COLUMBIA, Mo. – For the first time this season, the University of Missouri women’s basketball team will host a ranked opponent as No. 5 LSU visits Mizzou Arena Thursday. Tipoff is slated for 6 p.m. and will be broadcast on SEC Network and KTGR.
Missouri sports a 14-3 record with a 3-1 mark in SEC play following its first conference loss against Arkansas on Sunday. The Tigers took a first-quarter lead after they held the Razorbacks to just eight points in the opening period, marking just the sixth time Arkansas has been held to less than 10 points in a quarter this season.
Graduate guard Haley Troup (Gadsden, Ala.) netted a career-high 24 points in the effort while also recording season highs with seven made field goals and shooting 6-of-7 from the free throw line. Her performance stands as the second time this season and fourth time in her career that she has broken the 20-point threshold.
Troup was complemented by senior guard Lauren Hansen (Long Island, N.Y.), who scored 10 points while grabbing five rebounds. Hansen’s tally signified the 13th time this season in which she’s reached double figures, and just the second time she’s reached 10+ points and 5+ rebounds in a game.
The Tigers received a strong performance on both ends of the court from junior guard Mama Dembele (Manlleu, Spain). On Sunday, Dembele scored six points and distributed six assists on the offensive side while tying a season-high three steals on defense.
Despite the loss, Missouri’s 3-1 start to SEC is the best start the Tigers have had in conference play since the 2018-19 season.
Defense has anchored the Tigers in their strong start to the season, as they rank 50th in the nation by allowing 57.7 points per game. The stingy unit has only permitted a 37.1% opponent field goal percentage, which ranks in the top half of the conference.
On the offensive end, Missouri is one of the most efficient shooting teams in the SEC. The Tigers rank fifth in the conference in shooting percentage, registering a 45.3% clip. In 10 games this season, the offense has shot at least 45% from the floor, and the team is 9-1 in such contests.
LSU holds a 12-4 advantage in the all-time series against Missouri. The visiting Tigers have taken the last three contests, though all have been decided by a single-digit margin. The last two games were both decided by just two points.
In the last clash between the teams in Baton Rouge, La. on Jan. 13, 2022, Missouri pushed the No. 12 Tigers to overtime, ultimately falling 87-85. After trailing by as many as 12 points in the third quarter, Mizzou battled back by surpassing 20 points in the third and fourth quarters. Troup, Hansen and Hayley Frank (Strafford, Mo.) each scored more than 10 points in the effort.
Entering Thursday’s contest, LSU is one of just three remaining undefeated programs in the country. The Tigers have backed up their record on the court, as the team holds the best average point differential in the country by outscoring their opponents by an average of 39.7 points per game.
LSU is among the nation’s leaders in many major statistics, as it leads the country in points per game (89.7), field goals per game (32.9) and rebounds per game (52.1). On the defensive end, the Tigers hold opponents to just 49.9 points per game on a 30.2% field goal percentage, both of which rank second in the nation.
The visitors play with four players who average double figures on the offensive end, with sophomore forward Angel Reese playing a key role in the Tigers’ hot start. The former ESPN No. 2 recruit in the nation, Reese transferred to LSU after two seasons at Maryland, where she was named to the AP All-America Third Team. Reese ranks sixth in the nation with 24.2 points per game and leads the country with 15.6 rebounds per game.
Reigning AP National Coach of the Year Kim Mulkey is in the midst of her second season at the helm for LSU, where she piloted the greatest turnaround in SEC history by a first-year head coach. After finishing with a losing record the year prior, the Tigers finished 2021-22 with a 26-6 record and finished 8th in the AP Top 25.
Mulkey joined the team following a storied 21-year career at Baylor, where she led the Bears to three national championships and four Final Four appearances.
Season tickets for the 2022-23 campaign are on sale now and can be purchased by visiting ticketmaster.com/Mizzou. For more information, call the Mizzou Athletics Ticket Office at 1-800-CAT-PAWS.
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