Missouri women’s basketball was in need of a boost.
After being manhandled by No. 20 Missouri State at home Monday, ball distribution and finishing were two of the main gripes coach Robin Pingeton had.
There’s still plenty left to improve upon, but in a 82-45 dismantling of New Orleans on Wednesday night at Mizzou Arena, the Tigers reminded everyone that they still have plenty of talent at their disposal.
Four Tigers--Aijha Blackwell, Ladazhia Williams, Lauren Hansen and Shug Dickson--scored in double figures as they never trailed against the Privateers. A 17-2 Missouri run to start the game set the tone for the night as it shot 63%, compared to holding New Orleans to a paltry 25%.
In only Missouri’s second game back from a 17-day layoff thanks to COVID-19 issues, Pingeton, while taking a lack of consistent practices into consideration, considered a night like Wednesday to be well-needed for her squad.
“Right now … I think we just need to get games under our belt,” Pingeton said. “We’ve got a lot of kids … that had to sit last year, and so to get them back comfortable on the court and obviously mix in with our returning kids, it’s just to find that chemistry. Getting minutes out there, getting comfortable with each other’s playing style … it just takes time.”
As the game quickly became out of reach, Pingeton experimented with numerous different lineups. All 12 players on Missouri’s roster played as the blowout granted an opportunity to give the Tigers’ core a rest amidst a run of four games in six days. No player was on the floor more than 22 minutes.
Missouri’s backcourt looked much more at ease than Monday night, moving the ball well and getting players in position to score. The Tigers had 22 assists Wednesday — compared to only nine against Missouri State — with Dickson and Mama Dembele leading the way with six each.
But where the Tigers really made their living was inside. Missouri outscored the Privateers in the paint 60-12 while also dominating the rebounding battle 51-25. The 6-foot-4 Williams, a South Carolina transfer, finished a perfect 6-for-6 from the field, with her inside presence often meaning an automatic bucket for many times she touched the ball.
“It’s huge,” Pingeton said of Williams’ contribution. “I think she’s gonna get better and better, too. She really hasn’t played a lot of college ball … She doesn’t have a lot of game experience and I think she’s really special. I feel like she’s a pro or has the potential to be a pro.”
In addition to a previously-scheduled game against Oral Roberts for Saturday, the school announced shortly before Wednesday’s game a matchup with Southern Illinois for 12:30 p.m. Sunday at Mizzou Arena.
Getting another non-conference tilt on the schedule was a priority for Pingeton as a COVID-19 case and contact tracing in the Tigers’ program canceled or postponed four games on the Tigers’ schedule. After calling schools around for a game, Southern Illinois picked up and settled on a date that fit in with Missouri’s Christmas plans.
“So many moving parts,” Pingeton said about the situation. “Trying to get into a rhythm before we get into SEC play I think is really important. Usually, we’re in a Thanksgiving tournament or we go somewhere over Christmas, and so to just kind of emulate what that looks like for a conference tournament down the road, we thought that might be a positive thing.”
The Oral Roberts game is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. Saturday. Those who have tickets to that game can reuse their ticket for the Southern Illinois game, per a release from the school.
