Mizzou loses to Kentucky behind third quarter scoring run

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Mizzou Women's Basketball will have to wait another game to try and surpass last season's SEC win total.

The Tigers (13-15) lost their eighth game against a top-25 conference opponent 73-65 to No. 14 Kentucky at Mizzou Arena. With Thursday's loss, MU has fallen to 2-11 in SEC action.

You can watch the full postgame press conference with head coach Robin Pingeton, Grace Slaughter and Averi Kroenke in the slideshow above.

Although Coach Pingeton's group built a two-possession advantage on three different occasions in the first half, neither team was able to pull away with the lead. MU's largest lead was four points in the first 20 minutes, and the Tigers never trailed by more than three points in the first half.

However, similar to past games against ranked SEC teams, the second half was costly. Entering its showdown with the Wildcats, MU had been outscored by 81 combined points in the final two quarters of its seven losses to top-25 conference foes. Kentucky added to those struggles by posting 11 more points than Mizzou in the second half of this contest.

The third quarter of Thursday's game made the difference. After the Tigers took a 34-31 lead into the locker room, the Wildcats rallied to post nine straight points late in the third quarter to gain a nine-point advantage at the 0:53-mark.

MU cut its deficit down to just two points on two different possessions in the fourth quarter, courtesy of a three-pointer from Rock Bridge graduate Averi Kroenke and a tip-in layup from Laniah Randle. However, Mizzou could not force the stop it needed to have a chance to tie the game.

Randle ended the contest with a double-double, posting a team-best 21 points and 13 rebounds on 10-for-13 shooting. Slaughter also finished in double figures with 18 points, including a trio of three-pointers.

Up next - Mizzou begins a two-game road trip, starting on Sunday, Feb. 23 against Ole Miss. Tipoff from Oxford is scheduled for 2 p.m.