Columbia News

Mizzou women's basketball began its season with a 78-71 win over Central Arkansas on Monday at Mizzou Arena. The victory marked Kellie Harper's first as head coach for the Tigers.

Junior guard Shannon Dowell led the team, scoring 21 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. Dowell became the first player to lead Missouri in scoring during her debut since Sophie Cunningham did so in 2015. She also set a program record by attempting 23 free throws, surpassing Renee Kelly's previous mark of 21 set in 1987.

Senior forward Jordana Reisma recorded a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds. Junior guard Grace Slaughter added another solid performance, finishing with 12 points and eight rebounds.

Six different players scored for Mizzou in the opening quarter, with Dowell leading with seven points. The first quarter ended tied at 18 after Dowell made a late layup.

In the second quarter, guard Chloe Sotell sparked an early run for Mizzou by scoring five of her eight total points. The Tigers went into halftime ahead by one point.

The third quarter saw junior guard Abbey Schreacke hit a key three-pointer to start an 11-4 run. Dowell contributed eight more points as Mizzou maintained its lead going into the final period.

An important stretch came in the fourth quarter when Mizzou put together an 8-0 run, highlighted by four successful free throws from Dowell. With time running out on the shot clock, redshirt-senior Jayla Smith scored a contested layup to give the Tigers a decisive four-point advantage.

Defensively, Mizzou held Central Arkansas without a field goal during the last two minutes of play and finished with 45 free throw attempts overall. All nine available players scored during the game.

Next, Missouri will travel to face Tulane at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday; that game will be livestreamed on ESPN+.