COLUMBIA, Mo. – SIUE women's basketball had its three-game winning streak halted Thursday with a 79-46 loss at undefeated Missouri.
Gabby Nikitinaite scored a season-high 18 points for the Cougars, which dropped to 3-3.
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
Missouri improved to 8-0 with the help of a strong second quarter in which the Tigers outscored the Cougars 27-12. The Tigers hit 66.7 percent (20-30) of their shots in the first half, racing out to a 48-31 lead by halftime.
"I think we had a little fight in the first half and then we couldn't get in any rhythm in the second half," said SIUE Head Coach Samantha Quigley Smith.
SIUE stood toe to toe with the Tigers in the opening period, taking a three-point led at 14-11 on a layup by Nikitinaite. SIUE's first 12 points were in the paint against the Tigers. As a team, SIUE would shoot 31.5 percent from the field (17-54) for the game.
"For us it's about sharing the ball a little more, being patient offensively and we have got to rebound," said Smith. Missouri won the battle of the boards 41-25.
Aijha Blackwell and Laure Hansen shared scoring honors for Missouri with 16 points each. Sara-Rose Smith added 10 points off the bench as Missouri shot 56.4 percent from the field for the game.
SIUE held Missouri's Hayley Frank to three points. She came into the game with a team-leading 20 three-pointers and was tied with Blackwell for the team lead in scoring per game at 16.6 per contest.
"For the most part, we contained her," said Smith. "She didn't get a lot of looks. With a team that has that many weapons, you can't just shut down one person, you have to shut down three or four."
Thursday's contest was the final nonconference road game of the season. SIUE now starts a six-game homestand beginning with Western Illinois Tuesday at 7 p.m.
"It's another opportunity for us to watch film and see what we can get better at. We have a great home stretch coming up here," said Smith.
More like this:
