COLUMBIA, Mo. – The University of Missouri women’s basketball team could not pull off the season sweep against Alabama, falling 76-69 Sunday night at Mizzou Arena.
Senior forward Hayley Frank (Strafford, Mo.) led the Tigers on offense, tying a season-high 26 points and knocking down seven shots on 12 attempts. She also performed efficiently from the foul line, shooting a perfect 11-of-11.
More offensive support came from graduate guard Haley Troup (Gadsden, Ala.), who recorded 13 points while converting 5-of-7 from the field. Off the bench, freshman guard Ashton Judd (West Plains, Mo.) achieved double figures for a second-straight outing, tallying 12 points by hitting all five of her shots from the floor.
The Tigers (15-9, 4-7 SEC) jumped out to an early first-quarter lead, knocking down three of their first four shots from behind the arc. The defense also held the Crimson Tide (17-6, 6-4) without a field goal in the final 4:46 of the period.
After Mizzou took a nine-point advantage midway through the second quarter thanks to buckets from Frank and Troup, Alabama worked its way back to make it a one-possession contest at the half. Frank contributed half of the Tigers’ first-half points to secure the 30-27 advantage heading into the break.
Alabama opened the third quarter with a 9-0 run to gain a quick six-point lead. After Mizzou drew the game within a bucket, the Crimson Tide responded with a 7-0 run to claim their largest lead of the game. The Tigers countered by scoring seven unanswered to keep the margin slim entering the final frame.
In the fourth quarter, Mizzou’s comeback efforts fell short despite a 9-of-16 (56.3%) shooting performance and the Tigers hitting their final three shots. Alabama secured the game late from the free-throw line while making field goals on five of their last seven possessions to stave off the rally.
Mizzou delivered on 44.9 percent of its field goal attempts despite a 53.8 percent shooting night from 3-point range. Alabama made 48.1 percent of its buckets, while shooting 100 percent (18-of-18) from the charity stripe.
UP NEXT
The Tigers travel to Fayetteville, Ark. next Sunday for their second matchup against Arkansas. Tipoff is slated for 2 p.m., and the showdown will be broadcast on SECN+ and KTGR.
For all the latest information on Mizzou Women’s Basketball, please visit MUTigers.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Tigers on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
