Missouri (14-9, 2-6 in SEC) earned a must-have conference victory in its matchup against Texas A&M (8-8, 1-6), defeating the Aggies 81-70. In a battle from the slums of the Southeastern Conference standings, Missouri overwhelmed Texas A&M at home, forcing its lowest opponent field goal percentage since Feb. 26, 2023.
In the early going, the Tigers’ veteran leaders helped gain the 11-point edge over the Aggies in the first quarter. Grace Slaughter and Abbey Schreacke, Missouri’s two longest tenured active players, recorded six points apiece in the Tigers’ 21 point performance in the opening frame. Coming off the heels of a rocky shooting night against Ole Miss, its second lowest team percentage of the season at a 34% rate, Missouri shot the ball at a 55% clip to start Sunday’s game.
While the experienced duo captained the early charge against the Aggies, Missouri divided up the scoring load throughout the outing with five Tigers entering double figures. More than a third of their scoring came from its successes at the free throw line.
Advertisement
Missouri drew a total of 27 fouls on Texas A&M, leading to 14 makes from the charity stripe in either half. The constant trips to the free throw line, however, limited the Tigers’ ball movement in the first half. Despite leading 35-25 at the break, Missouri only totaled a single assist across the first 20 minutes of action.
Being able to see some free throws go in early always helps,” Slaughter said. “If you get to two feet, go up strong, maybe you can get an and-one or get to the free throw line which is good for us.”
Out of the half, Missouri once again put its foot on the gas, throttling Texas A&M and growing its lead to as much as 22 points at the 6:32 mark in the 4th quarter.
Advertisement
Jayla Smith provided a spark off of the bench. After battling through missed time and reduced minutes in recent games, she totaled her third highest season scoring total against the Aggies. Smith added 11 of her 15 points in the second half.
“My teammates created for me with my drives and my shots,” Smith said. “Before we started the game, we talked about going in fighting, not backing down, keep our space and staying poised through it all.”
“Jayla getting back to being herself was really important for our team today,” Head Coach Kellie Harper said. “We are at our best when that production is spread around.”
Advertisement
Jordana Reisma, who was limited to just 11 minutes in the game, recorded 7 of her 10 points in the third quarter. Her presence on the floor opened up the offensive attack which dished out seven assists in her stellar frame. Due to foul trouble, Reisma missed the majority of the fourth quarter.
Missouri initially took advantage of its small ball lineup with Reisma on the bench, but Texas A&M offered up a scare for the Tigers, pouring in 30 points in the final period, cutting the deficit to single digits and narrowing the lead to as little as seven points with under a minute remaining. However, Missouri sealed the victory at the free throw line in the closing moments of the game.
“You want them all to be pretty for 40 minutes. It obviously wasn’t pretty for us in particular late,” Harper said. “We did what we had to do to come out of her with the win.”
Advertisement
Slaughter played the role of closer to secure the Tigers’ win. She posted 10 points of her own in the fourth quarter, enroute to a game-high 24 to lead all players.
After the game, Harper mentioned the team’s desperate need for a break. Her team will receive just that this upcoming week with a seven day break until their next outing.
“We’ve gotta rest up. Sometimes it’s the physical rest but sometimes it’s just the mental rest,” Harper said. “It’s been a long time coming to get that bye. It’s coming at a time that we need it. It’s great to go in with a win, it helps your pysche. We can use days off here as much as anything.”
Missouri will return to the road for a crucial matchup in terms of SEC standings, facing off with Mississippi State at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 1 at Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville.
Advertisement
Read More Missouri Tigers News
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/missouri as Mizzou Women’s Basketball Back On Track With Win Over Texas A&M.
