COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Women’s Basketball (6-5, 2-4 SEC) earned a hard-fought, tight 61-58 road victory over Florida (9-7, 2-6 SEC) on Thursday in Gainesville, Fla. After three losses by four points or less in its last four games, the Tigers were able to hold on for victory, its second of the SEC season.
Mizzou was led by redshirt junior LaDazhia Williams (Bradenton, Fla.) and sophomore guard Aijha Blackwell (Berkeley, Mo.), who chipped in 16 and 14 points, respectively. The pair also hit the glass hard, setting career-highs in rebounds with eight and 16, respectively.
Turning Point
Mizzou controlled the game for much of the first half and had to hold off a Gator charge in the second half, as Florida outscored the Tigers 37-32 in the game’s final 20 minutes. The Gators came on especially strong in the game’s final four minutes as a 9-2 run cut Mizzou’s lead from eight to one with just under a minute left in the game. However, Mizzou’s defense held strong as freshman guard Mama Dembele (Manlleu, Spain) caused turnovers on back-to-back possessions to close the game for the Tigers.
TOP TIGERS
- Williams led the team in scoring for the second consecutive game, as she scored 16 points while setting career-highs in rebounds (eight) and blocks (five).
- Blackwell scored 14 points and had a team-high 16 rebounds, the second straight game she has reached 16 boards.
- Dembele scored seven points in the game, made sank two free throws late in the game and came up with two steals at the most opportune time for a Tiger victory.
TOP TIGERS
- Mizzou emphasized taking care of the basketball in the game, as they committed a season-low seven turnovers.
- Williams led Mizzou in scoring for the second consecutive game and the fourth time this season with 16 points. It marked her 10th game in double figures this season and the fourth time she has scored at least 15 points.
- The Tiger junior matched her career-high with eight rebounds as she hit the mark for the second time this season and the fourth time in her career.
- She also set a career-best with five blocks, surpassing her previous best of four against Southern Illinois (Dec. 20).
- With 14 points, Blackwell continued her stretch of scoring in double figures, doing so for the 11th time this season and for the 26th time dating back to Jan. 12, 2020.
- Blackwell attacked the glass once again, as she matched a career-high with 16 rebounds, the second consecutive game she has hit that mark.
- With 14 points and 16 rebounds, the Tiger sophomore recorded her third consecutive double-double, the seventh of her season and the 14th of her career.
- With two steals, Dembele has now recorded multiple steals in four consecutive games. She has had 10 steals in that four-game stretch after recording just four in her first seven games.
- Redshirt senior guard Shug Dickson (St. Louis, Mo.) was a perfect 2-of-2 from the three-point line in the game, marking the first time this season and the 21st time in her career she has sank multiple three-pointers.
UP NEXT
Mizzou continues its two-game road trip with a trip to Lexington, Ky., on Sunday against No. 15/14 Kentucky. Tipoff is slated for Noon CT on SEC Network.
For all the latest on Mizzou Women’s Basketball, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team @MizzouWBB (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook).
