COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri women’s basketball fell to Florida 93-67 Sunday afternoon at Mizzou Arena.
Junior guard Ashton Judd led Missouri (11-8, 0-4 SEC) with 18 points and seven rebounds against Florida.
Sophomore guard Grace Slaughter tallied 17 points for the Tigers.
Sophomore guard Averi Kroenke scored a career-best 11 points and notched four assists.
Following the opening tip, the teams exchanged scoring opportunities. Judd powered Mizzou with seven early points as the Tigers trailed by just one five minutes into the contest.
In the back half of the frame, Florida took a double-digit lead, but late baskets by Judd and graduate forward Angelique Ngalakulondi saw the Tigers trialing 26-17 after one.
Ngalakulondi dished a career-best six assists in the contest.
Kroenke opened scoring momentum for Missouri in the second quarter with a layup inside the paint followed by a made free throw, allowing the Tigers to go on a 12-7 run. A steal by graduate point guard De’Myla Brown coupled with a last-minute basket by Randle would close Florida’s lead to just nine points at the end of the half.
After the break, Judd opened the scoring with a basket inside the paint followed by a triple to cut the Gators’ advantage to just five.
Florida responded by extending the lead, but a basket behind the arc by Kroenke would open up an 8-2 scoring run for the Tigers to keep the deficit at six.
A late rally by the visitors pushed the lead to 69-57 at the conclusion.
Florida extended its advantage early in the fourth and held on for the victory.
Missouri notched nine steals in the game, topping Florida’s five.
UP NEXT
Missouri will travel to face Oklahoma at 6 p.m. on Thursday. The contest, which will be the first meeting between the teams since 2012, will stream live on SECN+.
