COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Women's Basketball (4-2, 0-1 SEC) dropped its Southeastern Conference opener to Alabama (8-0, 1-0 SEC) on Thursday afternoon at Mizzou Arena. Mizzou had a lead after the first quarter of play and was tied with the Tide at halftime, but the Tigers were outscored 24-15 in the third quarter.

After entering the game with impressive shooting percentages, Mizzou was held to 37.9 percent shooting from the field (22-of-58) and a season-low 20.0 percent (3-of-15) from three.

Turning Point

Thursday's contest was a back-and-forth affair as the Tigers held a one-point lead with 5:30 remaining in the third quarter, but Alabama responded with a 12-0 run to grab an 11-point lead at 56-45. The Tigers were able to cut the lead to four in the fourth quarter but couldn't quite overcome the difference and finish the comeback. In that third quarter, the Crimson Tide outscored Mizzou 24-15 while shooting 8-of-10 from the field and a perfect 7-of-7 from the free throw line.

TOP TIGERS

• Sophomore guard Aijha Blackwell (Berkeley, Mo.) notched her 10^th career double-double with a team-high 15 points and 12 rebounds.
• Redshirt junior forward LaDazhia Williams (Bradenton, Fla.) scored 12 points and had five rebounds.
• Sophomore forward Hayley Frank (Strafford, Mo.) played in a team-high 33 minutes and had 11 points.

NOTES

• Despite the loss, Mizzou still leads the all-time series between the two schools, 7-6. Mizzou is now 2-4 against Alabama in Columbia.
• Mizzou outrebound Alabama, 31-29, marking the fifth time in sixth games the Tigers have outrebounded their opponent.
• Blackwell notched her third double-double of the season and 10^th of her career with team highs in points (15) and rebounds (12).
• Her 15 points marked the 30^th time in her career she has scored in double figures and the 20^th time she has scored 15 or more.
• Blackwell's season-high 12 rebounds mark the third time this season and the 10^th time in her career she has grabbed 10 or more rebounds.
• Williams scored in double figures for the fifth time in six games this season.
• Frank scored in double figures for the fifth time this season and the 25^th time in her career.
• Redshirt senior guard Shug Dickson (St. Louis, Mo.) recorded a team-high five assists, marking the third time in her career she has had at least five assists.
• Redshirt senior forward Shannon Dufficy (Melbourne, Australia) had a season-high three steals, marking the 16^th time in her career she has had at least three steals.

UP NEXT

Mizzou continues with SEC play on Sunday afternoon, as the Tigers hit the road for the first time this season against No. 10 Arkansas. Tipoff from Bud Walton Arena is scheduled for 4 p.m. CT on SEC Network.  

For all the latest on Mizzou Women's Basketball, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team @MizzouWBB (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook).