Women’s Basketball Eyes Road Matchup at Auburn

COLUMBIA, Mo. – The University of Missouri women’s basketball team will travel for the first time in nearly a month to take on Auburn in the Tigers’ first SEC road contest. The matchup will tip off at 3 p.m. at Neville Arena and will be broadcast on SEC Network and KTGR.

In its first SEC showdown of the 2022-23 campaign, Missouri overcame an early deficit and held off a late rally to beat Kentucky 74-71 at home. The victory propelled the Tigers to a 12-2 overall record with a 1-0 mark in SEC play.

After the Wildcats took a 19-10 lead in the opening quarter, the Tigers took a commanding lead with a 20-5 scoring run. Missouri held Kentucky scoreless for 5:38 in the second quarter, and the Tigers entered halftime with a nine-point lead.

Kentucky fought back in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 66 with less than four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, but senior forward Hayley Frank (Strafford, Mo.) buried a crucial jumper to beat the shot clock. The Tigers held the lead for the remainder of the game, as the team knocked down 5-of-6 free throws in the closing moments.

Frank led the Tigers with 20 points while tying her season high with six rebounds. Her effort marks the fourth time the preseason All-SEC second team selection has scored 20+ points this season.

Senior guard Lauren Hansen (Long Island, N.Y.) supplemented with a strong performance that included 18 points and a season-high six rebounds. With her scoring output, Hansen’s streak of notching double figures has reached seven games.

Hansen (15.1 points per game) and Frank (15.4) both rank in the top 15 in the SEC in scoring. Missouri is one of just 28 teams in the country with a pair of players who average at least 15 points per contest.

The Tigers also rank among the most efficient offenses in the nation, with the team knocking down 46.6% of its shots, a mark that ranks 23rd in the nation.

The defense played an important role in Thursday’s win, as it racked up 12 steals in the contest. The total is the Tigers’ second-most in a single game this season and represents the fifth time where Missouri has forced 10 or more steals.

Sunday will represent the 16th time in which Missouri and Auburn have faced off. In the all-time series, Missouri leads 9-6 and has won the last two contests. On Jan. 6, 2022, the teams faced off in an overtime affair at Mizzou Arena, with the home Tigers prevailing 72-63.

Auburn enters the contest with a 10-3 overall record with an 0-1 standing in SEC play. In their conference opener, the Tigers dropped a 79-47 decision at Ole Miss to snap a seven-game winning streak.

Head coach Johnnie Harris leads Auburn in her second year in the role. After serving as an assistant coach for 16 years for three different SEC programs, the 2018 WBCA National Assistant Coach of the Year doubled the Tigers’ win total and picked up three ranked victories in her debut season.

Auburn also boasts two scorers who average 15+ points per game, with junior guard Aicha Coulibaly (16.4) and senior guard Honesty Scott-Grayson (15.8) leading an offense that scores 78.3 points per game.

Season tickets for the 2022-23 campaign are on sale now and can be purchased by visiting ticketmaster.com/Mizzou. For more information, call the Mizzou Athletics Ticket Office at 1-800-CAT-PAWS.

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