Columbia, MO – It was Residence Hall Association night inside Mizzou Arena and the Tigers defended their dorm.
The California Golden Bears made the trip halfway across the country to meet Missouri for this year’s ACC/SEC Women’s Basketball Challenge, the third matchup all-time between the two squads.
Coach Kellie Harper was met in celebratory fashion this evening, having earned her 400th career win last Saturday against Northwestern.
Win No. 401 did not come easily.
“[California] is physical. They can take you out of your sets. They don’t give you anything easy” said Harper.
Harper’s Tigers started off strong with junior guard Shannon Dowell winning the tipoff.
Momentum stayed in Missouri’s hands as they outscored the Golden Bears 12-7 halfway through the 1st quarter.
That was the largest lead the Tigers would see, as they traded scores with California’s leading scorers, Mjracle Sheppard and Sakima Walker.
Two-thirds of Mizzou’s first half points were courtesy of Grace Slaughter and Shannon Dowell, and the duo’s dominance helped the Tigers edge out the Golden Bears 33-31 to conclude the half.
“We’re still getting used to each other as we continue to play and grow together,” said Slaughter about her and Dowell’s teamwork.
The Bears were also getting used to the Mizzou offense, counteracting with a paint presence of their own. They took a 42-38 lead to begin the half, forcing Harper to burn two timeouts early-on. They would go on to outscore the Tigers 24-17 in the third quarter, rolling into the final 10 minutes with a five point lead.
“This is the moment as a coach when you look everybody in the eye. Every single one of them, we’re gonna win this game,” said Harper on what she told her team down the stretch.
The biggest tone-shift of the night came with 30 seconds remaining. With her team down two, Slaughter took a shot from the corner, just in front of her teammates watching from the Mizzou bench.
After three high bounces off the rim, an agonizing wait for all in attendance, the ball dropped through the net.
Moments later, when Mizzou once again fell victim to a one-point deficit, Dowell made a game-saving grab that placed the ball in her team’s hands with six seconds remaining.
After a timeout, Dowell executed a last-second jump shot to put the Tigers ahead 68-67, sealing their eighth victory on the year.
A game that started with Dowell ended with Dowell.
“I was just so relieved”, said Dowell about her final shot.
An Illinois State transfer, she joins her coach as a first-year member of the Missouri Tigers.
“This is a good test for us…this game itself builds that trust with Coach Harper,” said Dowell.
In the home stretch of the non-conference schedule, thanks to two of Columbia’s newest assets, the Tigers came away with a marquee victory in hard-earned fashion.
The Tigers will face off against Southern Illinois University Edwardsville at Mizzou Arena on Sunday, December 7th at 2:00 p.m. CST.