Women’s Basketball set for Clash with Indiana State

COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Women’s Basketball welcomes Indiana State to Mizzou Arena Thursday night for the second game of the 2023-24 season. The contest will tip off at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on SEC Network+.

The Tigers began the new year with a 71-62 victory over Belmont on Monday.

The Tigers shot 40.6 percent from the field, despite hitting only three of their 21 attempts from behind the arc. Missouri’s potent defense held the Bruins to 33.3 percent from the field and only 19.2 percent from beyond the 3-point line.

Returning starters senior guard Mama Dembele and graduate forward Hayley Frank led the way in scoring as the pairing each scored 15 points. Dembele added five assists, four rebounds, and a pair of steals, while Frank registered five rebounds.

Frank’s 15 points leave her just seven points behind Evan Unrau (2000-04) for eighth all-time in program history.

Freshman Grace Slaughter, Abbey Schreacke and Hannah Linthacum all recorded points in the collegiate debuts. With 10 points and 10 rebounds, Slaughter became the first Tiger since Sophie Cunningham did so on Nov. 13, 2015, against Missouri State.

Thursday night’s showdown with Indiana State marks the third contest between the two programs. Missouri holds a 2-0 record over the Sycamores, with a 77-48 victory for the Tigers in their most recent matchup on Nov. 12, 2016.

Indiana State is led by head coach Chad Killinger who is in his third season leading the Sycamores. He enters his 25th year of coaching and holds a 32-41 (.438) record for his career. Last season he led the Sycamores to six conference wins which is the program’s highest total since 2017-18.

Indiana State enters Columbia following an impressive 85-82 overtime win against Northern Kentucky on Monday to open their season.

The Sycamores are led by sophomore guard Bella Finnegan and senior guard Kiley Bess. Indiana State’s guard pairing played an important part in their victory Monday night, as both scored over 20 points. Finnegan and Bess’s efforts mark the second straight game where the Sycamores have had two 20-point scores.

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