3 reasons why Mizzou women's basketball's loss to Mississippi State was puzzling

As Caterrion Thompson hit her seventh 3-pointer to put Mississippi State up 13 points, she put the final dagger in the Missouri women's basketball team Thursday night.

That cemented an upset where one team outshot the other from the perimeter and took care of business.

It wasn't the Tigers, as the short-handed Bulldogs dispatched Missouri 77-62, a result that was as puzzling as it sounds.

Mississippi State led Missouri by 17 points at one point in the second half before the Tigers cut their deficit to nine. That was the closest Missouri would get in the fourth quarter.

More: What we've learned about Mizzou women's basketball so far in SEC play

The Bulldogs' barrage finally ended when the final buzzer sounded.

Here's why Missouri's loss at Mississippi State on Thursday was so puzzling:

1. Complete role reversal

Usually, Missouri is known as the team that shoots a plethora of 3s. On Thursday, that was Mississippi State.

The Bulldogs, one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the SEC, were shooting from the hip. And they, somehow, were making those shots.

Mississippi State inexplicably made 10 3-pointers in the first half and finished the game making 14 of 27 from beyond the arc.

Some of the shots were open due to late closeouts or some rotational issues, but others were just shooter's rolls. One of MSU's shots hit iron, flew way up in the air and fell through the hoop.

That's just bad luck. Regardless, Mississippi State kept making baskets. After the game, Missouri coach Robin Pingeton gave credit to the Bulldogs for making shots consistently.

She also wanted to make it clear the Tigers were taking ownership of the struggle to defend at the perimeter, and that the team could have performed better.

To make developments even more strange, Mississippi State was without its leading scorer in Rickea Jackson, who announced she was entering the transfer portal mid-season.

Anastasia Hayes scored 27 on the night and was extremely efficient from the floor.

2. Missouri's difficult offensive night

There aren't many times when a team shoots over 50% for the majority of the game and has a bad offensive night.

That's what the Tigers had Thursday.

Missouri wasn't overpowered by Mississippi State. That's what happened against Arkansas and Missouri State. Instead, the Tigers had self-inflicted errors that sunk them all night against a team that had nothing to lose.

Missouri committed 20 turnovers, which led to 24 points. Combined with hot shooting from Mississippi State's best players, there was little way MU could fight back.

The Tigers ended up shooting 45% from the floor and outrebounded the Bulldogs 34-22. Missouri still had 53 field-goal attempts, the same as Mississippi State.

Pingeton said she didn't dislike the offensive output the Tigers had Thursday, but that it could have been much better. Turnovers aside, Pingeton said MU could have set stronger screens, read the defense more effectively and created more separation on their screens to open up more looks for the Tigers' shooters.

Missouri would've had more shots all game had it not turned the ball over as much. Turnovers, an issue that Pingeton and Co. had improved, reared their head.

3. Missouri's loss fits on a weird night in the SEC

No. 1 South Carolina blew away No. 24 Ole Miss 69-40 Thursday evening. Missouri lost to a struggling Mississippi State team.

South Carolina is back to reigning supreme. That's such a stark contrast from where the SEC was after Missouri upset South Carolina at Mizzou Arena in late December.

However, MU's loss wasn't the only notable SEC defeat Thursday. No. 5 Tennessee lost to Auburn, while No. 12 LSU lost to Arkansas. The Volunteers lost just hours after earning a No. 1 seed in the first NCAA Tournament women's bracket seeding reveal.

Sometimes, it's just not your night, but Thursday was proof that Missouri can't take anyone for granted.

That was the same lesson the Gamecocks learned in their loss to the Tigers: Just because a team is short-handed doesn't mean it'll provide an easy win.

Mississippi State has the reputation of being a solid program. It's one that was consistently playing for Final Fours and national championships. The Bulldogs played with that resolve Thursday. Missouri did not.

Now, the Tigers have to prove they belong among the best in the conference again.

Chris Kwiecinski is the sports editor for the Columbia Daily Tribune, overseeing University of Missouri and Boone County sports coverage. Follow him on Twitter @OchoK_ and contact him at CKwiecinsk@gannett.com or 435-414-3261.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: 3 reasons why Mizzou women's basketball loss to MSU was puzzling