Mizzou Suffers Blowout Loss to No. 3 South Carolina

On December 30, 2021, Missouri women's basketball did the unthinkable and upset the No.1 ranked South Carloina Gamcocks on a game winner from Lauren Hansen. A half decade removed and the Tigers have yet to replicate the monumental feat. With each passing year and each fresh matchup, the unthinkable seems uncomprehensible. The Gamecocks stand in class above the Tigers who have been stuck in limbo as a program.

That being said, Missouri offered more signs of promise than at any time since last defeating the Gamecocks. A win over Mississippi State on Feb. 1 was the highlight of a three-game SEC winning streak that eventually crumbled with a loss to Georgia on Feb. 8, which the Tigers have not recovered from.

The past three road outings, part of a now five-game skid, are the most jarring and deflating outcomes of the season. Missouri has been outscored by a total of 139 points in games while on enemy soil, matched up with Tennessee, LSU and most recently South Carolina.

Missouri (16-14, 4-11 in SEC) continued its freefall through the conference, adding a resounding defeat at the hands of the Gamecocks to its list of historically lopsided losses occurring as of late, falling to South Carolina 112-71.

"Grace Slaughter already in double figures" is a phrase uttered by commentators on a seemingly nightly basis at this point. The junior Tigers, Slaughter etched her name into history books, cracking the Top-15 all-time scorers list in program history. She quickly cracked the milestone with a signature strong first quarter. In a period where the rest of the roster could not collectively buy a bucket, Slaughter found a way to score at will.

Despite the Tigers' slow start, Slaughter totaled 12 of Missouri's 13 first-quarter points, while surrendering 33 on the opposite end to fall into a deep hole. A scoreless stretch from Slaughter in the second frame did no favors in closing the deficit before the half.

The third quarter, however, offered an offensive outburst for the Tigers. Slaughter made her first field goal since the opening period, draining a deep 3-pointer as part of a 31-point explosion for the Tigers out of the half.

Missouri, a team known for its elite long-range efficiency at times, momentarily found its shooting touch. The Tigers knocked down 7 of their 12 made triples from the game, all in the third period. The sharp-shooting efforts propelled Missouri in the right direction and provided the lone quarter in which the Tigers outscored the Gamecocks, cutting the deficit by three points.

The Tigers' hot hand vanished into thin air, going 1-10 from three in the final frame. South Carolina capitalized by extending its mammoth lead to as much as 41 points by the final buzzer. South Carolina held Missouri to eight points in the fourth quarter.

Slaughter, who was filling in at center for the absent Jordana Reisma, scored a team-high 21 points. She was followed by Jayla Smith (16), Shannon Dowell (11) and Abbey Schreacke (10), all with double-digit scoring nights.

Next up, Missouri will head back home to close out the regular season with a senior night contest with No. 7 Oklahoma at 3 p.m. on Sunday at Mizzou Arena.

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