Women’s Basketball Welcomes No. 1 South Carolina to Mizzou Arena

COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Women’s Basketball welcomes No. 1 South Carolina to Mizzou Arena at 7 p.m. Thursday. The contest will be broadcast on SEC Network.

Missouri is coming off a loss to Alabama on Sunday.

Five Tigers scored in double figures in the game, led by senior forward Hayley Frank who registered 15 points to go along with seven rebounds.

With the stat line, Frank passed Sharon Farrah to move into fifth on the program’s all-time scoring leaderboard. The senior stands 103 points behind Julie Helm (1996-00) for fourth.

Senior guard Mama Dembele tallied her fourth double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 assists. Dembele ranks first in the SEC and is tied for sixth nationally with 7.0 assists per game and second in the conference with 3.5 steals (sixth in the country).

Freshman Grace Slaughter scored 11 points against Alabama and ranks fourth in the conference among first-year players in scoring at 11.0 points per contest.

Missouri has been efficient at the charity stripe this season ranking first in the SEC at 75.8 percent.

Displaying a high-tempo offense, Mizzou generates a significant portion scoring production from beyond the arc. The Tigers rank second in the SEC in 3-point percentage at 36.0% (39th nationally) and second in the conference at 8.7 (26th nationally).

South Carolina enters Thursday at 14-0 following league victories over Florida and Mississippi State.

In 16 years at the helm of the program Dawn Staley has guided the Gamecocks to five Final Fours and two National Championships.

South Carolina is the only team ranked in the nation’s top 10 in both scoring offense (5th, 90.4 ppg) and defense (8th, 52.1 ppg).

On an individual level, the Gamecocks are led by senior center Kamilla Cardoso and senior guard Te-Hina Paopao who average 13.6 and 12.4 points per game, respectively.

The Gamecocks hold a 9-4 series advantage. Three of Missouri’s wins have come since 2017 including a 70-69 victory over the then No. 1 ranked Gamecocks on Dec. 20, 2021.

The win marks the only Tigers’ only victory over a No. 1 ranked team in program history.

UP NEXT

Missouri will welcome Alabama to Mizzou Arena for the conference home opener at 5 p.m. on Sunday. The contest will be broadcast on the SEC Network.