Missouri pretty much had to win today to keep its NCAA Tournament hopes alive. The opponent? The 15th-ranked Florida Gators, in Gainesville.
The Tigers understood the assignment, and an efficient second half highlighted by clutch free throw shooting down the stretch led them to a 78-73 win to close out the regular season. The last 12 points Missouri scored were from the charity stripe.
Without star Aijha Blackwell for the second straight game, and the third in four, the Tigers kept things close through the first 15 minutes. Then Hayley Frank came alive.
The junior scored her first 10 points in a two-minute stretch to end the half, and Missouri took a 29-22 lead into the locker room.
Frank only got hotter in the second half. She finished with 26 points and 10 rebounds after fouling out with a little over two minutes left.
Heading into the SEC tournament next week, Missouri has made its case for a bid. The Tigers finish the regular season 18-11 and 7-9 in the SEC. They’ve beaten No. 1 South Carolina — the only team that can say that — and just beat a projected six-seed on the road.
“I think we’ve been in the conversation,” head coach Robin Pingeton said. “I think getting a NET win on the road like today was huge. I absolutely think we needed it. I definitely think we put ourselves in a position to be in the mix, and I think that’s huge.”
Missouri may be in the tournament regardless of how the SEC tournament plays out, but having Blackwell back could be key. Missouri is 0-5 against ranked teams when Blackwell plays and 2-0 when she doesn’t, but that statistic unfairly represents her value. She leads the conference in rebounds per game (13.9) and is fifth in field goal percentage (48.9%). Her 19 double-doubles in 25 games are good for tied-fifth-most in the nation.
Pingeton didn’t get into specifics, but said there is a “strong possibility” that she, along with Kiya Dorroh and Skylah Travis, will be available for Missouri’s game on Thursday.
With the win, Missouri will likely be a No. 8 or No. 9 seed in the SEC Tournament and will play Arkansas or Mississippi State. The Tigers lost both games to the Razorbacks this season and split the series with the Bulldogs.
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