Mizzou women count on key reserves to snap 3-game losing streak, down Vanderbilt 66-52
Missouri coach Robin Pingeton's plan was to go deeper into the Tigers' bench Thursday night. Although, she didn't expect to go that deep.
Foul trouble forced Pingeton's hand to play 11 players and trust her depth.
That trust payed off.
"We went into this game feeling like we needed to go deeper into the bench," Pingeton said. "I thought they did a really nice job."
Missouri earned its first Southeastern Conference road victory of the season with a 66-52 win over Vanderbilt, where the Tigers came out swinging in the second half and cooked often while counting on key reserves who hadn't had much playing time.
The MU offense cut through Vanderbilt's active defense and shot 48% from the floor. The Tigers' defense, meanwhile, forced the Commodores into making mistakes, forcing 18 total turnovers on the night.
The win improves Missouri to 13-5 overall and 3-3 in the SEC. It also evened out MU's road record at 4-4. Lauren Hansen led all Tigers with 15 points as they snapped a three-game losing streak.
Who would've thought that was what the Tigers had in store after a lackluster first half plagued by missed shots and foul trouble?
However, the most impressive aspect of the night was how Missouri's reserves played when called up in a key moment.
Aijha Blackwell earned her 14th double-double of the season, scoring all of her 12 points in the second half. MU outscored Vanderbilt 23-15 in the third quarter and never lost that offensive rhythm.
The entire second half was somehow set up by an offensively challenged first half, where the Tigers mustered only 27 points.
MU's two leading scorers, Blackwell and Hayley Frank, sat for most of the first half with foul trouble. Blackwell didn't play the entire second quarter. Frank sat for the final five minutes of the half, but still scored 13 points in the game.
LaDazhia Williams returned for the first time since the Arkansas game, but she picked up two personal fouls, too. Williams played just three minutes in the first half, and 12 minutes total, as she scored six points in her return.
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MU took a lead with an 8-0 run and never allowed Vanderbilt to take the lead back. Freshman Kiya Dorroh set a career high in the first half with five points and hit her first-career 3-pointer. She also recorded a block and a steal.
Dorroh has been a recent development for MU, as she's given Pingeton quality minutes since the South Carolina game all while trying to navigate her freshman season.
"She's had some moments of frustration, but she's also been an incredible teammate that really pours into her team and really brings so much energy to that locker room," Pingeton said.
Pingeton noted that frustration has led to Dorroh asking more and more about how to improve. The plus-minus stat is a finicky one that doesn't often provide the entire story of how a player performed, however Dorroh's plus-3 in 22 minutes played could be a touch-point in the freshman's season.
That desire to improve led to a season-best performance Thursday night in Nashville, where she didn't try to do too much and took care of her responsibilities.
"I just keep telling her, 'Trust the process.' She said the other day, 'What is the process? I don't even know what that looks like.' I said, 'Kiya, the process is again, and again, and again,'" Pingeton said. "You've got to lean in, even when it's hard."
All this happened as MU played down a reserve as freshman guard Izzy Higginbottom entered COVID-19 protocols, according to the pregame radio broadcast, and wasn't available against Vanderbilt.
Those offensive struggles were why it was surprising to see Missouri run so fast out of the gate in the second half.
The Tigers shot their way to a 5-0 run and forced a Commodores timeout with just 41 seconds coming off the clock in the third. Missouri followed that 5-0 run with an 8-0 run and took firm control of the game.
The Tigers entered the final frame with a 12-point advantage.
From there, the Tigers closed out the game with consistent offense. It didn't matter that Vanderbilt got some shots to fall; MU had built enough of a lead in the third to simply pull away.
The way Missouri fought off struggles was impressive. However, what was perhaps more impressive was how the Tigers had key reserves step up when the stars left with foul trouble.
Sarah Linthacum, Micah Linthacum, Jayla Kelly and Dorroh all held the Commodores at bay during a struggle of a first half. Those players came in when Blackwell, Frank and Williams got into foul trouble and had to keep Vanderbilt from building momentum.
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Those reserves haven't had much playing time during the season, as Missouri hasn't had a blowout win since nonconference play or another reason to go that deep into the bench.
"An opportunity to get them out there was huge for us," Pingeton said. "It was great to be able to go so deep, for sure."
The Commodores made a run back, forcing five turnovers across three minutes of game time after the final media timeout of the game. Vanderbilt cut the Tigers' lead to just 10 points with a minute to go.
But that defense couldn't turn into enough offense in the waning minutes.
"We knew this was a big one," Pingeton said. "We just found a way to fight through it."
Chris Kwiecinski is the sports editor for the Columbia Daily Tribune, overseeing University of Missouri and Boone County sports coverage. Follow him on Twitter @OchoK_ and contact him at CKwiecinsk@gannett.com or 435-414-3261.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Mizzou women count on reserves to down Vandy 66-52, snap 3-game skid
