Mizzou shifts focus to second half of SEC play

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

After finishing the first eight games of SEC play with a 2-6 record, Mizzou Women's Basketball is set to begin the second half of its conference schedule on Sunday at Tennessee.

Robin Pingeton's crew has enjoyed some extra rest and time to prepare for the Volunteers as the Tigers did not play a weekday game this week. At Friday's press conference, Pingeton said her team has benefited from that break from SEC play.

"I think the bye week came at a really good time for us. I feel like just the opportunity to recalibrate before the second half of conference play was really important," Pingeton said. "It's never easy in the SEC, but I think the opportunity to kind of refresh and get your legs back and just mentally, physically and emotionally is really important."

You can watch the full press conference with Mizzou basketball coach Robin Pingeton in the video player below.

The Tigers started the first half of their conference season with an 0-3 record but rattled off two straight victories against Vanderbilt and Georgia to pull within one game of the .500-mark in SEC play. However, Mizzou is currently facing another three-game losing skid. Each of those three losses were decided by nine points or less.

"It's a game of possessions, and it's really not allowing those stretches to get away from us, and so, even six possessions at the end of the first half against Arkansas, we cannot allow ourselves to have four turnovers," Pingeton said. "I just think there's too many of those stretches or those single quarters that we're not at our best that we've got to find a way to put 40 minutes together."

On Friday, Pingeton said it's not looking promising that Averi Kroenke or Angelique Ngalakulondi will return to action this season. While there aren't any particular players who Pingeton wants to step up in the second half of SEC play, she did highlight some areas she wants her team to improve.

"Our ball security. You're going to turn the ball over in this league. It happens, but there's still just a handful of ones that I'd like to see us be able to clean up that I think are unforced. We don't get a lot of extra possessions from our offensive rebounding and we don't get a lot of extra possessions from our steals, and so, the importance defensively to not allow them to have those second shot opportunities and have those extra possessions," Pingeton said.

Tipoff from Knoxville is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 4 at 1 p.m.