3/4/2021 basketball Edit

Tigers fall in SEC Tourney opener

Briar Napier

Staff

GET THE INSIDE SCOOP EVERY DAY WITH YOUR PREMIUM SUBSCRIPTION!

Missouri women’s basketball has carried a reputation this season of being a team that plays much better than its record.

The metrics prove so: elite marks nationally in both field goal (48.6%) and 3-point percentage (38.4%). Currently 38th in the NCAA’s National Evaluation Tool (NET) rankings. Five single-digit games with ranked teams. And ahead of their postseason debut at the Southeastern Conference Tournament in Greenville, S.C., the Tigers had a chance to prove it and make a statement toward NCAA Tournament consideration.

That statement did not happen.

No. 7 seed Alabama used a rapid start and surging finish to win 82-74 and send the 10th-seeded Tigers packing in the second round of the SEC Tournament on Thursday, likely dashing what were already-slim hopes of a MU tournament bid with it.

Missouri (9-11) got a career-high 28 points to go with 12 rebounds from super sophomore and All-SEC Second Team nod Aijha Blackwell. But a more balanced barrage from the Crimson Tide — which had five players score in double figures — propelled them to tomorrow’s quarterfinal round against No. 2 seed South Carolina.

Meanwhile, Missouri awaits the fate of what’s next, its destiny no longer in its own hands.

“Not good enough,” Missouri coach Robin Pingeton said. “I just felt like our first and fourth quarter really hurt us quite a bit. But to me, it was all about our defense. I just thought there was some breakdowns with our communication. You’ve got to be able to guard 1-on-1 better than what we did tonight.”

Alabama (16-8) rocketed out to as much as a 13-point lead in the first half, with an 83% first quarter field goal percentage the main reason why. Tide junior guard Hannah Barber, who entered Thursday averaging 5.7 points per game, had 11 by halftime, while leading scorer and WNBA Draft prospect Jasmine Walker held steady behind with nine points.

But the Crimson Tide’s lead at halftime was just 40-34 despite that as the shooting cooled off and Missouri established a shooting presence of its own, knocking down six 3-pointers. Then Blackwell decided to turn her game up a notch.

Blackwell had a career-high, but it wasn't enough to keep Mizzou alive in the tournament (MUTigers.com)

Blackwell exploded for a 13-point third quarter, going on a 7-0 run by herself to give the Tigers their first lead at 51-50 with 2:52 left in the quarter. She had her 13th double-double of the season well before the final quarter while the Tigers locked up Walker, who had just two second-half points.

“We just knew that the game wasn’t going anywhere,” Blackwell said. “We were still in it. We tried to pick up the intensity on defense, because we noticed where we struggled in the first half.”

Tied at 57 heading into the final 10 minutes, Missouri’s improved play didn’t continue.

The Crimson Tide shot 70% from the field in the final quarter compared to the Tigers’ 31.3%, with MU going on a brutal 1-for-10 shooting stretch to close the game. Ariyah Copeland’s and-1 with 3:11 to play for Alabama put the Tide up by more than one possession and the Tigers didn’t sniff the lead again, not helped by the fact they went 0 for 5 inside the arc in the final quarter.

“You just got to start how you finish,” Blackwell said. “That’s my thing. I don’t think we came out with a lot of intensity that we could have.”

It’s up to postseason selection committees that decide where Missouri plays next. Whatever that game is, it won’t be in Columbia.

The Women’s National Invitational Tournament, the Tigers’ most likely destination, will feature this season a 32-team field held in four cities — Charlotte, N.C., Memphis, Tenn., Fort Worth, Texas and Rockford, Ill. Teams don’t need to be above .500 to participate and selection criteria include “strength of schedule, record against Top 100 teams, COVID-related factors and team performance in the final 10 games.”

If invited, Pingeton and Blackwell both expressed excitement about playing more postseason basketball. How far the Tigers go with that idea is solely up to them.

“I hope we get into the WNIT, I’m not ready for this season to be done yet,” Pingeton said. “If we can’t be in the NCAAs — and that’s certainly where we want to be, that’s the standard for this program — if this is a WNIT year, then by golly, let’s try and go get a banner.”