Columbia, Mo. – The University of Missouri women's basketball team roared out to a big first-quarter lead and never trailed in its 83-36 victory over Omaha Friday at Mizzou Arena. The Tigers advanced to 10-1 on the season, while the Mavericks dropped to 4-5. 

Senior guard Lauren Hansen continued her spectacular December stretch, leading the team with 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting.

The defense ran the show through the first half as the Tigers held the Mavericks to just 12% from the field in the opening two quarters. In the 20 minutes, Mizzou accumulated six steals compared to just three Omaha field goals in the first half.

Mizzou's offense complemented the lockdown defensive effort with a standout shooting performance, the Tigers knocked down 53.1% of their field goals in the first half.

Redshirt junior forward Micah Linthacum (Jefferson City, Mo.) led the Tigers in first-quarter scoring by dropping a career-high seven points on a perfect 3-of-3 shooting from the field in the period.

After the halftime break, Mizzou's offense continued to connect on its shots at a high rate with most of the production coming from the bench. Led by junior guard Sara-Rose Smith (Victoria, Australia), the bench scored 30 of the 39 second-half points as the Tigers surged to their biggest victory of the current campaign.

TURNING POINT

After breaking open the contest with an 11-0 run to start the contest, Mizzou's defense never gave the Mavericks an opportunity to come back in the first half. The Tigers held the Mavericks without a field goal for 11:41 of game action while forcing 14 consecutive missed field goals during that stretch.

TOP TIGERS

• Hansen held a share of the Tigers' scoring lead for the fourth game in a row, scoring 15 points in just 19 minutes of action.
• After just four minutes of action in the first quarter, M. Linthacum (Jefferson City, Mo.) had already set a career high with seven points. She finished the contest with 12 points on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting performance with a pair of threes.
• Junior guard Sara-Rose Smith (Victoria, Australia) earned her second consecutive double-double and her fourth of the season with 13 points and a team-high 12 rebounds off the bench.

UP NEXT

Mizzou has a quick turnaround and hosts Jackson State Sunday at Mizzou Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. and will be broadcast on SECN+ and KTGR. 

For all the latest information on Mizzou Women's Basketball, please visit MUTigers.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Tigers on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.