Mizzou falls to No. 22 Tennessee and Spoils Kellie Harper's Homecoming

Missouri's head coach and Tennessee alumni and legend suffered a crushing defeat in her return to Rocky Top

Missouri women's basketball guard Grace Slaughter shoots against the Texas A&M Aggies on Sunday, Feb. 9, in Mizzou Arena. /Mizzou Athletics. | Mizzou Athletics

Kellie Harper spent four seasons learning and playing under the late great Pat Summit. She acted as the floor generals for one of the greatest dynasties in collegiate basketball history during her time playing for the Lady Vols. Harper started at the one in the latter two seasons of Tennessee's three-peat National Championship run from 1996-98, the last being the iconic 39-0 undefeated title run.

Across her 20-plus seasons as a head coach at the Division I ranks, Harper has made five separate stops — Missouri marking her fifth and current position. She began her career with runs at Western Carolina, NC State and Missouri State before ultimately returning home to Knoxville in 2019 to become just the third Lady Vols head coach of the modern era.

Harper's tenure spearheading her alma mater came to an abrupt end in 2024 due to postseason struggles, and she was unable to return the team to the glory of her own playing days. Her departure from the program also marked her move from the sidelines to the bench, until she received a call to steer Missouri into a new era of Tigers basketball.

The first season of the Kellie Harper era has surely seen its share of highs and lows. However, Harper's Rocky Top reunion left a mark on the Missouri record book, while appearing as a stain on her own.

Missouri (16-11, 4-8 in SEC) suffered one of the worst losses in program history, falling to Tennessee 98-53 to cap off a night of homecoming and heartbreak.

Still without their lone big, Jordana Reisma, who is missing her third consecutive game, the Tigers were firmly outmatched in virtually every facet of the game. Not only is the loss a crushing blow to an anticipated matchup for the Tigers, but its also all but closes the door on their NCAA Tournament hopes.

It was evident from the get-go, what kind of affair the Knoxville faithful were in store for. The Lady Vols looked to send a message with a hounding full-court pressure to open the game. The Tigers had no solution to breaking through the defense, crumbling under the ppressure.

Tennessee outscored Missouri 29-13 in the opening quarter. It would only get worse from there. The Tigers managed just 5 made field goals in the first, however that would mark their highes total of any period of the game. Misssouri finished the night making a season-low 16 shots.

Despite the team tallying its second lightest scoring total of the year, the duo of Grace Slaughter and Shannon Dowell continued to offer a glimmer for Missouri fans. The two juniors amassed 31 of the team's 53 points on the evening with Slaughter leading the way with 20.

This will be a game to erase from the memories for the Missouri players and coaching staff. The Tigers were dominated in a way that no single thing can be pinpointed as the driving force derailing the team for a blowout loss.

The Tigers could blame the lack of playmaking shown by the 8-assist performance as a team, while the Lady Vols nearly doubled that total. The 21 turnovers certainly did not help, especially considering they finished the game plus 11 in the margin. The size mismatch without Resima was a devastating blow that gave Tennessee an overwhelming advantage in the rebound battle, which it exploited to a 49-30 differential on the glass.

Most egrigious are Missouri's shooting splits. An ice cold night to say the very least, the Tigers' recorded new season worst percentages from the field and beyond the arc. Missouri entered the day as the 14th most efficient three-point shooting squad in the nation. On Thursday, the Tigers shot the deep ball at 4-23 clip while also going a combined 16-54 from the floor.

Not the return that Harper was looking for, but going into Knoxville to knock off the Volunteers is not easy task for even the most stablished dynasties. With four remaining games on the regular season slate, in her first campaign with the Tigers, Harper and Missouri have outpreformed recent season long showings.

Missouri faces a slew of opponants bigger and badder than the Volunteers in upcoming games, facing three top-10 opponants in the final four games. The most winnable of the bunch being the Tigers next outing. Harper and Missouri look to get back on track with strong home showing against Auburn at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday at Mizzou Arena.