Mizzou’s Aijha Blackwell makes a move with the ball against Alabama’s Hannah Barber during Sunday’s SEC women’s basketball game at the Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa. (Photo courtesy: SEC Sports)
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Missouri | 24 | 18 | 19 | 16 | 77 |
| Alabama | 16 | 13 | 15 | 17 | 61 |
by Cedric Williams
Senior Editor
Coming off one of its most disappointing performances of the season, in a loss to Mississippi State last Thursday, the University of Missouri women’s basketball team responded with one of its best efforts of the year on Sunday, when the Tigers pounded Alabama, 77-61.
Missouri made just 45 percent of its shots and trailed almost the entire night in its game at Mississippi State. But against the Crimson Tide, almost the exact opposite happened, as the Tigers shot 60 percent from the floor and led almost the whole game.
Alabama made the first shot of the game to take the first lead, but Mizzou made the next three shots to go ahead and never trailed again.
Senior LaDazhia Williams, whose been battling through injuries all season, had a spectacular performance for the Tigers. The senior from Bradenton, Fla., came off the bench and scored a game-high 18 points to lead her club.
In fact, Williams, who didn’t enter the game until late in the first quarter, didn’t miss a single shot all night. She was seven-for-seven from the floor and four-for-four from the free throw line, most of which came in the first half, as Mizzou built a 42-29 halftime lead.
Juniors Lauren Hansen and Aijha Blackwell also had big nights. Hansen finished with 17 points and three assists, and Blackwell 16 points and 11 rebounds — her NCAA-leading 16th double-double of the season — which helped Mizzou go ahead by 20 points early in the fourth quarter, before finally winning the game by 26.
Alabama had four players score in double figures, but once it fell behind, never got closer than three points.
The key point in the game came in the final four minutes of the first half, when Mizzou went on a 10-0 run, sparked by a pair of back-to-back baskets by Williams and five straight defensive stops that helped the Tigers grab that 13-point halftime lead.
The victory, which was Mizzou’s third in its last four games, improved the Tigers’ overall record to 16-6. Mizzou is also 5-4 in SEC play, which following Arkansas’s loss to Tennessee on Monday, moved the Tigers into fifth place in the SEC standings.
Alabama fell to 11-9 overall and 2-7 in the conference, which puts them in 12th place.
Mizzou will be back in action with another huge contest on Thursday, February 3, when the Tigers will host Mississippi at Mizzou Arena. That contest will tipoff at 6 p.m., and will be televised nationally on SEC Network.
Alabama’s next game will also be on Thursday. The Tide will be on the road to play No. 1-ranked South Carolina.
Missouri 77
| ## | Player | GS | MIN | FG | 3PT | FT | ORB-DRB | REB | PF | A | TO | BLK | STL | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Lauren Hansen | * | 30 | 7-13 | 3-7 | 0-0 | 1-3 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 17 |
| 33 | Aijha Blackwell | * | 28 | 5-9 | 3-4 | 3-4 | 3-8 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 16 |
| 13 | Haley Troup | * | 33 | 2-3 | 2-3 | 2-2 | 0-3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 8 |
| 43 | Hayley Frank | * | 32 | 3-7 | 0-3 | 2-2 | 0-3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 04 | Mama Dembele | * | 27 | 1-1 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 00 | LaDazhia Williams | 23 | 7-7 | 0-0 | 4-4 | 2-4 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 18 | |
| 32 | Jayla Kelly | 5 | 2-4 | 0-1 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| 25 | Skylah Travis | 1 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 02 | Sara-Rose Smith | 6 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 24 | Kiya Dorroh | 9 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 20 | Sarah Linthacum | 4 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 40 | Micah Linthacum | 2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| TM | TEAM | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1-1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| TOTALS | – | 200 | 28-47 | 9-19 | 12-16 | 7-23 | 30 | 15 | 17 | 11 | 4 | 6 | 77 |
Alabama 61
| ## | Player | GS | MIN | FG | 3PT | FT | ORB-DRB | REB | PF | A | TO | BLK | STL | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 02 | JaMya Mingo-Young | * | 30 | 5-11 | 1-3 | 4-5 | 1-2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 15 |
| 01 | Megan Abrams | * | 38 | 6-15 | 2-6 | 0-0 | 1-1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 14 |
| 05 | Hannah Barber | * | 38 | 5-13 | 2-5 | 0-0 | 1-3 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 12 |
| 31 | Jada Rice | * | 28 | 4-6 | 0-0 | 4-4 | 2-1 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 12 |
| 23 | Brittany Davis | * | 31 | 1-7 | 0-2 | 1-2 | 3-2 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 12 | Allie Craig Cruse | 5 | 1-1 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 1-0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |
| 15 | Myra Gordon | 13 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1-0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| 32 | Nia Daniel | 10 | 0-2 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 1-1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 33 | Khyla Wade-Warren | 5 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 45 | Taylor Cullinan | 2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| TM | TEAM | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 2-3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| TOTALS | – | 200 | 23-57 | 6-18 | 9-11 | 13-13 | 26 | 17 | 9 | 11 | 2 | 7 | 61 |
| Mizzou Tigers Women’s Basketball Remaining Schedule |
| Thu., February 3 — vs. Ole Miss — 6 pm |
| Thu., February 10 — at #5 Tennessee — 5:30 pm |
| Sun., February 13 — vs. Arkansas — 2 pm |
| Thu., February 17 — at #16 Georgia — 6 pm |
| Sun., February 20 — vs. Mississippi State — 2 pm |
| Thu., February 24 — vs. Kentucky — 7 pm |
| Sun., February 27 — at Florida — 11 am |
| March 2-6 — 2022 SEC Tournament in Nashville |
| All Mizzou home basketball games will be played at Mizzou Arena. |