COLUMBIA, Mo. – Taking on one of the toughest opponents on their schedule out of one of the top leagues, Alabama A&M (1-7, 0-0 SWAC) fell by a 69-55 score at Missouri (9-2, 0-0 SEC) in an NCAA Division I women's basketball game on Sunday, December 12.
Graduate guard
Nigeria Jones (Lincoln, Neb.) capped off a strong week with 16 points, three steals, a pair of rebounds and an assist while senior forward
Dariauna Lewis (Omaha, Neb.) cleaned up the glass with 10 boards – five offensive – to go with five points and a block to lead the Bulldogs.
They were joined by freshman guard
Jill Harris (Navarre, Fla.) with 11 points, including 2-of-5 from beyond the arc, in 34 minutes of action and sophomore guard
Darian Burgin (Cincinnati, Ohio) with six points, five caroms, a pair of assists and a steal. Graduate forward
Teliyah Jeter (Taylors, S.C.) chipped in with four points, three rebounds and a demonstrative block to round out the top performers.
Unphased by facing a strong Southeastern Conference foe on the road, A&M came out strong with an early 4-1 lead and a massive block in the paint by Jeter. From there they would then stay within four points as the Tigers rallied behind a 9-2 run to take a 10-6 advantage by the 4:04 mark. Following a free throw to cut it to three, Mizzou scored 10 of the next 12 points for an overall run of 17-5 and an 18-9 lead with two minutes left in the frame.
The Bulldogs would respond, however, as they notched back-to-back buckets to close the opening period down just 18-13. They would not allow the Tigers to break off any large runs and, as a result, found themselves within 29-23 by the 6:19 mark.
That would change over the next minute-plus, however, as Missouri ripped off seven straight points to expand their lead to 36-23 before A&M used a mini 5-0 burst to pull back to within eight. From there, the Tigers would manage just three points over the final 3:11 to take a 39-28 margin to the break.
They would notch a pair of free throws in the opening minute and a half to push to a 13-point margin before Alabama A&M closed to within nine at 42-33 with 6:58 on the clock. It would be another 7-0 run though that would push to a game-high 16-point margin, 49-33, by the 4:16 mark.
While a lead and game situation like that is typically a death knell for most teams, the Bulldogs would battle back to within 11 points at 54-43 right before Mizzou closed the third with a 13-point advantage. In the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, that bucket would end up being a blip as A&M scored six straight to cut it to 56-49 with 6:29 to play.
From there, however, the Tigers would build back out to a 14-point advantage, 63-49, just under two minutes later. That, combined with solid defense, would be all they would need to escape the challenge of Alabama A&M with a 69-55 victory.
Aijha Blackwell anchored Missouri's efforts with a tremendous performance, finishing with 20 points and 20 boards to go with a pair of assists and steals while Hayley Frank finished with 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting and six rebounds and three assists. LaDazhia Williams added nine points and Mama Dembele had seven points and a game-high four assists. Lauren Hansen chipped in with eight points and three assists and Haley Troup rounded things out with eight points.
The Bulldogs continue their season-high eight game road trip as they head to Boca Raton, Florida for the FAU Pre-Christmas Tournament. Hosted by Florida Atlantic, A&M will face Southern Mississippi on Sunday, December 19 before taking on the host Owls on Monday, December 20. Both games are slated for 2:30 p.m. tip-offs.
NOTES
The meeting between the teams was just the second in program history, joining a 76-54 loss in Columbia on December 3, 2006.
