Missouri Women's Basketball Falls Short in Final Seconds vs Texas A&M
COLUMBIA, Mo. — The Missouri Tigers women's teams looked intently in the huddle at coach Robin Pingeton. The Tigers had found themselves in yet another dogfight, this time with the Texas A&M Aggies. Missouri was trailing 67-65 with 20.1 seconds remaining. For the Tigers to win, it would require the same grit and resilience that brought them to the point.
“You expect it to be a dogfight," Aggies coach Joni Taylor said of Missouri. "They’re tough, they’re disciplined, they know where they’re gonna get their shots from and they are never out of the game because of how well they shoot the ball.”
But all of the air was quickly popped out of the Tigers' balloon. On two of Missouri's last three possessions, Mama Dembele lost control on passes, turning the ball over.
The turnovers allowed Texas A&M to hold on to the lead, winning 69-67 and handing Missouri its second straight loss and its fifth overall of the conference season.
Missouri has become all too familiar with games falling out of their hands in the final minutes. Just four days prior to losing to Texas A&M, the Tigers had lost by five to Kentucky after tying the game at 71 with 1:15 remaining. Out of their nine losses on the year, five have been decided by less than 10 points.
“We’ve got to make the adjustments but just really being able to be locked in for 40 minutes,” Pingeton said of what the team needs to do better in close games. “I think their focus is where it needs to be but the importance of one possession at a time.”
Though the close loss stings for Missouri, it took plenty of resilience to make Thursday's game as close as it ended up being. In the first quarter, the Tigers looked lifeless on offense. They were unable to find any opening to the lid of the net, shooting 2-for-18. Texas A&M’s defense played an excellent game of whac-a-mole, immediately shutting down any opening the Tigers’ offense could find.
“We just needed to relax a little bit," Pingeton said. “I just think it took some time to adjust to it. We got some really good looks that just were rushed or, we didn’t play with great pace."
It was the Tigers defensive play, however, that kept them in the game. Texas A&M was not shooting much better, firing 8-of-21 from the field in the first quarter. Missouri only trailed 15-6 at the end of the quarter.
The Missouri offense found a way to come to life in the second half by way of three three-point makes from graduate forward Hayley Frank and two back-to-back from freshman guard Grace Slaughter. The second of Slaughter's three-point makes with seven minutes remaining gave Missouri its first lead since the seven minute mark of the first quarter. Slaughter's composure all season in tense moments has been noticeable and unique for a freshman. She credits the team's shared mindset during times of adversity for her and the team being able to rally back.
"We definitely dug ourselves a hole in the first quarter," Slaughter said. "We do pride ourselves on keeping our energy high. And being really locked in is what helped us find our way back and then maintain that throughout the game and make it a game in the end."
But Missouri ultimately made too many mistakes in the closing minutes. The Tigers have shown plenty of times that they can go punch for punch with opponents but have yet to finish at a consistent level.
The Tigers now fall to 11-9 on the season and 2-5 through conference play. They'll look to bounce back this Sunday when they host Arkansas.
Tonight's game will tip off at 8 p.m and be streamed on SEC Network Follow this article for live updates.
First Quarter:
Mama Dembele drives through the paint on first possession, draws foul, makes both shots for Missouri
Texas A&M responds with a three
Missouri has shot 1-for-8 so far
5:10 Missouri timeout: Missouri 4, Texas A&M 11
Missouri has not scored in nearly seven minutes now. Not getting a lot of open looks and missing shots on the ones that they do.
Ashton Judd breaks Missouri's scoring drought with a layup.
End of quarter: Missouri 6, Texas A&M 15
Second Quarter:
Mama Dembele has headed into the locker room along with the team trainer.
Dembele has returned to the court.
Missouri is still having to pull teeth in order to score
Grace Slaughter just fought for an and-one shot for Missouri, makes the free throw.
Media timeout 4:20: Missouri 13, Texas A&M 22
Hayley Frank lands a three and suddenly Missouri only trails by eight.
Abbey Schreacke lands another three. It took a while but the Tigers finally have some momentum.
End of half: Missouri 25, Texas A&M 31
Third Quarter:
Missouri's shooting woes have returned, 3-8 so far.
Timeout 4:48: Missouri 32, Texas A&M 40
Hayley Frank lands a three, she's been as reliable as always tonight
Frank makes her fourth three of the night, bringing Missouri within six.
Dembele draws a foul in the final two seconds of the quarter, makes both
End of quarter: Missouri 44, Texas A&M 48
Fourth Quarter:
Grace Slaughter makes consecutive three point shots. Missouri has the lead for the first time since two minutes into the game.
Timeout 5:00: Missouri 56, Texas A&M 58
Going to be an intense finish. Missouri will have to carry over the same grit to the final minutes that they used to get the game this close.
Ashton Judd makes a wide open shot in the layup to tie the game.
Texas A&M timeout 2:43: Missouri 60, Texas A&M 58
Dembele is fouled in transition, Texas A&M takes two free throw shots and makes both.
Missouri 63, Texas A&M 65, less than a minute remaining
Hayley Frank ties the game with two free throws of her own. 65-65 with 49 seconds remaining
Texas A&M lands two free throws
Missouri timeout 20.1 seconds: Missouri 65, Texas A&M 67
Dembele turns the ball over, Texas A&M will have it with 14.1 remaining
FINAL: Missouri 67, Texas A&M 69