Grace Slaughter tied her season high of 22 points, 12 coming from three-pointers, as Missouri trampled Jackson State 90-51 on Sunday afternoon, to advance to 11-4 on the season.
Missouri dominated between the lines as soon as the ball was tipped off, getting out to an early 12-1 lead. The Tigers offense did not stop there, taking a commanding 24-7 lead at the end of the first quarter. Missouri continued their offensive onslaught throughout the full 40 minutes, leading by 41 at various points in the game.
This is the Tigers second highest winning margin of the season, behind only their win to SLU in November.
Missouri, who fell short just weeks ago to Oral Roberts, adjusted well to get the win against the Jackson State Tigers.
When asked about the changes made after the loss, head coach Robin Pingeton said,“We had to go out there and play with that grittiness and toughness that we do in practice.”
The Tigers offense did just that, receiving help from many different sources during their blowout win. Five players put up double digits in the scoring category, including 10 from Abbey Schreacke, who started today’s matchup on the bench.
Missouri capitalized heavy on fast break scoring, with 32 of their 90 points coming from fast break opportunities.
The Tigers also had a stellar showing on the boards. Grabbing 50 rebounds, compared to their season average of 38. Angelique Ngalakulondi led both teams in rebounds grabbing 10 boards, giving the Senior her first double-double of the season.
Missouri showed their defensive prowess as well, keeping their opponent under 60 points for the 13th time this season, 8 of which came during their November stretch of games.
Missouri was led by a familiar figure, in Grace Slaughter, who leads the team in points per game. The Missouri native collected her third 20-point game of the season, in only 25 minutes of play. The sophomore found the bottom of the net, in a very familiar fashion, from beyond the arc. Slaughter went 4-6 from three-point range, improving her season three-point percentage from its previous 56%.
The Jackson State Tigers fall to 2-9 on the season, following the loss. Jackson State has struggled thus far offensively, scoring over 60 points in only 2 games this season. Jackson State was once again led by the Missouri native, Taleah Dilworth in scoring, who chalked up 11 points in the blowout loss. Jackson State will start conference play in the SWAC next week against 2-8 Alcorn State.
Missouri is set to face nine ranked opponents between now and the end of their season, presenting some tough challenges for the Tigers to face, if they want to meet their overarching goal of making the NCAA tournament, which their program has not done since 2019.
“Everything needs to elevate,” said Pingeton, when asked about preparing for the start of conference play.
The Missouri Tigers will start out SEC play next week on Jan. 2. against the reigning national champions, #2 ranked South Carolina (12-1). Missouri will look to collect their first win against the Gamecocks since 2021, where they knocked off then #1 ranked USC. Tip-off from Mizzou Arena is scheduled for 6:00 PM CT