COLUMBIA, Mo. – The University of Missouri women’s basketball team is set to host Illinois State in the opening round of the Women’s National Invitational Tournament on Thursday at Mizzou Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m., with the contest broadcasted on SECN+ and The Varsity Network.
The game will mark the Tigers’ tenth postseason appearance in the past 11 years and their third-consecutive appearance in the WNIT. Mizzou is 5-10 all-time in the postseason tournament after dropping an opening-round contest to Drake a season ago.
The Tigers wrapped up the regular season with a 17-12 record overall including a 6-10 standing against SEC opposition. In their last outing, Mizzou suffered an 85-74 defeat against Arkansas in the first round of the SEC Tournament on March 2.
Senior guard Lauren Hansen led the Tigers with 19 points, four rebounds, and four steals. It was her tenth occasion leading the Tigers in scoring on the season.
Senior forward Hayley Frank also impressed as she scored 14 points, grabbed four rebounds, and dished a pair of assists. Frank’s scoring effort was enough to move her past Erika Martin (1992-1996) and into ninth place on the program’s all-time scoring leaderboard.
Thursday will be the first matchup between the programs since 2000. The Tigers lead the series 11-4, with an 83-63 victory in their last matchup on Dec. 12, 2000.
The postseason contest will also mark the first occasion that Tigers’ head coach Robin Pingeton will coach against her former team in her Missouri tenure. During her time at Illinois State, she led the school to three straight Missouri Valley Conference Regular Season titles, a school-best four straight 20-win seasons, and two NCAA tournament berths.
The Redbirds enter the tournament with a 24-8 record overall, including a 17-3 mark against MVC competition. Illinois State is looking to rebound after a 54-74 defeat against Drake in the semifinals of the conference tournament.
Kristen Gillespie leads the opposition in her sixth season as head coach in Normal, Ill. The Redbirds have posted their best record in her tenure this season. Gillespie led Illinois State to their sixth-ever appearance in the NCAA last season.
Squaring off with similar play styles, Illinois State ranks eighth in the nation in 3-point field goal percentage with a 37.7% mark while Missouri sits 25th nationally at 35.8%.
Senior guard Paige Robinson leads the Redbirds with 18.7 points per game, which ranks 30th nationally. She also holds a 40.1 3-point percentage, good for 34th in the country.
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