Mizzou women fall to Vanderbilt in regular-season finale, as Pingeton says farewell
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Sunday's women's basketball game at Mizzou Arena was about more than just what happened between the lines. It was about honoring a group of four seniors and the legacy of head coach Robin Pingeton.
Earlier in the week, Coach P announced she will be stepping aside at the end of the season to make room for a new voice to lead Tiger women's hoops. As a result, MU Athletics made Sunday's game a bit of farewell to the veteran head coach.
The record book will show a 100-59 loss to the Vanderbilt Commodores, but it's more about what it won't show. Mizzou Arena filled up with one of the best crowds of the 2024-25 campaign, including former players, friends and family of Coach Pingeton, to mark the end of an era.
You can watch the full postgame press conference with Pingeton, as well as guards Grace Slaughter and Ashton Judd in the video player below.
Off the jump, the Commodores stole the momentum away from the Tigers, going on a 23-8 run to open up the ball game. Mikayla Blakes and Iyana Moore did the bulk of the scoring for Vanderbilt, combining for a total of 47 points.
However, in a game defined by large runs, Pingeton's group showed some fight at the start of the second quarter. MU went on a run of its own, scoring 13 unanswered points to get within two with about seven minutes to go until halftime. But Mizzou couldn't keep that momentum going, as the Commodores out-scored the Tigers 21-5 before the break.
From there, the momentum stayed with the away team.
It was an off shooting night for MU, as the team went just 41 percent from the field and 36 percent from 3-point range. Despite the tough afternoon, senior De'Myla Brown led the scoring charge in Pingeton's last game with 16 points, along with three assists and three rebounds.
Vanderbilt capitalized, big time, off of Mizzou's turnovers, as well. The Tigers lost the ball 24 times to Vandy's six and allowed the Commodores to score 33 points off of those miscues.
Overall, it was not how Pingeton would've wanted her time at Mizzou Arena to come to a close, but fans, former players and her team honored her at the end of Sunday's game. After 15 years, she finished second all-time in program history in victories and winning percentage. However, after a rollercoaster of a last few years, Coach P decided to make way for something new.
You can watch her full postgame farewell speech on the court in the video player below.
Up next - Mizzou will look to give Coach Pingeton one last run in the SEC Tournament. The Tigers will kick off the action on Wednesday, March 5 in Greenville, South Carolina. Their matchup for the tournament has yet to be announced.
