Mizzou captures comeback victory over Vanderbilt, wins first SEC contest
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (KMIZ)
Robin Pingeton's crew secured its first victory of conference play in comeback fashion 65-63 over Vanderbilt on Sunday afternoon in Nashville. Mizzou improved its record to 1-3 in SEC play and is now 10-7 overall this season.
You can watch the full postgame press conference with Mizzou basketball coach Robin Pingeton in the video player below.
The Tigers struck first in this game after Hayley Frank knocked down a three-pointer on the team's opening possession to give Mizzou a quick 3-0 lead. Then, Vanderbilt rallied to put together a 6-0 scoring run to take a three-point lead and held the Tigers scoreless for more than three minutes.
Mizzou managed to retake the lead on a few possessions throughout the first half. A bucket from Grace Slaughter with 5:25 left in the opening quarter gave Pingeton's team a 7-6 lead. After the Commodores retook the lead on their next possession, Frank put the Tigers back on top by one point with a layup. Following that basket, Vanderbilt went on a 6-0 scoring run, but Mizzou responded with a 7-0 scoring run of its own, capped off by a triple from Slaughter to give the Tigers a 16-14 lead.
After Slaughter's three-pointer, Vanderbilt controlled the contest for about the next 17 minutes of play. An 11-0 Vanderbilt run put the Commodores ahead 25-16, and the home team did not lose its lead until the final quarter.
Mizzou climbed all the way back into this game after trailing by as many as 12 points to retake the lead late. The Tigers strung together a 15-1 scoring run to take a 55-53 lead after a steal and score by Mama Dembele with 5:32 left in the game. Mizzou and Vanderbilt battled back and forth throughout the final five minutes, but the Tigers never gave the lead back to the Commodores.
True freshman Grace Slaughter scored several clutch baskets down the stretch to help secure the Tiger victory. She finished the game with 12 points.
Ashton Judd was Mizzou's leading scorer, dropping 19 points and grabbing seven rebounds. Hayley Frank posted 17 points in the contest and added a team-high eight rebounds.
Mama Dembele returned to the floor after missing Mizzou's last game due to injury, and she made an immediate impact as a facilitator and on the defensive end. Dembele recorded a team-high nine assists and six steals in the contest.
Up next - Mizzou returns home for a matchup on Thursday night against Georgia. Tipoff is scheduled for Jan. 18 at 7 p.m.
