COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri women’s basketball couldn’t sustain a first-half spark against the reigning national champions and dropped its Southeastern Conference opener to No. 2 South Carolina 83-52 Thursday night at Mizzou Arena.
Junior guard Ashton Judd led the Tigers (11-5, 0-1 SEC) in scoring for the second time this season, tallying 15 points on 5-of-11 shooting to go along with six rebounds and three assists.
Sophomore guard Grace Slaughter added 13 to score double-digit points for a team-leading 14th time this season.
The Tigers grabbed an early 8-6 lead before the Gamecocks embarked on an 11-0 spurt, eventually taking an eight-point lead into the second period.
After trailing by as many as 10 points in the first half, the Tigers got within two of the Gamecocks midway through the second quarter with an 8-0 run on six straight points by Slaughter and capped a layup from Judd.
South Carolina (13-1, 1-0 SEC) regained control with a 9-0 run and took a 36-26 lead into halftime.
At the break, three Tigers’ starters, Laniah Randle (3), Angelique Ngalakulondi (3), and Judd (2) were in foul trouble.
Slaughter opened the second half with a 3-pointer to get Mizzou within eight points of the lead, but just as South Carolina began to pull away, Judd’s 3-pointer from the wing got the Tigers back within single digits, giving her a game-high 14 points.
Despite early foul trouble for three starters, South Carolina closed the third quarter on a 16-3 run, making eight of 10 shots to end the quarter. Sophomore forward Hannah Linthacum’s three-point play three minutes into the fourth quarter stalled the Gamecocks’ run.
Through three quarters, Judd and Slaughter combined for 24 of Mizzou’s 37 points.
Despite the offensive presence from the duo, South Carolina was able to extend its lead in the fourth to claim the victory.
Missouri outshot the Gamecocks from deep, limiting the opposition to just 4-of-15 shooting (26.7 percent), its third-lowest clip from long range this season.
UP NEXT
Missouri travels to Alabama on Jan. 5 for the Tigers’ first Southeastern Conference road trip of the campaign. Tipoff is slated for 2 p.m. and the action will stream on SEC Network+.
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