Mizzou Women’s Basketball Back in Action Against New Orleans

• Mizzou Women’s Basketball will be back on the court for the second time in three days as the Tigers host New Orleans on Wednesday, Dec. 16. The game is scheduled to tip off at 7 p.m. CT on SEC Network + with Nate Gatter and 2020 Mizzou Women’s Basketball alum Jordan Roundtree on the call. It will be the fourth all-time matchup between the two programs, with Mizzou holding a 2-1 advantage in the all-time series, including a 81-45 win over the Privateers on Dec. 2, 2017. Mizzou is coming off a tough setback to in-state foe Missouri State, falling 72-58 on Monday, while New Orleans enters the game with a 1-2 record on the young season.

DAY IN THE MIDDLE

• A much need presence in the middle of the paint, redshirt junior forward LaDazhia Williams has become a go-to offensive option through her first two games in the Black & Gold. She has scored in double figures in back-to-back games, first scoring 18 points in her Mizzou debut over North Alabama (Nov. 27) before chipping in 15 points against Missouri State (Dec. 14). She has been highly efficient in her offensive output as well, as she is shooting 68.4 percent (13-of-19) thorough Mizzou’s first two games.

RIGHT WHERE THEY LEFT OFF

• In Mizzou’s first two games, the sensational sophomore duo of forward Hayley Frank and guard Aijha Blackwell have picked up right where they left off from a season-ago, as they are averaging 18.0 and 15.5 points per game, respectively. In Mizzou’s season-opening win over North Alabama (Nov. 27), Frank led the way for the Tigers with 24 points and pulled in 11 rebounds for her first career double-double, while Blackwell scored 21 points and had 10 rebounds for her eighth career double-double. It marked the fourth time in Frank’s career she has reached 20 points and the ninth time for Blackwell. It was also the second time the pair have reached 20 points in the same game, with the other occurrence happening in a 82-67 win over Ole Miss on Feb. 23, 2020.

NOTES FROM LAST TIME OUT

• With 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting, redshirt junior LaDazhia Williams led the team in scoring for the first time in her collegiate career. She also scored in double figures for the second straight game.
• Williams also matched her career high with eight rebounds, marking just the seventh time in her career that she has pulled in five or more boards.
• With 12 points, sophomore forward Hayley Frank has scored in double figures for the second straight game and the 22nd time of her career.
• Redshirt junior guard Haley Troup dished out three assists in the game, the second straight game she has recorded three or more assists.
• With four assists, redshirt senior guard Shug Dickson has now recorded three or more assists in 12 games over her career.
• Sophomore guard Aijha Blackwell’s 10 points mark her second consecutive game in double figures and the 26th game of her career scoring 10 or more points.

NOTES FROM MIZZOU’S WIN OVER UNA

• With the win over North Alabama on Nov. 27, Mizzou improved to 38-9 all-time in season-openers and 39-8 all-time in home-openers.
• Mizzou’s 96 points are the most the Tigers have scored since a 97-89 season-opening overtime win over Western Illinois on Nov. 5, 2019. It is the most points Mizzou has scored in a regulation game since scoring 100 against Ole Miss on Feb. 23, 2017.
• Mizzou shot 58.5 percent (38-of-65) from the floor in the game, its best shooting mark since shooting 65.9 percent (27-of-41) from the field against Ole Miss on Jan. 3, 2019.
• Sophomore forward Hayley Frank’s 24-point, 11-rebound performance was her first career double-double and set a new career-high for rebounds. It was also the eighth time in her career she has led Mizzou in scoring and was her fourth career 20-point game.
• Sophomore guard Aijha Blackwell had her eighth career double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds. It marked the ninth time in her career she has reached 20-points.
• The sophomore duo’s performance marked the first time since Nov. 10, 2019 Mizzou had two players record a double-double in the same game. In that contest against Nebraska, Amber Smith (20 pts. / 14 rebs.), Jordan Roundtree (16 pts. / 10 rebs.) and Hannah Schuchts (13 pts. / 10 rebs.) notched double-doubles.
• Redshirt junior forward LaDazhia Williams set a new career-high with 18 points, surpassing her previous high of 11 she set against Western Carolina on Nov. 30, 2017. Williams also set career highs in minutes (21), field goals made (eight) and free throws made (two).
• Redshirt junior guard Haley Troup had five assists in the game, marking just the fourth time in her career she hit that mark.
• Every player on Mizzou’s roster played in the game, including eight who made their debut in the Black & Gold. In addition to Williams and Dufficy, freshman guard Mama Dembele, sophomore guard Lauren Hansen, freshman guard Sara-Rose Smith, redshirt senior guard Shug Dickson, redshirt freshman forward Micah Linthacum and freshman center Jayla Kelly all made their Mizzou debuts. Williams and Dembele started the game.
• Dembele (eight points) and Linthacum (two points) recorded their first career collegiate points in the game.

1K FOR DUFFICY

• Senior forward Shannon Dufficy reached a career milestone in Mizzou’s season-opening win over North Alabama, as she recorded her 1,000th career point.
• The Melbourne, Australia native will also be chasing down another career milestone in her senior campaign as a Tiger, as she stands 152 rebounds away from reaching 1,000 career rebounds.