After a close first half, an offensive explosion from Mizzou women’s basketball secured the 73-66 win over Bradley in its first game at the Fort Myers Tip-Off.
Both offenses struggled early, as the Tigers led 30-27 at halftime. Mizzou pulled away in the second half, however, with 43 points, and leading by as much as 14 points late in the fourth quarter. Bradley pushed it within striking distance several times, including a 6-2 run to end the game, but Mizzou never trailed in the final 20 minutes.
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The biggest difference simply came on efficiency, as Mizzou shot 53% from the field compared to only 40% from Bradley. These extra eight field goals proved to be the difference maker in the win. Most of those shots came inside the paint, as the Tigers won that battle 38-22.
The top offensive weapon was Grace Slaughter with 19 points thanks to 8-16 shooting from the field and 3-8 on threes. She also collected a new career-high 14 rebounds for her first double-double of the season and the third of her career. She scored the first 14 points for Mizzou in an impressive solo performance in the first quarter.
Chloe Sotell scored her new high as a Tiger with 14 points, all of which came in the second half. Sotell shot 5-10 on field goals and 4-9 on triples. Jordana Reisma and Shannon Dowell were the other Tigers in double-digits, as four Tigers scored 10+ for the second consecutive game.
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Turnovers were once again a struggle for Mizzou. They finished the game with 19 which directly led to 18 Bradley points.
Here’s how the game played out:
Mizzou led 16-15 in the narrowest of leads at the end of the first quarter. Scoring was tough to come by early, as the Tigers saw seven possessions end in turnovers during the opening frame. Mizzou’s saving grace was Slaughter (pun intended), as she scored the first 14 points of the game for the Tigers. She finished the quarter 6-8 from the field and 2-3 on threes while adding a crucial five rebounds. The rest of the team failed to find production early, finishing with two points on 1-7 shooting. The other basket came from Reisma, for those who were curious.
The defenses continued to control the pace in the second quarter, as Mizzou led 30-27 at the half. The Tigers forced the Braves into tough shots, as Bradley finished the quarter 3-16 from the field and 1-8 on two-pointers. In addition Bradley turned the ball over four times during the quarter. Mizzou was much more efficient at 6-15 on field goals. Reisma led the offense this quarter with 5 points on a perfect 2-2 from the field and 1-1 from the line.
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Mizzou’s offense came alive with 24 points in the third to lead 54-47 at the end of the quarter. The Tigers controlled the game out of halftime, going on an 18-8 run in just under seven minutes to force a Bradley timeout as Mizzou held a double-digit lead for the first time in the game. Bradley made four threes after the timeout to help bring the Mizzou lead back to single digits, but the early run helped net a positive quarter for the Tigers. A big part of the offense in the quarter was Sotell’s shooting, with a perfect 3-3 from distance for nine points in the frame. The offensive explosion was a group effort, with six separate players making shots in the quarter.
The Tigers went on a run in the middle of the fourth to secure the 73-66 win. Bradley cut the lead to eight with a pair of FTs with 5:23 remaining, before an 8-2 Tiger run thanks to two triples left the Braves in the dust. Bradley closed the gap to single digits, but it was too little, too late. Dowell had her strongest offensive quarter in the fourth, scoring seven points on 3-3 from the field while adding six rebounds while playing the full frame.
The Tigers conclude the Fort Myers Tip-Off tomorrow with a chance to win the Island Division when they play Northwestern, who beat Abilene Christian in its opening matchup of the event. That showdown takes place at 12:30 p.m. in Fort Myers and is available to watch on Ion through cable television.
