Women’s Basketball Falls to Georgia

COLUMBIA, Mo. – The University of Missouri women’s basketball team’s (14-7, 3-5 SEC) comeback attempt fell short against Georgia (14-8, 3-5) as the Tigers were defeated, 62-51, Thursday night inside Stegeman Coliseum.

Senior forward Hayley Frank (Strafford, Mo.) led the Tigers in scoring for the second game in a row with 13 points, while junior guard Sara-Rose Smith (Victoria, Australia) added 12 points and five rebounds on 6-of-11 shooting.

In the opening minutes of the game, a pair of buckets from graduate guard Haley Troup (Gadsden, Ala.) saw Mizzou jump out to a quick 5-0 lead before the Bulldogs responded as the two squads traded buckets for the remainder of the opening stanza.

With the game deadlocked entering the second quarter, Georgia took off on a 7-0 run as the Tigers failed to convert on its first four attempts from the field. After each team traded a pair of triples, neither squad made a bucket for 4:02, shooting a combined 0-of-14 during the stalemate.

Mizzou was outscored 14-5, its lowest scoring quarter of the season, and held to 1-of-15 shooting throughout the second period as the Bulldogs took a 29-20 advantage to the intermission.

Frank’s scoring output started in the third quarter as she made Mizzou’s first two buckets of the period. However, Georgia responded with enough makes of their own to stave off a Tiger run, eventually creating a 13-point cushion after forcing a pair of turnovers.

A layup from Smith sparked a methodical 6-0 Mizzou run over 1:31 cut the lead to just seven midway through the third, but a Georgia triple seized the Tiger’s momentum yet again.

The Bulldogs came out running in the final period to balloon their lead to a game-high 15, but Mizzou clawed their way back into the contest thanks to a layup from graduate guard Katlyn Gilbert (Indianapolis, Ind.) that ignited a 10-0 Tigers run late, cutting the deficit to just five with 52 seconds remaining.

The late push was eventually halted as Georgia clinched the game from the charity stripe, converting all six of their attempts in the final minute.

Missouri shot 32.8 percent from the field while converting a season-low 5-of-14 (36%) of its foul shots. Georgia made 46.0 percent of its buckets, shooting an effective 10-of-12 (83%) from the charity stripe.

TURNING POINT

After a tightly contested opening period, Georgia used a stout defensive effort to hold the Tigers to 1-of-15 shooting in the second quarter, outscoring Mizzou 14-5. It was the Tiger’s lowest scoring quarter this season, and the Bulldogs gained an advantage that they would not relinquish.

TOP TIGERS

• Frank’s 13-point outing, all of which came in the second half, pushes her to no. 13 on the all-time scoring list with 1,383 career points.
• Smith reached double-digits for the eighth time this season, scoring a dozen on 6-of-11 shooting and grabbing five boards
• Troup had the hot hand for much of the first half, finishing with 11 points and four rebounds on 50 percent shooting and 3-of-6 from behind the arc.

GAME NOTES

• Georgia extends its lead the all-time series 12-6 as Mizzou has lost four straight to the Bulldogs. Mizzou’s last triumph came Feb. 6, 2020 in a 73-65 decision.
• Hayley Frank climbs to no. 13 on the all-time scoring list after tonight’s 12-point outing. The senior has accumulated 1,383 points during her career.
• In the second quater, the Tigers shot six percent from the field, their lowest shooting percentage in a quarter this season.
• The Tigers scored five points in the second quarter, the least amount of points put up by the Tigers this season in a quarter.
• Freshman guard Ashton Judd (West Plains, Mo.) tied her career high with six rebounds.
• The Tigers held the Bulldogs scoreless for over three minutes on multiple occasions, once in the second quarter (4:02) and again during the final period (3:28).
• The Tigers were held to 51 points, its second-lowest output of the season.
• Missouri shot 36 percent from the free throw line, their lowest mark this season.

UP NEXT

Mizzou continues its SEC road trip as they travel to Lexington, Ky. to take on the Wildcats on Sunday inside the University of Kentucky Memorial Coliseum. Tip off is set for 2 p.m., and the matinee will be broadcast on SEC Network and KTGR.

For all the latest information on Mizzou Women’s Basketball, please visit MUTigers.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Tigers on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.