South Carolina suffered its first SEC loss of the season, falling 83-74 at Missouri in a game that saw early exits from South Carolina's coach and best player.
South Carolina knew it was walking into a trap with this game. Missouri has developed a reputation as a team willing to play dirty to win. When she met with the media Friday, Dawn Staley said she warned her players they had to be the aggressors.
"They're going to scratch and claw," she said. "We must be the initiators when it comes to that."
Instead, with a big assist from some poor officiating, the Tigers were able to control the flow of the game. Questionable foul calls sidelined Alexis Jennings 56 seconds into the game, and A'ja Wilson later in the first quarter. Meanwhile, no foul was called on a play where Cierra Porter head-butted Wilson, no foul was called and the play was not reviewed. On another play, Sophie Cunningham grabbed Lindsey Spann by the neck and pulled her to the ground, and only a common foul was called, and the mandatory review for contact above the shoulders was ignored.
The officials, Eric Brewton, Metta Roberts, and Luis Gonzalez, lost control of the game from the opening tip. They stopped the game for a 45-second replay in between free throw attempts by LeLe Grissett . They needed another long replay to review a shot clock violation, and then seemed to get the call wrong - they made an opposite call on the very next possession.
Staley, who does not get called for technical fouls often, nearly got one in the first half and finally got it in the third quarter. She got her second with less than three minutes left in the game, and watched the end of the game from the locker room.
And yet, as South Carolina was unraveling and arguing with the officials, Missouri held its composure. Cunningham, playing with a knee injury that caused her to miss Missouri's last game, scored 27 points to go with seven assists and six rebounds. She was 9-10 from the floor and 9-11 from the foul line, missing more free throws than field goals. Cunningham, who also hit the game-winner against South Carolina last season, seemed to score every time South Carolina narrowed the score. She scored 14 in the second half as Missouri pulled away, scoring on acrobatic scoop shots around the bigger South Carolina defenders.
Amber Smith provided the inside muscle alongside Cunningham, scoring 20 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. Smith led Missouri to a rarity. Missouri outrebounded South Carolina 34-26. With Wilson and Jennings both limited by fouls, Missouri had a chance to take advantage, and did so. Wilson finished with only six rebounds, and Jennings had only five.
Wilson finished with just eight points and three blocks. South Carolina got balanced production, with five players in double figures, but without Wilson leading the way there was no reliable scorer. Tasha Harris had a double-double with 14 points and 10 assists. Bianca Jackson had 14, and Jennings, Mikiah Herbert Harrigan, and Spann each scored 11. LeLe Grissett had three points and four rebounds in the first half, doing a good job of keeping South Carolina in the game with Jennings and Wilson sidelined.
Notes:
Spann returned to the starting lineup after coming off the bench in her first two games back from a knee injury. Bianca Jackson returned to the bench. ... 26 fouls were called on South Carolina. 20 were called on Missouri. ... South Carolina shot 47 percent, but allowed Missouri to shoot 56 percent. ... South Carolina only committed 10 turnovers, while forcing 18. ... Missouri had 20 assists on 27 baskets. Other than Harris, only Jennings and Jackson, with one each, had an assist for South Carolina. ... South Carolina shot 6-18 from three. ... South Carolina's next game is at home against Auburn.
