COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Women's Basketball (2-4, 0-0 SEC) defeated SIU Edwardsville (1-5, 0-0 OVC, 68-51, on Sunday afternoon in front of a home crowd at Mizzou Arena. The Tigers recorded their highest field goal-percentage from the field this season, while also holding their opposition to the lowest shooting performance of the season (27 percent).
Senior guard Amber Smith (Shreveport, La.) led the Tigers in scoring with 15 points, the fifth time in six games she has reached the double-figure mark. Junior guard Nadia Green (Chicago, Ill.) set the pace for Mizzou to open the contest, pouring in eight of the Tiger's first 12 points. She would go on to finish with career highs in points (10, rebounds (right) and assists (three).
In the second quarter Mizzou shined on the defensive end, holding the Cougars to just four points, a season-low for a Tiger opponent in a quarter. The defensive efforts continued for Mizzou in the second half, holding SIUE to just 13 points in the third quarter, while they held the Cougars to under 30 percent from the field to finish out the contest.
TURNING POINT
Both offenses were firing early, as the Tigers and Cougars were tied 20-20 at the end of first quarter. However, in the second quarter, the Mizzou defense took over, holding SIUE to just four points to end the quarter with an 11-point lead. On the offensive end, the Tigers were able to speed things up, scoring on multiple fast breaks and nifty passes. Smith led the second quarter charge, scoring four points, while senior forward Hannah Schuchts (Tallahassee, Fla.) and senior guard Jordan Chavis (Lexington, N.C) added three points each. The Tigers didn't look back, securing a 17-point victory.
TOP TIGERS
- Green scored a career high 10 points in the victory, while also leading the team in rebounds and assists, grabbing a career-high eight rebounds and dishing out a career-high three assists.
- With a team high 15 points Smith went 6-for-6 at the free throw line and snagged seven rebounds for the Tigers.
- Freshman forward Hayley Frank (Strafford, Mo.) scored in double digits for the fourth consecutive game, scoring 12 points while collecting four rebounds in 22 minutes of play.
NOTES
- With the victory, Mizzou improves to 6-0 all-time against SIUE.
- Mizzou shot 47 percent from the field, the highest mark this season (26-of-55). The Tigers move to 2-1 when shooting about 45 percent.
- The Tigers held SIUE to a season-low 27 percent (20-of-73) from the field. This is the lowest field-goal percentage since the Tigers held Quinnipiac to 21 percent shooting last season (Nov. 24, 2018). Last season, the Tigers were 6-0 when holding opponents under 30 percent from the field.
- Mizzou also held SIUE to a season-low 51 points.
- The Tiger defense came up big in the second quarter, holding SIUE to just four points. This is the lowest a Mizzou opponent has scored since Mizzou held Auburn to just two points in the first quarter last season (Jan. 27, 2019).
- Mizzou enforced their dominance down low in the contest, outscoring SIUE 44-14 in the paint.
- Junior guard Nadia Green came out firing early, scoring eight of the Tiger's first 12 points. She finished the game with 10 points, a new career high and the first time she has scored in double figures in her career.
- Green also recorded a career highs in rebounds (eight) and assists (three).
- Senior guard Amber Smith blocked three shots in the win, her first game this season with multiple blocks. This is now the eighth time in Smith's career that she has recorded three or more blocks.
- Smith scored 15 points in the game, the 45th time in her career she has reached double figures, and the 27th time in her career she's scored 15+ points.
- With two blocks, senior forward Hannah Schuchts has now recorded multiple blocks in three straight games. She now has 95 career blocks.
- Redshirt sophomore guard Haley Troup dished out two assists in the victory, matching a season high.
- Redshirt freshman forward Brittany Garner scored her first career-points in the third quarter, scoring on a putback layup. She finished the game with eight points.
- With 10 points, freshman forward Hayley Frank recorded her fourth straight game in double digits. Over her last four games, Frank is averaging 14.0 points and 3.8 rebounds per game.
- Freshman guard Aijha Blackwell grabbed five rebounds on the day, matching a career high.
UP NEXT
Next, Mizzou travels to Cancun, Mexico for the Cancun Challenge, where they will face New Mexico and North Carolina. The Tigers tipoff against New Mexico at 3:00 p.m. CT on Thursday, Nov. 28, and against North Carolina at 5:30 p.m. CT on Friday, Nov. 29.
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