COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou women’s basketball completed a 19-point comeback to earn a 91-88 overtime victory over Howard in its season opener on Monday night at Mizzou Arena.
Sophomore guard McKenzie Mathurin led Mizzou with a career-best 29 points. Mathurin completed her stat line with five rebounds and two assists.
Freshman forward Khloe Ford recorded her first collegiate double-double, with 15 points and 15 rebounds.
Sophomore guard Navaeh Caffey tallied 17 points and nabbed three steals for Missouri.
Ford got the Tigers’ offense going early with a pair of baskets in the paint. As the teams traded early scoring, senior guard Abbey Schreacke pushed Mizzou to a slight advantage with a triple from the left wing.
With Mizzou trailing by 11, a 3-pointer from Mathurin sparked a 6-0 run for the Tigers down the stretch of the first quarter. A steal by fifth-year Tanyuel Welch accelerated the scoring charge and cut into the deficit.
Mizzou carried the momentum into the second quarter as Welch finished two shots around the rim. The Bison responded and pushed the advantage back to double digits. A converted and-one play by senior guard Grace Slaughter sparked a 7-1 response, which was capped by a layup by Ford. Howard led 38-33 at the half.
Welch closed the gap with a 3-point play to open the third. Howard seemingly regained control of the contest with its largest scoring run of the game and built its largest lead, 19 points, in the final minute of the quarter.
Mizzou flipped the momentum in the fourth as Mathurin buried a triple that ignited a 15-2 run in the heart of the quarter and brought the deficit to single digits. With just over a minute remaining, the Tigers trailed by four, but clutch baskets by Ford and freshman guard Natalya Hodge knotted the score and pushed the game to overtime.
Missouri kept the intensity up in overtime as Caffey scored five points to hand the Tigers a three-point lead. Welch converted four free throws to seal the comeback victory.
UP NEXT
Mizzou will travel for the first time this season to face Little Rock at 7 p.m. Friday at the Jack Stephens Center. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and on the radio through the Mizzou Athletics app.
SEASON TICKETS
Season tickets for the 2026-27 season are on sale now and start at $65. Current season-ticket holders can renew through their Mizzou Tigers ticket account.
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