OXFORD, Miss. – After an 10-day layoff, Mizzou Women's Basketball (5-3, 1-2 SEC) returned to action in impressive fashion, picking up its first Southeastern Conference and first road win Thursday, 85-77, over Ole Miss (7-3, 1-3 SEC). The Tigers were led by a furious second-half performance from sophomore forward Hayley Frank (Strafford, Mo.), who scored 21 of her team-high 23 points in the game's final 20 minutes.

Frank led a host of Tigers to score in double figures, as five scored in double figures for the second consecutive game and third time this season. Sophomore guard Aijha Blackwell (Berkeley, Mo.) led the charge early, scoring 15 points while dishing out a team-high five assists. Joining the sophomore duo in double figures was redshirt junior forward LaDazhia Williams (Bradenton, Fla.) with 13 points, redshirt senior guard Shug Dickson (St. Louis, Mo.) with 11 and redshirt senior forward Shannon Dufficy (Melbourne, Australia) with a season-high 10 points.

Turning Point

Mizzou led for all but 40 seconds in the game but had to hold off a second and third quarter charge from the Rebels. The Tigers saw their 12-point second quarter lead evaporate to two behind halftime, 41-39 at the break. In the third quarter, Mizzou was able to regain an eight-point advantage, but Ole Miss responded with a 10-2 run to tie the score at 53 with 1:47 remaining. From there, it was Mizzou's turn to respond as the Tigers scored nine straight points in the period's final 95 seconds to take a nine-point lead into the fourth quarter. Frank provided the momentum heading into the game's final frame, as her three-pointer beat the buzzer to end the period and give Mizzou a 62-53 lead.

Top Tigers

• Frank led the team in scoring for the second time this season with 23 points while shooting a highly-efficient 7-of-10 from the field, 5-of-8 from three and 4-of-4 from the free throw line. She also had a team-high seven rebounds and had three assists.
• Blackwell scored 15 points and filled the stat sheet with six rebounds and a team-high five assists.
• Williams scored 13 points, her seventh game in double figures, while adding two blocks.

Notes

• Mizzou had five players score in double figures for the second consecutive game and the third time overall this season.
• Mizzou shot 56.6 percent (30-of-53) from the field in the game, marking the sixth time in eight games the Tigers have shot 50 percent or better from the field. Mizzou continues to lead the SEC in field goal percentage, checking in at 52.4 percent (242-of-462) for the season.
• Mizzou shot 47.4 percent (9-of-19) from the three-point line, its second-best mark from deep this season, trailing only its mark of 69.2 percent (9-of-13) against Southern Illinois (Dec. 20).
• The Tigers sank 81.0 percent of its shots from the free throw line (17-of-21), marking the fifth time this season Mizzou has been successful on 75 percent or more of its shots from the charity stripe.
• Mizzou outrebounded the Rebels, 36-34, the seventh time in eight games this season Mizzou has outrebounded its opponent.
• Frank led Mizzou in scoring for the second time this season with a team-high 23 points. It is her second 20-point game this season and the fifth of her career.
• Frank sank a season-best five three-pointers in the game and is the first Tiger to make five threes since she made five against Vanderbilt last season (Feb. 20, 2020).
• Blackwell scored 15 points in the game, marking the third straight game she has reached 15 points while she continues her streak of scoring in double figures in every game this season.
• The Tiger sophomore also had a season-high five assists, marking the sixth time in her career she has had at least five assists.
• Williams scored 13 points for her seventh game in double figures this season. She also made 7-of-10 shots from the free throw line in the game, moving to 15-of-20 from the charity stripe in her last two games.
• Dickson scored 13 points to record her fifth game this season and 31^st career game in double figures.
• Dufficy scored a season-high 10 rebounds to record he 49^th career game in double figures.

Up Next

Mizzou will be back in action on Monday, Jan. 18 against LSU. Tipoff from Mizzou Arena is slated for 6 p.m. CT on SEC Network. The game will serve as Mizzou's We Back Pat game, honoring legendary Tennessee Lady Volunteer Head Coach Pat Summitt.

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