Grace Slaughter Leads Missouri Women’s Basketball Past Little Rock
Little Rock went six minutes and 28 seconds of the fourth quarter without scoring on Friday night. By then, Missouri had already made sure it wouldn’t matter. In a 73-50 victory, the Tigers restricted the Trojans to 29.9% shooting while getting 23 points from Grace Slaughter and 15 more from Natalya Hodge.
The Trojans entered the matchup having scored 108 points in their season opener. Holding them to 50 points and 1-of-11 shooting from beyond the arc, Missouri commanded the game for 31:48 out of 40 minutes and stretched its advantage to as many as 24 points.
Slaughter set the tone early after a difficult season opener against Howard where she shot 1-of-9 and scored seven points. This time, she went 8-of-17 from the field and 6-of-7 at the free-throw line, grabbed seven rebounds, and finished plus-23 in 32 minutes.
Milestones and Freshman Contributions
Slaughter scored 14 of Missouri’s 35 first-half points before adding nine more after the break. Her 23-point performance pushed her career total to 1,489 points, moving her past Sandie Prophete for 11th on the program’s all-time scoring list.
Freshman Natalya Hodge matched Slaughter in plus-minus. After going 1-of-6 in the first half, Hodge scored 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting in the second half, hitting two 3-pointers. She finished with a career-high 15 points, up from four in her debut against Howard, with her final 3-pointer coming with 42 seconds left.
Defense served as the through-line for the Tigers. Little Rock never scored more than 18 points in any single period and recorded just four assists on 20 made baskets. Missouri won the rebounding battle 48-39, outscored Little Rock 36-30 in the paint, and earned 25 bench points to the Trojans’ 13.
Missouri Seizes Control After Tight Opening
The contest began as a tight defensive struggle. The first 10 minutes featured eight lead changes, three ties, and a 13-13 score. Missouri took control in the second period by capitalizing on defensive stops and converting at the rim, outscoring Little Rock 22-13.
The Tigers shot 60% in the third period, forced six turnovers, and extended their advantage to 15 points following a fast-break layup by Hodge. Mizzou carried a 60-44 lead into the final quarter.
Despite committing 17 turnovers that Little Rock converted into 13 points, Missouri moved to 2-0 after its first road test of the year. The Tigers return home Monday to face Tennessee Tech at 11 a.m. at Mizzou Arena.
