COLUMBIA, Mo. – Missouri women’s basketball fell to No.16 Oklahoma 82-66 on Sunday afternoon at Mizzou Arena.
Senior forward Laniah Randle and sophomore guard Grace Slaughter headlined Missouri’s (13-14, 2-10 SEC) effort with 12 points each. This game marked Slaughter’s ninth consecutive contest in double figures.
Randle added five boards, a block and a steal to round out her stat line.
With a tight contest in the opening minutes, three Tigers appeared in the scoring column by the first media timeout. Sophomore guard Averi Kroenke secured the opening bucket for the Tigers and quickly followed it up with a steal that led to a breakaway layup.
The opponents exchanged points for the remainder of the first frame, with Oklahoma leading 17-15.
Slaughter led the Tigers with five points going into the second quarter. Neither team separated by more than three points throughout the opening period.
The Tigers came out strong in the second with a quick layup from Randle and back-to-back 3-pointers from Judd and graduate guard De’Myla Brown. After exchanging points, senior guard Nyah Wilson sparked a 6-0 run with a converted and-one layup. Slaughter closed the charge with a clutch 3-point conversion as Missouri took a 29-22 advantage.
With less than three minutes remaining, Randle secured another and-one, advancing the Tigers’ lead to nine, their largest of the contest. Randle scored eight of her 12 first-half points in the second frame.
Oklahoma attempted to inch its way back, but the Tigers maintained their lead, capping the second quarter at 44-40. The output marked the most points Missouri has scored in a half this season during SEC play.
The Tigers shot 75 percent from behind the 3-point line in the second frame.
Slaughter led the Tigers with four points and two rebounds in the third quarter, but Oklahoma was able to climb back into the game and take the lead. The Sooners entered the fourth leading 65-54.
Sophomore guard Abbey Schreake opened the final frame with a 3-pointer to close the gap, but Oklahoma was able to fend off Missouri’s comeback attempts and hold on for the victory.
The contest was tied four times, with both teams taking the lead on three occasions.
UP NEXT
Missouri will be back in the Mizzou Arena to take on No. 8 Kentucky at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. The game will be broadcast on SECN+.
