Hayley Frank Surpasses 2,000 career points, but Missouri Women's Basketball Drops Eleventh Straight
The Missouri Tigers women's basketball team finished the regular season with their eleventh straight loss after Sunday’s 90-75 defeat to the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
Both teams came into Humphrey Coliseum on a combined 15-game losing streak. Right off the bat, it was a scoring flurry from both sides. Sophomore Ashton Judd got hot early for the Tigers, scoring seven points in the first quarter to help the Tigers take a 25-23 lead after the first ten minutes of action, where they shot a blistering 71 percent from the field.
The back and forth affair continued in the second quarter, with both teams trading shots up and down the court. The Tigers and Bulldogs were even in almost every statistical category. Missouri held a slight 40-39 lead at the half. Judd was the Tigers' hottest hand, ending the first half with 13 points.
Hayley Frank hit another Missouri career milestone in the first half. With her nine points, Frank became the fourth Tiger in program history to eclipse 2,000 career points. As she has all season, Frank played physical basketball all over the court. Frank had a knock down three that literally brought her down.
Mississippi State played much of the first half without two of their best players, Jessika Carter and Jerkalia Jordan, due to early foul trouble. The return of Jordan brought a spark for the Bulldogs, who almost looked like a different team. At one point in the third quarter, Jordan scored seven straight points, tying the game at 46-46.
However, the Tigers kept up with the punches. After Jordan hit a three, Frank went back down the court and hit a three of her own. Judd, who finished with 17 points, got in major foul trouble during the third quarter, committing her fourth foul with five minutes left to play.
Once Judd went out, Missouri looked lost. The Bulldogs went on a 13-2 run and led 59-53, their largest lead of the day, with 2:52 remaining in the third quarter. Back to back threes grew the lead to 65-55, leading to a Missouri timeout. Shots that were falling for the Tigers in the first half were not doing the same and Missouri went over four minutes without a field goal. The Tigers were outscored 28-15 in the third quarter.
Once Jordan was able to get back on the court in the second half for the Bulldogs, she was the difference maker. Jordan finished with 22 points, all in the second half.
As usual, the SEC’s assists leader, Mama Dembele, distributed the ball around efficiently to teammates. Dembele finished with 16 points, seven assists, and four rebounds. Frank was also a big part of the Tigers game, finishing the game with a team best 18 points.
With the loss, Missouri finished the season with a 11-18 overall record and 2-14 in conference play. Unless the Tigers miraculously win the SEC tournament, they will miss the NCAA tournament for the fifth straight year.
The Tigers will next play in the SEC tournament in Greenville, South Carolina. Missouri's matchup has not yet been announced, but since the Tigers finished last in the conference, they will be playing on Wednesday, March 6.
