.