KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The University of Missouri women’s basketball team was unable to overcome a slow-scoring third quarter and dropped a 76-62 road decision at No. 13/10 Tennessee in Southeastern Conference action at Thompson-Boling Arena Thursday.
The Vols (20-4, 9-2 SEC) turned a five-point halftime lead into a 58-33 edge after three quarters. Mizzou (16-8, 5-6 SEC) had a six-minute scoreless drought and shot 16.7% (3-for-18) in the third. Lauren Hansen led all players with her 22-point effort off the bench. Aijha Blackwell notched her 18th double-double of the season and 38th for her career with 13 points and 10 boards.
UT’s Jordan Horston had a double-double of her own with 21 points and 13 rebounds. Tess Darby drained four triples and had 12 while Tamari Key finished with seven blocks.
Tennessee held a 32-27 edge at halftime, after Mizzou ran into some foul trouble in the second quarter with Haley Frank, Haley Troup and LaDazhia Williams all sitting for extended periods of time. After the Vols used a 9-0 run over 3:46 which featured four Tigers giveaways, Mizzou fought back with a 5-0 run to close the margin and head into the locker room trailing by five.
Blackwell and Hansen finished with eight points apiece in the first 20 minutes, with Blackwell adding seven rebounds, Williams grabbing four and Dembele dishing out four assists.
Things were knotted up at 17 apiece after the opening 10 minutes. Tennessee jumped out to 15-5 lead, but the Tigers closed the quarter on a 12-3 run on the heels of eight points by Hansen. Mizzou opened its scoring with a three-pointer by Blackwell, the team’s first in 11 days after not netting one last week against Arkansas, snapping a 424-game triple streak.
UP NEXT
The Tigers return to Mizzou Arena on Sunday to face Arkansas in SEC action. The contest is set for a 2 p.m. CT start and will air on SEC Network+. The game will serve as the program’s annual Pink Game in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness. The Tigers will also celebrate alumni weekend, welcoming back former student-athletes to celebrate the program’s storied history. Fans can purchase tickets online.
