Box Score |
Quotes |
Notes |
Photo Gallery 
Jordan Frericks and Mizzou held CU to 17 points in the second half
COLUMBIA, Mo. - Down by as many as 15 points in the first half, Mizzou women's basketball rallied to defeat Colorado, 53-50, on Friday night (Dec. 12) at Mizzou Arena. The win improves the Tigers to 7-2 on the season and extends their home nonconference winning streak to 20 consecutive games. Mizzou held Colorado to just 17 points in the second half as it completed the comeback.
Sophomore Jordan Frericks (Quincy, Ill.) was huge down the stretch and she led the Tigers with 10 points on Friday. Classmate Kalya McDowell (Cincinnati, Ohio) also pitched in 10 points and senior Morgan Eye (Montrose, Mo.) added nine points, all coming on a trio of 3-pointers. Defense was the name of the game as the Tigers limited Colorado to 21.7-percent shooting in the second half and out-rebounded the Buffalos, 40-35. The Tigers closed the game on a 7-0 run over the final 2:03.
Mizzou used a barrage of five 3-pointers to begin the game, the fifth of which came from Eye, giving Mizzou an early 17-16 lead. Five of the Tigers' first six field goals were from distance, but six Mizzou turnovers led to six Colorado points as the Buffaloes held tough despite the strong shooting display from the Tigers. The Buffaloes gained an 18-17 lead with nine minutes remaining in the first half. The lead stretched to five points at 22-17 as Mizzou missed its next six shots following Eye's 3-pointer.
Freshman Bri Porter (Columbia, Mo.) knocked down a key bucket to end nearly a four-minute scoring drought and pull Mizzou back within three at 22-19. But that was the only points for Mizzou in what was a 17-4 run for Colorado to end the half, giving the Buffaloes a 33-21 lead going into the break. Porter scored all four Tiger points in that span, including a layup with 24 seconds remaining the in the half. Mizzou went 6:22 without scoring between those two Porter baskets.
Six different Tigers scored in the first half, led by six from Eye. The difference in the first half was Colorado's play down low as the Buffaloes outscored Mizzou, 14-4, in the paint in the opening frame. Mizzou also connected on just 8-of-30 shots in the first half (27-percent).
Despite getting outscored in the paint in the first half, Mizzou seemed to make a conscious effort to get the ball inside to open the second half. Frericks connected on a smooth turnaround jumper in the lane and on the next possession they went right back to the paint as McDowell drew a foul and hit a free throw to cut into the CU lead. The increased paint presence led to a wide-open look for Eye from distance as she connected on her third triple of the night to pull Mizzou within nine at 38-29.
The lead stayed a nine points until a nifty move from McDowell led to a layup to draw the Tigers within seven at 40-33. It was Mizzou's seventh and eighth points in the paint in the half alone after having just four in the first. McDowell then finished another strong drive with a layup to pull the Tigers within five at 40-35 at the under-12 timeout.
Following the timeout, Frericks did more damage in the paint, completing a three-point play to pull the Tigers within two a 40-38 and she then hit a pair of free throws to tie the game. Mizzou took the lead on a pair of free throws from Morgan Stock (Town & Country, Mo.) at 42-40.
Colorado then rallied to take a 48-46 lead and despite several chances to tie the game, Mizzou could not draw even, going 4:43 without scoring since a Frericks free throw at the 6:46 mark. Colorado then hit a pair of free throws to go on top, 50-46. Junior Juanita Robinson (Chicago, Ill.) then came up with her first bucket of the night, and it was a big one as she nailed a wide-open 3-pointer to pull Mizzou within at 50-49.
Robinson then made another huge play to help Mizzou secure a defensive board as she sprinted and dove after a loose ball and flipped it to Maddie Stock (Town & Country, Mo.) who was then fouled and hit both free throws to give Mizzou a 51-50 lead. The Tiger defense held tough from there and a pair of free throws clinched the Tiger win.
Mizzou will be back in action on Sunday when it takes on Northern Illinois on the SEC Network. For all the latest on Mizzou women's basketball, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on twitter @MizzouWBB.