Slaughter scores 27 points, Mizzou tops Tulane in road opener

NEW ORLEANS, La. (KMIZ)

Mizzou Women's Basketball has passed its first road test under head coach Kellie Harper.

The Tigers (2-0) maintained their flawless start to the Coach Harper era, earning a 77-69 win over Tulane (1-1) behind a season-best 27 points from Grace Slaughter.

Despite falling into a five-point deficit to start Thursday's showdown, Slaughter sparked a 17-5 scoring run to end the first quarter, hitting the first of the team's 11 three-pointers. Collectively, MU posted its best shooting percentage from the three-point line (37.9%) this season.

The Green Wave regained a three-point advantage in the following 10 minutes, but the Tigers retook a 33-31 lead in the final seconds before the break, courtesy of a three-pointer from Chloe Sotell.

From there, MU's third-quarter surge gave them control of the game. Mizzou tipped off the second half with a 13-3 run to obtain a 12-point lead at the 6:36-mark of the quarter, bookended by a pair of three-pointers from Abbey Schreacke. The Quincy Notre Dame graduate paced the team with four triples, shooting 4-for-8 from beyond the arc.

Mizzou held a lead as large as 16 points in the fourth quarter and never lost its grip on that advantage, despite a 10-3 rally from the Green Wave, which cut MU's lead down to four points within the final minute.

Slaughter was one of five different players to crack double figures for the Tigers, finishing 6-for-16 from the field with five rebounds, six assists, one block and two steals. Schreacke (13), Shannon Dowell (10), Lisa Thompson (10) and Jayla Smith (10) each joined Slaughter with double-digit points.

Dowell recorded back-to-back double-doubles, pairing her 10 points with a team-best 12 rebounds. She also reached 1,000 career points with a fourth-quarter basket.

Up next - The Tigers will return home to host Arkansas State on Tuesday, Nov. 11 at 6:30 p.m.