Mizzou Central

Mizzou Earns First Road Win of SEC Play at Mississippi State

The Tigers survived the firework filled showdown in Starkville, with Grace Slaughter stepping up in the closing moments of the game
Brady Shanahan|
Sam Simon/MissouriOnSI

Missouri and Mississippi State went blow for blow, lighting up the floor with rapid action matched with remarkable efficiency through the first three quarters. The deciding fourth and final period deteriorated into a gritty slugfest. The Tigers landed the final blow of the game, raising their fist in victory at the final buzzer, downing the Bulldogs 88-80.

The most important win of the season and the Kellie Harper era so far, a loss would've potentially slammed the door on Missouri's already dim chances of making the NCAA Tournament with an at-large bid. Mississippi State entered the game as a projected nine seed in ESPN's most recent bracketology. This marks the Tigers' first win of the season over a team in the projected field.

In a frenetic start to the day, both teams were seemingly able to score at will, but the buckets were hard to come by with the game on the line. While the Tigers shot the ball at a 65.9 rate through the third quarter, which would have marked Missouri's best shooting performance since Jan. 3, 2019, they only managed to make 5 of 14 shots in the final frame.

Trailing by four points at 3:12 mark in the game, Missouri's regained its rhythm. Grace Slaughter drilled back-to-back triples, the latter dropping to put Missouri ahead with 1:18 remaining in the game. This marked the final lead change in a game that traded the advantage back and forth 20 times.

Across the final three minutes, Missouri embarked on a 14-2 run, highlighted by Slaughter's 8 points as she donned the role of the Tigers' undisputed closer. She totaled 18 points with four made 3-pointers. Though, Shannon Dowell the bulk of the scoring load on the day. She finished with a game-high 21 points to go along with her team-leading 6 rebounds and five assists.

The first half was defined by pace and precision of the Tigers versus the intensity of the Bulldogs. Missouri entered the break, shooting the ball at a 72 percent clip. Mississippi State countered the offensive efforts of the Tigers, utilizing its size and length mismatch to gain a slight advantage.

Mississippi State forced eight Missouri turnovers, which translated to 15 first-half points for the Bulldogs. The two-way efforts paired with a dominant effort on the offensive glass proved to be a difference maker. The Bulldogs grabbed 9 offensive boards, leading to 11 second-chance points in the half.

The Tigers are a live-by-the-three, die-by-the-three type of team; meanwhile, the Bulldogs are tactical in getting to the basket and controlling the paint on both ends of the floor, complemented by outstanding scoring depth.

Entering the day, seven players averaged at least nine points per game for Mississippi State. Trayanna Crisp, the Bulldogs' seventh leading scorer, emerged at the end of the half to put her team ahead.

With the Bulldogs leading by one point in the closing moments ahead of the break, Slaughter forced a Mississippi State miss at the basket. The ball, batted back toward midcourt, was scooped up by Dowell and dumped off to Jayla Smith. She found a wide open Saniah Tyler on the opposite wing. Tyler, who totaled a season-best 12 points on the day, drilled a go-ahead three with eight second remaining in until halftime.

Mississippi State quickly inbounded the ball to Crisp, who raced past half-court and a step beyond the logo before unleashing a long-range buzzer beater, for her third triple of the first half and to send the Bulldogs into the half with the momentum.

Crisp continued to be the driving force for her team out of the break, hitting a career-high six 3-pointers in the game. She finished second on her team in scoring, only bested by Kharyssa Richardson's 21 points.

After some streaky outings beyond the arc to begin conference play, the Tigers have been the excellent from deep in the past two matchups, shooting above 40 percent on 3-pointers in each of the wins. They managed to make 12-26 on Sunday, with Slaughter making four, followed by Abbey Schreacke, who posted 13 points, with three triples of her own.

The victory marked the Tigers' first road win in over a month, dating back to their Dec. 14 win at Saint Louis. Looking as complete as ever, Missouri adds its first quad. 1 win to its tournament resume. Currently ranking as the No. 78 team in the NET, and Mississippi State slotting as the No. 33 team, the Tigers will likely make a jump, breathing life into their NCAA Tournament hopes.

With the back-to-back conference wins, Missouri has matched its highest SEC win total since the 2022-2023 season with eight regular-season games remaining on the schedule. The Tigers will look to retain the momentum on their road trip as they will travel to Arkansas to face the Razorbacks at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville.

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Brady Shanahan
BRADY SHANAHAN

Brady Shanahan is a journalism student at the University of Missouri, and covers baseball and softball for Missouri Tigers On SI. He's from the St. Louis area and has contributed to The Maneater student newspaper, Columbia Missourian, KOMU 8, and KCOU as a beat reporter.

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