Women’s Basketball Falls to Vanderbilt on Senior Night

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Despite four Tigers scoring in double figures, University of Missouri women’s basketball fell to Vanderbilt, 68-61, Thursday evening at Mizzou Arena.

Sophomore guard Ashton Judd led Missouri with 15 points on an efficient 6-of-9 clip (66.6 percent) and added four rebounds in the effort. Judd scored eight of her total in the opener on a perfect 3-of-3 shots.

Senior forward Hayley Frank added 14 points, five rebounds, and three assists in her last appearance at Mizzou Arena. The Strafford, Missouri native now stands eight points from becoming the fourth player in program history to score 2,000 career points.

Senior guard Mama Dembele tallied 11 points, six rebounds, seven assists, and five steals in her final performance at Mizzou Arena. Dembele’s defensive effort saw her move to eighth on the program’s career steals list.

Senior guard Abby Feit recorded 10 points and four rebounds in the contest. Feit’s performance was her seventh game in double figures this season.

A pair of seniors opened scoring for the Tigers, as Hayley Frank assisted senior guard Abby Feit for the first basket in the contest. Midway through the frame, Frank buried a triple from the left wing that initiated a 9-2 Tigers’ run that was capped off by a layup by freshman guard Grace Slaughter. Vanderbilt responded with a late spurt to take a 19-15 lead at the end of the first.

Trailing to begin the second quarter, freshman guard Abbey Schreacke knocked down a corner triple to spark the Mizzou offense. The Tigers made an efficient six of their last seven attempts in the stanza to outscore the Commendores 19-11 to close the half. Despite the effort from Missouri, Vanderbilt maintained a 37-36 advantage entering the break.

The Tigers began the second half stout defensively forcing seven Commendore turnovers in the period. Mizzou took advantage of Vanderbilt’s miscues to create an 8-0 scoring charge. During the run, Judd and Frank each knocked down a 3-pointer to bring the Tigers within one. As the frame came to a close, a tough layup by Feit helped propel Missouri to a 48-47 lead going into the fourth.

Vanderbilt found their offense in the fourth, regaining the lead on the Tigers. Despite an offensive push by Missouri, the Tigers were not able to capitalize. Layups by Slaughter and Dembele kept the Tigers within reach, but Vanderbilt converted at the line to secure the victory.

UP NEXT

Missouri will close out the regular season with a visit to Mississippi State at 2 p.m. on Sunday. The contest will be broadcast on SECN+.