Late technical foul dooms Mizzou women vs. LSU
The list of strange ways that Missouri has found to lose a sporting event has grown long over the years. Monday, women’s basketball team's 66-64 defeat to LSU marked a new addition.
Down by as much as 16 points in the fourth quarter, Missouri (5-4) fought back and cut the deficit to a single point. After an Aijha Blackwell 3-pointer with 3.1 seconds left made the score 65-64, coach Robin Pingeton made the motion to call a quick timeout after the bucket.
Except she didn’t have one. And in basketball, calling a timeout when there isn’t one remaining means a technical foul, two free throws and the ball. For Missouri, it meant game over.
“I’ll be honest with you, I’m not into moral victories,” Pingeton said when asked if she felt encouraged by her team's near-comeback. “I think there’s a certain way to play the game, and you got a responsibility for 40 minutes to let it all hang out. ... We got things we’ve got to clean up.”
Problems started for Missouri well before the final seconds. LSU (6-6) surged by the momentum of a big win against then-No. 7 Texas A&M last week, dominated for most of the game and led or tied Missouri for all but 27 seconds. Senior guard Khayla Pointer was dialed in, leading all scorers with 22 points, while the visiting Tigers’ defense forced 20 turnovers.
That was partially a product of LSU coach Nikki Fargas instituting a full-court press for most of the first half. The pressure bothered Missouri’s backcourt and didn’t allow its stars to get going. The home Tigers’ three leading scorers — Blackwell, Hayley Frank and Ladazhia Williams — combined for 51 points in last week’s win over Ole Miss but had a total of nine at halftime Monday (the trio finished with 34 points between them).
“That’s what they do,” Pingeton said. “It’s not just us, they do it to everybody. That’s kind of their DNA. ... If you let them get set up in their matchup zone, which is what they’re known for, (it) can really be challenging.”
But why, then, after over three quarters of being dogged down by LSU’s pressure was Missouri’s offense suddenly able to come alive in the final quarter, where it scored 27 points?
“Million dollar question right there,” Pingeton said.
But when looking at statistics, the home Tigers’ shots began to fall and they both got and made foul shots, while the opposite happened to the visitors. Missouri finished the game making seven of its last eight field goals. Blackwell came alive, scoring nine of her team-high 14 points in the final quarter. Missouri also went 9 for 11 from the free throw line in the final 10 minutes, while LSU shot 27.3% from the field and 8 for 14 from the foul line in the last quarter.
Missouri went on an 18-6 run to get itself back into the game, but ultimately, Pingeton's last-second error doomed the dramatic comeback attempt/
“I think the fourth quarter, our back was against the wall and it was just do or die at that point,” Missouri guard Lauren Hansen, who scored seven points in the fourth quarter, said. “We can’t let the game run away from us on our home floor. So I think we’ve got to come out with that mentality.”
Things don’t get any easier for Missouri as No. 8 Texas A&M visits Sunday. The Tigers were soundly defeated 72-53 by the Aggies last season in College Station.