Women’s Basketball Kicks Off SEC Season by Battling No. 2 South Carolina

COLUMBIA, Mo. – The University of Missouri’s women’s basketball team kicks off Southeastern Conference play at 6 p.m. on Thursday against No. 2 South Carolina. The game will be broadcast on SEC Network.

Missouri (11-4, 0-0 SEC) concluded the nonconference part of the schedule with a victory over Jackson State on Sunday, matching its season win total from the prior year.

Sophomore guard Grace Slaughter led the Tigers with a career-high 22 points on Sunday, marking her fourth game of the season with 20 or more points.

Senior forward Laniah Randle added 11 points against Jackson State and achieved the milestone of 1,000 career points.

Sophomore guard Abbey Schreacke ranks second in the SEC and is tied for 14th in the nation with 38 three-pointers this season. Schreacke also places seventh in the SEC for three-point shooting percentage (38.8).

As a collective, the Tigers top the SEC and stand seventh nationally in three-point shooting percentage at 39.1 percent.

Making a significant impact off the bench, graduate guard De’Myla Brown has averaged 13.0 points over her last three contests.

Redshirt sophomore guard Averi Kroenke ranks fourth in the SEC and 12th nationally with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.12.

Academically, Missouri attained a 3.35 GPA for the Fall 2024 semester, with eight Tigers achieving above 3.5 and four attaining a perfect 4.0.

South Carolina arrives on Thursday with a record of 12-1, their sole defeat against No. 5 UCLA on Nov. 24.

The reigning national champions concluded last season undefeated at 38-0.

Before the loss to UCLA, Missouri was the last squad to secure a regular-season victory over the Gamecocks on Dec. 30, 2020.

South Carolina’s head coach is Dawn Staley, who is in her 17th year with the program, accumulating 624 wins.

The Gamecocks are led by Te-Hina Paopao, who averages 11.4 points per game. Joyce Edwards and MiLaysia Fulwiley contribute with averages of 11.0 and 10.1 points per game, respectively.

Thursday will signify the 16th contest between the two teams, with South Carolina leading the series 11-4.

Missouri holds a 4-3 edge in matches played at Mizzou Arena.

Since the 2016-17 season, Missouri has tied for the second most victories over South Carolina with three.

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For the latest updates on Mizzou Women’s Basketball, please check out MUTigers.com. For real-time updates, follow the Tigers on X, Instagram, and Facebook.

SEASON TICKETS

Season tickets for the 2024-25 season are available for purchase and start at just $49. Tickets for individual games are also on sale.

Fans have additional choices with the Mizzou Mini Plan, which includes tickets to games against last year’s NCAA tournament teams, such as South Carolina, Tennessee, and LSU.