Illinois Wins Braggin' Rights Over Mizzou Women's Basketball

The Illini thwarted the Tigers' comeback bid, snapping their win streak in the process

MU Athletics

At tip-off, the temperature in Columbia was 32 degrees. However, it may have been colder inside Mizzou Arena, given how the Tigers shot the ball in the early going against Illinois. Missouri missed its first 12 shots while mustering just 2 points with a trip to the foul line. The Illini shot out to a 10-2 lead.

Missouri (9-3) faced an uphill battle from the opening minutes of the contest. The early deficit was the difference-maker, as Illinois secured the 70-62 win, snapping Missouri's five-game winning streak.

Illinois offered a more physical look on the perimeter, offering a suffocating defense, while utilizing its size mismatch in the paint.

Slaughter finally broke the cold spell at the 2:30 mark, recovering her own blocked three-point attempt and finding an open lane to the cup to score the Tigers' first field goal of the night. Dowell followed suit. She grabbed a defensive rebound and went coast to coast to give Missouri some semblance of a rhythm.

Navigating the defense 🐯#MIZ x #OurZou pic.twitter.com/FL8gzaRtn5

— Mizzou Women’s Basketball (@MizzouWBB) December 11, 2025

Considering the nightmarish start on the offensive end, the Tigers escaped the opening quarter trailing by just four points. While they shot the ball at a 3-16 clip, four points at the line were key to keeping the game from getting out of hand.

Missouri's mirage of momentum became a reality in the second period. Jordana Reisma got the Tigers going from deep, cutting into the Illini's lead. Abbey Schreacke shrank the differential to just one point — the slimmest margin since the Illini took the lead a minute and a half into the contest.

JD FOR THREE ‼️#MIZ x #OurZou pic.twitter.com/tdmK9P6Gs3

— Mizzou Women’s Basketball (@MizzouWBB) December 11, 2025

The Illini responded with a 14-5 on the tail end of the first half. However, Lisa Thompson sent Missouri into the break with the final points of the half while she cut the lead to single digits, trailing 34-26.

"This team really wants to win and when coach pulls us in and gives us a good pep speech, we are really receptive to that," Dowell said.

Slaughter echoed her statements about the team's mindset while also mentioning defense often being a spark that triggers an offensive comeback from the Tigers.

Missouri, which had mounted back-to-back second-half comebacks entering Wednesday's matchup, did not back down from the challenge. After making just two 3-pointers across the first two quarters, the Tigers erupted from long range, drilling five shots from deep in the third quarter to reel in their foe.

"She [Harper] had this fiery look in her eye that made me want to run through a wall,' Shannon Dowell mantioned about coach Harper's pep talk. "Real intense."

Grace Slaughter and Schreacke each made two 3-pointers in the quarter while Thompson hit one of her own.

The Tigers' charge was stymied in the final frame, with the Illini keeping them at bay from beyond the arc. Missouri's hot hand disappeared with the team only managing four makes from the field on 12 attempts, including a .167 clip from deep.

Illinois claimed its first victory in the series since 2023. Missouri has not defeated the Illini at home since 2018.

Not that moral victories count on towards a team's record, but the Tigers managed to outrebound the Illini 36-34. Illinois entered Wednesday possessing one of the nation's best rebound differentials.

Slaughter led all Missouri players with 19 points, followed by Thompson who scored a season-high of 11 while adding a team-high 4 assists. Defensively, Jordana Reisma was a force on the interior, totaling 4 blocks for the Tigers.

Next up, Missouri will hit the road, staying in state to face Saint Louis at 2 p.m. on Sunday at Chaifetz Arena. The Tigers are 26-2 all time against the Billikens while splitting the last two matchups.