Missouri women’s NCAA Tournament run ends with 73-55 loss to Texas

Missouri’s journey to the Sweet 16 got tangled up by the long arms of Texas.

Texas sophomore Ariel Atkins scored 22 points and senior Imani Boyette contributed 10 rebounds to lead the Longhorns to a 73-55 victory over the Tigers in Monday’s NCAA women’s basketball tournament second-round game at the Erwin Center.

Missouri’s season ends with a 22-10 record. The Longhorns, 30-4, will face UCLA Saturday afternoon in Bridgeport, Conn.

This was a successful season for Missouri, which failed to put up much of a fight in the paint. A starting lineup with no one shorter than 6 feet was outscored 38-10 in the paint. The Tigers, a good rebounding team, also lost the battle of the boards, 47-33.

The loss overshadowed a fine performance by Southeastern Conference Newcomer of the Year Sophie Cunningham, who scored a game-high 23 points, including three bombs behind the three-point arc. Sierra Michaelis came off the bench to contribute 11 points and 4 rebounds.

“I don’t know why we couldn’t get the ball inside, but I know that Texas is huge,” Cunningham said. “Even when we did get the ball inside, Texas would collapse. They are so long-armed.”

Second-seeded Texas outscored 10th-seeded Missouri 12-4 on fast-break points, 19-11 off turnovers and 21-9 on second-chance points.

“You’ve got to give Texas credit for the way they competed and worked hard on the boards,” coach Robin Pingeton said. “I mean, they were relentless to the glass. We had some possessions where I thought our first step was a little bit slow. But (the Longhorns) are awfully athletic and strong and they have size inside.”

Pingeton was referring to 6-7 senior post Imani Boyette (10 rebounds) and 6-5 backup post Kelsey Lang. Texas coach Karen Aston referred to them as unsung heroes, saying their interior defense forced Missouri to take shots from the perimeter.

Missouri was 8-for-28 behind the arc. By contrast, Texas was 8-for-19.

Missouri opened with a 6-0 lead on consecutive three-pointers by Cunningham. Texas, though, ended the final six minutes of the first quarter on a 17-3 scoring run to take a 17-9 lead.

Missouri never regained the lead.

Pingeton opened the game with a diamond-and-one defense, a ploy designed to prevent guard Brooke McCarty, UT’s leading scorer, from getting easy shots. McCarty was limited to five points on 2-for-9 shooting, but the Tigers had no answer for Atkins, whose 9-for-13 shooting night included three bombs behind the three-point line.

“(Missouri) really didn’t guard me much in the third quarter,” the 5-11 sophomore said. “My teammates kept yelling at me, ‘you’re open and you need to shoot the ball.’ “

Pingeton was impressed by Atkins, saying she didn’t see “that aggressiveness” from her on video.

“I saw her play in high school and in AAU ball, but I thought she came out of the gates and really set the tone for the game,” the coach said.

Missouri climbed to within 54-43 on a layup by Cunningham with 8:31 left in the fourth quarter. Any hope for a comeback ended when Atkins followed with a bucket and free throw and a banker by Lang.

Despite the loss, Pingeton said the Tigers made many strides this season. Cunningham leads a good nucleus of players who should make Missouri and SEC contender next year.

“Every year we’ve just continued to build, and I’m really proud of this team,” she said. “You know, every year is so unique and different with different personalities … but I think this is a good springboard. I think we needed this experience in the NCAAs to understand what it takes to not only get here but to be successful here.”

This story was originally published March 21, 2016 at 10:31 PM with the headline "Missouri women’s NCAA Tournament run ends with 73-55 loss to Texas."