Mizzou women's basketball outplayed by Arkansas in 83-73 loss, snapping 5-game win streak
Missouri women's basketball's 9-0 record at home remains pristine, but the Tigers' struggles against Arkansas dropped them to .500 on the road.
The Razorbacks surged ahead by double digits over the Tigers and claimed their first Southeastern Conference win of the season, defeating Missouri 83-73 in Fayetteville on Sunday afternoon.
Missouri cut the Razorbacks' lead to just nine at the start of the fourth quarter, but Arkansas didn't allow the Tigers to claw any closer than that.
"Arkansas outplayed us," Missouri coach Robin Pingeton said.
To make matters worse, MU forward LaDazhia Williams left the game in the first half with what Pingeton said was a groin injury and did not return. Williams keyed the Tigers' win over Auburn on Thursday, and Pingeton said she didn't have any update on Williams after the game.
More: What we learned from Mizzou women's basketball's 72-63 overtime win over Auburn
Hayley Frank led Missouri with 22 points, as four Tigers scored in double figures. Aijha Blackwell, back in the starting lineup after coming off the bench against Auburn, recorded her 11th double-double of the season.
That wasn't enough to keep Arkansas from building a healthy lead, which reached 20 points at one point in the first half.
Pingeton's motion offense struggled to get going in the post, especially after Williams left the game. And the defense allowed Arkansas 47 first-half points.
Missouri improved in the second half, increasing its field-goal percentage from 35% in the first half to 44% at the end of the game.
"That first half was pretty challenging on both ends," Pingeton said. "It ended up being a pretty good second half."
Missouri switched its defense near the end of the game to a full-court press to try to force some turnovers as a last-minute effort to get back into the game. The Razorbacks held strong.
Arkansas scored 28 second-quarter points, as Missouri struggled to slow the Razorbacks on both ends of the floor.
Missouri's defense struggled to keep its assignments in the second quarter and allowed Arkansas to shoot 64.7% from the floor and 66.7% from 3-point range in the period.
"(Arkansas) gets their energy by their 3-ball," Pingeton said. "They got downhill on us quite a bit."
Missouri was still without guard Haley Troup, who missed her second straight game. Pingeton said her veteran presence, especially defensively, was missed Sunday.
"She's a vet," Pingeton said. "She's got the best assist-turnover ratio on the team."
Pingeton said she hopes Troup will be ready to play Thursday against No. 13 LSU.
More: What we learned from Mizzou women's basketball's 72-63 overtime win over Auburn
Guard Mama Dembele was a bright spot on the afternoon, as she finished second on the team with 16 points and shot 3-for-3 from beyond the arc.
"Her confidence continues to build," Pingeton said. "That's really encouraging to see."
Missouri's schedule doesn't get any easier. LSU, coached by first-year coach Kim Mulkey, looms. LSU has outperformed some expectations and rocketed into the national rankings at 14-2.
Pingeton said she wants to see the Tigers communicate more on defense and in dead-ball situations, something for which she commended her team after defeating Auburn.
"I hate it when it feels like a team is grittier than us," she said after Sunday's loss.
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: Mizzou women's basketball loses road game at Arkansas, 83-73
