Everyone knows about Hayley Frank and Aijah Blackwell, but improvement for the Tiger women's basketball team this year is supposed to come from increased and improved depth.
Thursday’s 76-70 win over Murray State didn’t showcase as much of that talent as we might have expected, but there were flashes. Of course, on a night where Blackwell's 21st career double-double with 19 points and 15 rebounds led the way, the supporting cast wasn't carrying too much weight.
Freshman Izzy Higginbottom came out strong in her debut with nine first-half points in 14 minutes and played over half the games’ minutes. But freshman Kiya Dorroh, a flashy recruit out of Arizona, played for just four minutes. Freshman Sarah Linthacum didn’t see the floor.
It’s partly due to the fact that Missouri had to work hard for this win — certainly harder than it would have hoped. It took the Tigers’ starting lineup to put the game to bed in the game’s final minutes.
The freshman class is diverse in position group, but the position most glaringly important this year will be the post. We didn’t learn much about that potential on Thursday either.
Redshirt senior LaDazhia Williams is the clear go-to big, but she’s about it at the moment. Sophomore Jayla Kelly only just returned to practice a week ago from injury, and besides redshirt sophomore Micah Linthacum, everyone else that has true size is new to the team.
“Micah is coming along,” head coach Robin Pingeton said. “When Jayla gets back, she’ll bring a different kind of presence for us.”
Freshman forwards Skylah Travis and Da’Necia Trusty are both injured too, Pingeton said. Once they’re back, it should help the Tigers a lot.
But then again, they’ve never played in a Tiger uniform before. Until they play meaningful minutes in live games, it’s hard to judge whether or not this team really has support for Williams.
Williams played only 15 minutes, still recovering from knee surgery in the offseason. She will play a huge role for the Tigers this season, and Pingeton is confident that she can step up throughout the year.
“Day [LaDazhia Williams] is gonna be just fine,” Pingeton said. “She’s been back with us for three weeks. It hasn’t been that long, so for her to have the timing that she does right now, after being out six months, I mean, that’s pretty impressive right there. She’s a big-time player and I think she’ll just continue to elevate.”
Elsewhere, Higginbottom is an important piece in the Missouri offense. She shared minutes with sophomore Mama Dembele, and when they were on the floor together it really opened up Higginbottom’s, and, in turn, Dembele’s game.
Dembele exploded for 13 points, a career high. She earned lots of minutes last season, but was more of a facilitator on offense rather than a scoring threat. On Thursday, she was more aggressive and drove into the paint more, thanks in a large part to Higginbotham’s ability to draw defenders when they were on the court together. Dembele added a 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter to help seal the win — it came immediately after drawing a charge to give Missouri the ball. Dembele did a lot more than score, though. She hadded four steals, three rebounds, two assists and blocked a shot.
If Williams goes down again, or even has a slower recovery than expected, Missouri will need its more inexperienced bigs — Micah and Sarah Linthacum, Skylah Travis and Jayla Kelly — to step up.
The point guard play for Missouri was strong when it needed to be. Hayley Frank didn’t have her best shooting night and made just one 3-pointer, but still managed 14 points in the win. Others like Higginbottom, stepped up from beyond the arc. Her three threes accounted for all nine of her points. That’s the kind of depth that will be needed if Mizzou is to bounce back from the last couple of disappointing seasons.
Murray State shot the ball well--51% from the floor and 46.7% from three-point range--and stuck with the Tigers the entire way. Missouri did have several defensive breakdowns with slow rotation and difficulty rebounding at times, but those are things that can be corrected. A win is a win, and Missouri is 1-0. The Tigers will host Morgan State on Sunday.
