Women's basketball struggling to win close games
Over Thanksgiving break, the Missouri women’s basketball team participated in the Seminole Classic in Tallahassee, Fl. The Tigers went 1-1 during the tournament; defeating Florida A&M 69-65 on Nov. 27 with senior guard Amanda Hanneman scoring 13 points, junior forward Shakara Jones finishing with 17 points and junior guard RaeShara Brown scoring 16 points. Sophomore forward BreAnna Brock blocked a career high four shots.
Missouri suffered a tough 73-66 loss to ninth-ranked Florida State on Nov. 29. The Tigers were able to pull within one point of the host Seminoles during the second half but never took the lead during the game. Hanneman paced the team with 20 points and a team-high four steals, while senior forward Jessra Johnson contributed 16 points and nine rebounds. During the game, Missouri shot 50 percent in 3-point shooting and also pulled down 19 offensive rebounds during the game, areas in which the team struggled in earlier games.
The Tigers boast a 3-2 record going into December and return to action this Saturday against Ball State at home.
Although the Tigers may not have pulled off a victory over a highly ranked team, they are continuing to improve by winning close games. On Nov. 18, the Tigers lost a close game to Memphis, and head coach Cindy Stein talked about the importance of playing two halves and not giving up as well as pulling out victories in close games.
The team then went on to defeat Indiana in Bloomington, In., 76-71 on Nov. 22, pull out the close victory over Florida A&M, and nearly defeat Florida State. As conference play begins soon, the Tigers will have to continue to play aggressively and win close games in order to have to successful season.