MO State HS Sports

Women’s Basketball Falls to Tennessee

Women's Basketball Huddle

COLUMBIA, Mo. – The University of Missouri women’s basketball team (14-6, 3-4 SEC) came up short in its comeback effort against Tennessee (16-6, 8-0) as the Tigers fell, 68-65, Sunday at Mizzou Arena.

Senior forward Hayley Frank (Strafford, Mo.) led Missouri with a season-best 26 points, while junior center Jayla Kelly (Chesterfield, Mo.) set a career high with 14 points along with nine boards.

Tennessee opened the game with strong shooting efforts, though Mizzou maintained a close deficit with Kelly’s assistance. She opened the scoring with a layup off a pump fake, then corralled an offensive board and finished through contact a few possessions later. On the defensive end, Kelly drew a charge to prevent a Lady Vols scoring opportunity.

After Mizzou held Tennessee’s lead to four with a 6-0 run, the Lady Vols bolstered their lead with a 7-0 run of their own to hold the advantage after the opening period.

In the second quarter, the Tigers outscored their opponents 13-10 to keep the deficit within single digits. Following the Lady Vols efficient shot-making in the opening period, Mizzou held them to their lowest second-quarter scoring output this season.

The Tigers continued their comeback out of the halftime break, snatching their first lead of the contest with an 8-0 run that culminated with a corner three from Frank. After securing the 37-35 edge, the Tigers held onto the lead while bringing their advantage up to five. On the defensive end, Mizzou kept the Lady Vols without a field goal for 3:39.

Even as the Tigers outscored the Lady Vols 20-18 in the third, Tennessee countered with an 11-0 run to hold a four-point lead heading into the final quarter.

In the final period, Mizzou held the advantage in scoring for a third consecutive quarter, besting Tennessee 18-17 in the period. The Tigers built a five-point lead with under a minute left in regulation, though the Lady Vols retook the lead as the game drew to a close.

Missouri shot 44.1 percent from the field with a 7-of-20 (35.0%) from 3-point land. The Tigers also knocked down 85.7 percent of its free throws. Tennessee made 48.3 percent of its field goal attempts while shooting 5-of-14 (35.7%) from beyond the arc.

TURNING POINT

Tennessee reclaimed its lead with an 8-0 run to close out the game, clinching the contest with a layup plus the foul in the final seconds.

TOP TIGERS

  • Frank scored 26 points, marking the sixth time this season the senior has notched 20+ points in a game. She supplemented her scoring with three boards and a trio of assists in a season-high 39 minutes.
  • Kelly fell one rebound short of a double-double, pitching in 14 points and nine boards in a career-high 26 minutes of game time.
  • Freshman guard Averi Kroenke (Columbia, Mo.) came through off the bench to tie her career-high seven points while setting career highs with five steals and 33 minutes of action.

GAME NOTES

  • Tennessee extends its all-time series lead with Mizzou, holding a 14-3 advantage over the Tigers, including a six-game win streak. The Lady Vols remain as one of just three teams in the SEC to maintain an undefeated record.
  • The Lady Vols shot 10-of-15 in the first quarter. Their 66.7% field goal percentage was the most the Tigers allowed in an opening quarter all season.
  • The Tigers held Tennessee to just 10 points in the second quarter, marking the lowest second-quarter production of the season for the Lady Vols.
  • Kelly’s 14 points marks a career high for the center, eclipsing her previous high of 13 set against Bradley on Nov. 10.
  • Kroenke grabbed five steals in the contest, the most this season by a Tiger. She also tied her career high in points in the contest, contributing seven, and set a career high in minutes played with 33 in the loss.
  • Frank pitched in 26 points on the day, eclipsing the 20-point mark for the 20th time in her career. The mark also sets the single-game high for a Tiger this season.
  • The Tigers dished out 16 assists in the contest, their most in SEC play this season.
  • Mizzou knocked down 6-of-7 (85.7%) from the charity stripe, marking its third consecutive game of shooting over 85 percent from the line. The last time the Tigers accomplished that feat was between Feb. 24 and March 3, 2022.

UP NEXT

The Tigers travel to Athens, Ga. to take on Georgia at Stegeman Coliseum on Thursday. Tip off is scheduled for 6 p.m., and the contest will be broadcast on SECN+ and KTGR.

For all the latest information on Mizzou Women’s Basketball, please visit MUTigers.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Tigers on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

This article is provided by University of Missouri Athletics