COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Women’s basketball and Drake will face off in the opening round of the Postseason WNIT on Thursday at 7 p.m. CT. The game, the first meeting between the two teams in Columbia since Feb. 8, 1979, will air on SEC Network+ and the Tiger Radio Network.
The Tigers (18-12) will make a second-consecutive WNIT appearance. Mizzou is 5-9 all-time in WNIT play while advancing to the third round in 2003 and 2015. MIzzou’s 18 wins this season matches its combined win total from 2019-20 and 2020-21. The Tigers started the year with an 8-game winning streak, the best since 2015-16 and its 11-2 nonconference record represents the program’s best since 2017-18.
Aijha Blackwell and Hayley Frank both earned Second-Team All-Southeastern Conference honors. Blackwell has 340 rebounds on the season, good for third on the Mizzou all-time single-season chart. Her 13.1 rebounds per game ranks second nationally behind Aneesah Morrow from DePaul (13.8).
SERIES BUSINESS
- The two schools match up for the sixth time and third-straight in the postseason. The last time Drake faced Missouri was in the opening round of the 2019 NCAA Tournament a 77-76 OT win for the Tigers.
THE SHOOTAROUND
- Mizzou finished the regular season 18-12 and was left out the NCAA Tournament field despite a NET ranking of No. 49. The Bulldogs (18-13) are coming off a Missouri Valley Tournament quarterfinals run where a loss to No. 2 Missouri State, 63-49, ended a six-game winning streak.
- Mizzou dropped a 61-52 OT decision to Arkansas in the SEC Tournament on March 3.
- The Tigers had closed out the regular season in style, upsetting No. 21/15 Florida on the road. Hayley Frank’s first double-double of the season, 26 points and 10 rebounds, led four Tigers in double digits.
- Frank and Aijah Blackwell earned Second-Team All-SEC honors.
- MIzzou’s 18 wins this season matches its combined win total from 2019-20 and 2020-21.
- The Tigers started the year with an 8-game winning streak, the best since 2015-16 and its 11-2 nonconference record represents the program’s best since 2017-18.
- With 14 points and 18 rebounds vs. Mississippi State, junior guard Aijha Blackwell recorded her 19th double-double of the season and the 39th of her career.
- Blackwell has 340 rebounds on the season, good for third on the Mizzou all-time single-season chart.
- Blackwell (No. 38) and Frank (No. 39) both joined the Tigers’ 1000-career points club this season.
- Frank (78) and Lauren Hansen (62) are the first Mizzou WBB teammates to hit 60+ 3-pointers in a season.
- Frank has tallied double-digit points in five of the last six games and leads Mizzou with 454 points.
TICKETS
Tigers fans interested in purchasing tickets for the first-round game at Mizzou Arena should call 1-800-CAT-PAWS or make their purchase online.
FOLLOW THE TIGERS
For all the latest information on Mizzou Women’s Basketball, please visit MUTigers.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Tigers on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Players Mentioned
