Junior Aijha Blackwell will need to deliver one of her best performances of the season, Thursday night, when the Mizzou women’s basketball team will play No. 1-ranked South Carolina in its SEC opener at Mizzou Arena in Columbia. (Photo courtesy: MU Athletics)
Mizzou Women’s Basketball – Gameday Info
Game No. 14 – #1 South Carolina (12-0) at Missouri (11-2)
Date/Time – Thursday, December 30 – 6 pm
Location – Mizzou Arena – Columbia, MO
Broadcast – SEC Network
Live Stats – Stat Broadcast
Cedric Williams
Senior Editor
After enjoying a full week off for Christmas break, the University of Missouri women’s basketball team will be back in action, Thursday night at Mizzou Arena, with perhaps its biggest game of the season, when the Tigers will host undefeated and No. 1 ranked South Carolina in both teams’ Southeastern Conference opener.
Missouri is coming off three straight resounding victories, including a fantastic 84-65 win over Illinois on December 22.
The Tigers trailed early in that contest, but rallied to tie the score by the end of the first quarter, then blew the doors off the Illini in the second and third quarters, on their way to what proved to be one of the most entertaining Mizzou wins of the season.
But the Tigers will face a big-time test Thursday evening, when the top ranked Gamecocks come to town.
South Carolina is one of just four unbeaten teams left in NCAA women’s Division I basketball and already has five victories over ranked opponents this season, including three wins over teams that were ranked No. 2 when it played them (Stanford, Connecticut, North Carolina State).
The Gamecocks received all 30 first-place votes in the Associated Press poll and all 32 top votes in the WBCA/USA Today poll. They were also the preseason favorite to win the SEC, which if accomplished, would be South Carolina’s sixth regular season title in the last nine seasons. And in all of those seasons, the Gamecocks have never finished lower than second.
Thursday’s matchup would be the fourth time Mizzou and South Carolina have played with the Gamecocks ranked No. 1 in the country. South Carolina has won all three of the previous contests, including the last two at Mizzou Arena.
Players to Watch: Mizzou is led, as always, by junior guard/forward Aijha Blackwell. The native St. Louisan is averaging 16.6 points and 12.7 rebounds per game, which makes her one of just 24 players in the country who average a double-double per game.
Blackwell’s scoring numbers rank her eighth in the SEC, which is easily All-Conference caliber, and are the most of any player in the top 10 who averages 11 shots or less per game. But it’s her rebounding numbers that have some believing Blackwell may be having an All-American season.
Blackwell leads the SEC in rebounding, leads the nation in defensive rebounds, and is the only player in the top 80 in either category that is less than 6-foot-2.
She will face a mighty test on Thursday though, as South Carolina’s Aliyah Boston, who is second in the conference in rebounding at 10.2 per game, is 6-5, and the Gamecocks have another five players on their roster who are 6-2 or taller.
Fellow junior Hayley Frank is Mizzou’s second leading scorer at 14.7 ppg. She also leads the Tigers in three-point shooting with a 43.9 shooting percentage. In these last three wins, Frank has made 50 percent (six-of-12) of her three’s, including a pair of big ones in the win over Illinois.
Sharpshooters Lauren Hansen, Haley Troup, and freshman Izzy Higginbottom are also key reasons why Mizzou shoots 37.2 percent from three on the season, and makes 8.2 three’s per game — both numbers that rank second in the SEC this year.
South Carolina is led by senior point guard Destanni Henderson, who was the USBWA National and SEC Player of the Week, after putting up 17 points, seven assists, and seven steals in the Gamecocks’ 65-61 win over Stanford on December 21. That contest was Henderson’s first after missing the three previous due to a leg injury.
Boston also had a big night against the Cardinal. She scored a game-high 18 points, had 11 rebounds, and added four steals and five blocks, in what was the largest comeback victory in South Carolina women’s basketball history, as the Gamecocks trailed by as many as 18 points in the first half, and by 17 points early in the second.
No other Gamecock players scored in double-figures in that game, but 6-2 senior Victaria Saxton did have 10 rebounds, with eight of them coming on the offensive end.
Up Next: Thursday’s contest will be the last one of the 2021 calendar year for both teams. Mizzou will return to action on Sunday, January 2, when it will go on the road to play Vanderbilt.
South Carolina was also supposed to play on Sunday againt Ole Miss, but that game has been postponed due to Covid issues within the Ole Miss program. Now South Carolina’s next game will be on January 6, when it will play at LSU.
Mizzou’s next home game will also be on January 6, when the Tigers will host Auburn. Tipoff at Mizzou Arena that night is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Probable Starters
South Carolina (12-0) Yr. Pos. Ht. PPG RPG APG
1 Zia Cooke Jr. G 5-9 12.1 2.0 1.9
3 Destanni Henderson Sr. G 5-7 12.3 3.3 4.5
4 Aliyah Boston Jr. F 6-5 16.9 10.1 1.6
5 Victaria Saxton Sr. F 6-2 4.2 4.2 1.3
12 Brea Beal Jr. G 6-1 4.7 5.4 1.0
Missouri (11-2) Yr. Pos. Ht. PPG RPG APG
1 Lauren Hansen Jr. G 5-8 10.5 2.0 1.3
4 Mama Dembele So. G 5-6 4.4 2.5 3.5
13 Haley Troup Sr. G 5-10 8.3 2.2 3.6
33 Aijha Blackwell Jr. G 6-0 16.6 12.7 1.3
43 Hayley Frank Jr. F 6-1 14.7 4.9 1.4
| Mizzou Tigers Women’s Basketball Upcoming Schedule |
| Thu., December 30 — vs. #1 South Carolina — 6 pm |
| Sun., January 2 — at Vanderbilt — 2 pm |
| Thu., January 6 — vs. Auburn — 7 pm |
| Sun., January 9 — at Arkansas — 2 pm |
| Thu., January 13 — at #21 LSU — 7 pm |
| Mon., January 17 — vs. #13 Georgia — 6 pm |
| All Mizzou home basketball games will be played at Mizzou Arena. |