Mizzou Women's Basketball Braves the Storm in Fort Myers

The Tigers picked up their second straight win with a close battle on Day 1 of the Fort Myers Top-Off

Feb 8, 2024; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; Missouri Tigers guard Grace Slaughter (0) attempts a three-point basket against the South Carolina Gamecocks in the second half at Colonial Life Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-Imagn Images | Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

Missouri (6-2) claimed a victory over Bradley on the opening day of the Fort Myers Tip-Off in Florida. The Tigers eeked out the win over the Braves, 73-66, in a back-and-forth battle.

Grace Slaughter had the green light to take over from the jump, accounting for 14 of Missouri's first-quarter points. She shot a blistering 6-8 from the field in the opening frame. The rest of the Tigers combined for a 1-7 shooting clip in the first.

For the Braves, matching Slaughter's hot start was Maya Foz. She knocked down all three of her first-quarter triples and finished with 11 points in the period. Both stars were held in check across the following 30 minutes of action. Slaughter and Foz each tallied five more points in the remaining three frames.

Slaughter led all Tigers in scoring with 19 points while also securing her first double-double of the season — her third time achieving the milestone in college. She grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds, controlling the outcome of the game through domination on the glass. The Tigers overwhelmed the Braves in the rebound battle with Slaughter's 14, single-handedly turning the tide in favor of Missorui for a 44-30 differential.

Four of the Tiger's startig-five posted a double digit scoring night. Chloe Sotell, who made just her second ever start for the team, followed Slaughter with 14 points of her own. Sotell, a microwave style scorer, caught fire in the second half. She went three-for-three from beyond the arc in the third quarter.

Sotell's shooting out of the break sparked a key run for the Tigers. While leading by just one point in the early moments out of halftime, Shannon Dowell extended the narrow margin with a two-point bucket at the rim. Sotell followed up by firing a 3-pointer in transition off a feed from Abbey Schreacke. The energized Tigers marched forward on a 16-4 run in the defining stretch of the game — the scoring barrage culminated in the largest single-quarter point differential of the day, four points.

The Braves fought valiantly to recover from the lapse, closing the gap to as few as five points in the final frame, but the Tigers persisted and claimed their second straight victory.

Adding onto Slaughter's career night on the glass, Sotell produced her highest scoring output since joining the Tigers, totaling 14 points. Jordana Reisma played a vital role on the interior. She added 13 points along with seven rebounds and a team-high five assists. Dowell added 11 points and seven boards of her own on a 5-6 clip.

Missouri entered the contest among the most frequent free-throw shooting teams in the nation, averaging over 17 made free throws each night. The matchup with the Braves offered something different, with a lack of trips to the foul line. The Tigers only made two of their five shots from the charity stripe. Instead of drawing contact when attacking the basket, Missouri let it fly from deep. With Salguhter and Sotell primarily playing the roles of the marksmen, Missouri shot 39% from long range on 23 attempts.

Up next, the Tigers will stay in Fort Myers in a day two matchup with Northwestern at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday at the Sun Coast Credit Union Arena. The Wildcats remained undefeated with a 62-59 win over Abilene Christian on Friday, improving to a 6-0 record.