Box Score COLUMBIA, Mo. – The Belmont women's basketball team (3-8) fell just short in its effort to topple SEC opponent Missouri (10-1) on the road Monday night. The Bruins kept the contest tight until late in the second stanza and went on to fall, 82-70.
After the Tigers got on the board with three consecutive free throws from some quickly drawn fouls to open the game, the Bruins settled in and grabbed the lead behind triples by juniors Taylor Mills (Corryton, Tenn.), Katie Carroll (Lilburn, Ga.) and Jordyn Luffman (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.). A driving tip-in by redshirt freshman Frankie Joubran (Detroit, Mich.) put the Bruins up 11-7 and forced Mizzou to burn a timeout to regroup with 17:05 left on the clock. The Tigers responded with a 7-0 run to go up 14-11, three minutes later.
Undaunted by the surge, BU dug its heels in and looked to strong three-point shooting, with triples coming from Carroll and freshman Meredith Roman (Knoxville, Tenn.), to regain the lead, 21-18, with just over 11 minutes remaining. UM knotted the score at 21 before back-to-back layups by sophomore Blair Bryce (Red Oak, Texas) and Carroll once again put the Bruins on top, this time 25-23, with just over seven minutes remaining before the break.
The game would be tied up twice more before Belmont used a tremendous defense and snagged crucial steals in the waning minutes to grab their biggest lead of the half, 34-28, with 3:15 left on the clock. Mizzou fired back with a 9-0 run to gain the lead briefly with 60 ticks remaining on the clock, 37-34, before the Bruins stormed back, spurred by a trifecta by Mills.
The Tigers attempted to hold for the final shot of the half but BU forced another turnover, its 14th of the half, and saw Roman drill a three pointer from the left corner, sending the teams to their respective locker rooms in a 37-37 stalemate.
After the break, Mizzou worked to pull away by four, 44-40, as the Bruins shot an icy 12.5 percent to open the second stanza. Despite the frigid performance offensively, Belmont remained defensively tough and kept the game tight over the stretch. A pair of free throws and a jumper in the lane by rookie Lauren Thompson (Franklin, Tenn.) opened the door for the Bruins to knot the score, this time at 46, by the 14:32 mark after a layup by Luffman.
UM began to rally with some long distance shooting, pulling away by as many as seven, 57-50, on an 11-2 run three minutes later. The Bruins clawed back to within two, 57-55, behind baskets at the stripe by Luffman and a fast break layup by Roman with just under nine minutes left in regulation. Mizzou exploded again behind the arc, surging to an eight-point advantage, 68-60, with just over five and a half minutes left.
The Tigers grabbed their first double digit lead 15 seconds later from a pair at the stripe and were determined to not relinquish the advantage. Belmont moved to within nine, 77-68, thanks to a pair at the line by sophomore Katherine Zander (Orange Park, Fla.) but that would be as close as it would come down the stretch. Despite a jumper by junior Adrienne Tarrence (Bowling Green, Ky.) in the final 60 seconds, the Tigers would go on to hold for the 82-70 victory.
Mizzou shot 47.5 percent from the floor, 47.6 percent from three-point range and 66.7 percent from the free-throw line. The Tigers held the advantage in rebounds, 47-28, assists, 19-11, and blocks, 7-5.
UM was led in scoring by Bri Kulas, who scored a game-high 27 points. Also reaching double digits were Morgan Eye with 16, Jordan Frericks with 14 and Morgan Stock with 10 points. Frericks grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds.
"I was really proud of our effort tonight," said Head Coach Cameron Newbauer. "We got away from our scouting report and just had some mental breakdowns in the second half."
Belmont shot 41 percent from the hardwood, 26.7 percent from behind the three-point arc and 75 percent from the charity stripe. The Bruins held the advantage in steals, 6-5.
Three Bruins reached double digits in the effort led by Luffman with 13 points, followed by Mills with 11 and Thompson with 10 points. Mills led BU in rebounds, grabbing seven. Tarrence collected two blocks.
Belmont returns to action later this week at the Puerto Rico Classic in San Juan. The Bruins take on Western Kentucky on Friday, December 20 at 11 a.m. CT. The game can be heard live via the internet on the Bruins Sports Network. An in-game Twitter feed (@BelmontWBB) will also be available.
