Missouri women aim for win streak today at Mississippi State

The Missouri women’s basketball team is getting back on track.

After losing three straight, Missouri is looking for its third consecutive win when it heads to Starkville, Miss., to face Mississippi State for a Southeastern Conference clash at 5:30 p.m. today.

The Tigers (15-5, 4-3 SEC) are coming off a 78-69 win Sunday against Texas A&M, when Missouri scored 49 second-half points. Hayley Frank had 28 points on 8-of-16 shooting, with seven of those makes coming beyond the 3-point line.

Frank leads the Tigers in total points this year with 16.4 per game in 20 contests, but SEC double-double leader Aijha Blackwell leads the team with 16.6 points per game in 19 games, along with her Division I-leading 13.4 rebounds per game.

Blackwell totaled her NCAA-leading 15th double-double with 10 points and 15 rebounds against the Aggies, her ninth consecutive double-double, while Lauren Hansen scored 14 points for Missouri and Haley Troup added 11. Hansen is the third Tiger averaging double-digit scoring this season with 12.3 points per game.

Mississippi State (11-7, 2-4 SEC) is coming off a 74-54 loss Sunday to Arkansas, the Bulldogs’ third straight loss after falling to Georgia 66-63 on Jan. 20 and Mississippi 86-71 on Jan. 16.

The Bulldogs average 71.9 points per game to Missouri’s 73.7. Mississippi State allows 65 points per game on defense, while the Tigers give up 64.7.

Three Bulldogs average double-digit scoring, with Rickea Jackson (6-foot-2 junior forward) leading the way at 20.3, while Anastasia Hayes (5-7 redshirt senior guard) scores 17.6 per game and JerKaila Jordan (5-9 sophomore guard) averages 13.3 per contest.

Hayes led the Bulldogs in their loss to Arkansas with 17 points, while 5-11 graduate guard Caterrion Thompson added 11 points.

Missouri won these teams’ most recent matchup 77-57 on Feb. 28 last season, and hasn’t lost to the Bulldogs since Jan. 9, 2020.

Mississippi State leads the all-time series 9-3.