University of Missouri
10-5, 0-2SEC
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Mississippi State
17-0, 2-0SEC
No. 17 Mississippi State Rallies Past Mizzou, 53-47
1/4/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
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Morgan Eye tallied her first career double-double Sunday
COLUMBIA, Mo. - Despite a strong defensive outing, Mizzou women's basketball fell to No. 17 Mississippi State, 53-47, on Sunday afternoon (Jan. 4) at Mizzou Arena. The Tigers limited the SEC's top scoring offense to just 53 points on Sunday and it was the seventh consecutive game that Mizzou has limited its opponent to less than 40-percent shooting in a game. Senior guard Morgan Eye (Montrose, Mo.) led the Tigers with her first career double-double, tallying 10 points and 12 rebounds in the loss. Junior Maddie Stock (Town & Country, Mo.) also pitched in a season-high 16 points in the loss. A 19-2 run by the Bulldogs midway through the second half was enough to pull away from the Tigers, who were stingy on defense all day.
Defense has been the Tigers' trademark throughout the season and they used their defense to open a 13-5 lead midway through the first half. The Tigers forced six early Bulldog turnovers and forced them to miss seven of their first nine shots to open the eight-point edge. Eye, known for her 3-point marksmanship, used great off-the-ball cuts to get a pair of wide-open layups to go along with a make from distance as she accounted for seven of the Tigers' first 13 points.
Mizzou's defense continued to be stifling throughout the first half, at one point forcing nine consecutive Bulldog misses while forcing 14 first half Bulldog turnovers, one more than they had Friday night against No. 19 Georgia. Mizzou limited MSU to just 28.6-percent shooting in the first, the seventh time that Mizzou has limited an opponent to less than 30-percent shooting in a first half this season and the third time in four games. Unfortunately, Mizzou struggled offensively as well and MSU closed the half on a 7-0 run over the final three minutes to take a 21-19 lead into halftime.
The Tigers opened the second half on a 5-1 run to gain a 24-21 lead at the under-16 timeout. Mississippi State managed just four points by the under-12 timeout as the Tigers built a six-point lead at 31-25 as they opened the half on a 12-4 run. Eye then drained a 3-pointer to put her into double-figures, giving Mizzou a 34-25 lead while giving Eye her first career double-double.
The Bulldogs responded with a 7-0 run to pull within two at 34-32 by the under-eight timeout. Juanita Robinson nailed a pair of free throws to put Mizzou back on top by four at 36-32, but MSU put together a 12-0 run to take a 44-36 lead. Mizzou attempted to rally, pulling as close as three points late at 50-47 with less than a minute remaining, but Mississippi State hit foul shots down the stretch to seal the win.
Mizzou will be back in action on Jan. 8 at Georgia in an SEC Network+ match at 6 p.m. (CT). For all the latest on Mizzou women's basketball, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on twitter @MizzouWBB.
