Dowell Catches Fire from Deep in Tigers' Return Home

Missouri women's basketball made it to Mizzou Arena after after heartbreak in Kansas City

MU Athletics | MU Athletics

Missouri showed few signs of a hangover from its loss to bitter rival Kansas in the Border War matchup in Kansas City. In a rebound from its first loss of the Kellie Harper era, Missouri knocked off the Salukis of Southern Illinois 81-50.

Shannon Dowell typically establishes a presence in the paint with a fierce offensive attack, seemingly capable of scoring at will while absorbing contact. On Tuesday night, she expanded her typical range by about 20 feet.

Entering the matchup with the Salukis, Dowell had yet to make her first three-pointer with the Tigers — she made 4-of-5 from beyond the arc, sinking a new career high in triples. She had not hit a single three-pointer all season, going 0-4 across the first four games for the Tigers.

First bucket of the night 😤 pic.twitter.com/o5rlwbptUj

— Mizzou Women’s Basketball (@MizzouWBB) November 19, 2025

The knockdown shooting night from Dowell translated to the free-throw line. She sank all 10 of her shots from the charity stripe while scoring a game-high 30 points. Dowell's performance also matches her second-best career scoring total while playing just 22 minutes.

While at Illinois State, she scored 30 against Drake in the 2025 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. She followed up that showing with a career-high 37 points in the Women's NIT in a matchup with Troy.

With the first points of the game, Dowell hit a three, signaling a refined scoring effort compared to recent outings. She anchored the Tigers' offense through a gritty first half. Alongside Jordana Reisma, the duo scored 27 points while shooting at a 10-13 clip across the first two frames. While the Salukis only scored 28 points in the opening half, the Tigers entered the break leading by 10 points. A last-second layup from Jayla Smith sent Missouri into the half with a double-digit cushion.

No cushion was needed as the Missouri defense tightened up, and the offense got going as a collective. The fourth quarter was the primary difference maker with the Tigers scoring 28 points in the quarter while holding the Salukis to just 8, winning by 31, its largest margin of victory this season.

Resima followed Dowell in the scoring column, adding 12 points along with four rebounds. Smith reached double digits in scoring for the third time this season, adding 11 while hitting five of her eight shot attempts and grabbing five rebounds. Grace Slaughter was the fourth and final Tiger with double-digit scoring numbers, adding 10 points on lackluster efficiency for her season standards.

Dowell will have an opportunity for a repeat effort when she faces Troy once again, as the Tigers host the Trojans at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday at Missouri Arena.