Mizzou Women’s Basketball Opens 2020-21 Season Against North Alabama and SLU

THE MATCHUP

• Mizzou Women’s Basketball will open the 2020-21 season on Thanksgiving weekend with a pair of matchups, as the Tigers host North Alabama on Friday, Nov. 27 before heading to in-state rival Saint Louis for a road contest on Sunday, Nov. 29. Mizzou’s season-opening game against UNA will begin at 6 p.m. CT on SEC Network +, while Sunday’s road matchup will start at 2 p.m. CT on ESPN +. Mizzou will be looking to bounce back after a down year in 2019-20, as the Tigers went 9-22 (5-11 SEC), its first losing campaign in eight seasons.

THE SERIES

• Friday’s game will be the first-ever matchup between the Lions of North Alabama and Mizzou. On Sunday, the Tigers and the Billikins meet for the 25th time and the eighth time in the last nine seasons. Mizzou owns a commanding 23-1 advantage in the all-time series between the two programs, including the last three. The last time the Tigers visited Saint Louis, the Tigers came away with a 74-62 victory at Chaifetz Arena, on Dec. 9, 2018. Last season, Mizzou earned a 83-58 victory over Saint Louis on Dec. 5, 2019 in Columbia.

A MIXTURE OF TIGERS

• This season’s Mizzou Tigers will feature a little bit of the old, and a little bit of the new when the Tigers take the court for the first time. Returning for the Tigers will be standouts from a season ago – sophomores  Aijha Blackwell and Hayley Frank, who both earned All-SEC Freshman team honors in 2019-20 after impressive debut seasons for the Tigers. Also returning for Mizzou will be key experienced reserve players in senior guard Nadia Green and redshirt junior guard Haley Troup. Among the newcomers is a quartet of transfers who will be making their debut seasons in the Black & Gold. Redshirt senior guard Shug Dickson and redshirt senior forward Shannon Dufficy both earned all-conference honors at their previous institutions, while redshirt junior forward LaDazhia Williams and sophomore guard Lauren Hansen were both highly-rated prospects out of high school who boast potential for the Tigers at their respective positions. This nucleus, along with an impressive group of four Tigers making their collegiate debuts will look to mesh together for a successful season on the hard court for ole Mizzou.

ALL-SEC FOR BLACKWELL

• Sophomore guard Aijha Blackwell was named preseason second-team All-SEC by the league’s coaches after an All-SEC Freshman Team performance in 2019-20.
• Blackwell produced one of the most impressive freshman campaigns in school history in a season ago, as she made 24 starts in 31 games while averaging 15.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 29.0 minutes per game. Among SEC ranks, Blackwell finished seventh in rebounding (7.3) and eighth in scoring (15.0), which both ranked second among SEC freshmen.
• Blackwell elevated her game in conference play, averaging 17.9 points, 8.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 32.1 minutes per game. In SEC games alone, she finished fourth in scoring (17.9), fifth in rebounding (8.8), 11th in field goal percentage (.429) and 15th in assists (3.1), marks which ranked first, second, third and second, respectively, among SEC freshmen.
• She was also named the SEC Freshman of the Week after averaging 14.0 points, 6.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game against Saint Louis (12/5) and Kansas City (12/8).

DYNAMIC DUO

• Mizzou’s sophomore duo of Aijha Blackwell and Hayley Frank produced two of the most impressive freshman campaigns in program history a season ago. The Tigers were joined by South Carolina as the only two teams in the SEC to have multiple players on the All-SEC Freshman Team.
• With another offseason under their belt, the pair will be looking to continue moving forward in 2020-21. Below is a look at some of the most impressive feats from the pair last season.
• Blackwell finished the season ranked second among SEC freshmen in rebounding (7.3) and eighth in scoring (15.0). In SEC games alone, she in the top-five among conference freshmen in scoring (17.9), rebounding (8.8), field goal percentage (.429) and assists (3.1). Her seven double-doubles were the most by a Mizzou freshman since at least 2002-03 Blackwell was one of three freshman in program history to record eight or more 20-point games, joining Julie Helm (12, 1996-97) and Sophie Cunningham (10, 2015-16). She scored 20+ points in three consecutive games from 2/23 to 3/1, becoming the first Mizzou freshman to do so since Julie Helm in the 1996-97 season (Jan. 25 – Feb. 1, 1997).
• Frank led the SEC and finished 14th in the NCAA in free throw percentage (.878), a mark which set a Mizzou freshman program record and ranked fourth on the all-time individual season list. She also set a Mizzou freshman program record by making at least one three-pointer in each of her first 12 collegiate games.

IMMEDIATELY ELIGIBLE

• Sophomore guard Lauren Hansen was granted immediate eligiblility by the NCAA and will suit up for the Tigers in the 2020-21 season. A four-star recruit by ESPNW in the Class of 2019, Hansen will have three years of eligibility remaining.
• In her freshman campaign at Auburn, the 5-foot-8 guard played in 25 games and made 20 starts, averaging 7.9 points, 1.6 assists and 0.8 steals per game. A sharpshooter from deep, Hansen made 33.3 percent (40-of-120) of her shots from three-point range, while her 1.6 three-pointers per game ranked 10th in the SEC.
• Hansen’s seven three-pointers in a 24-point performance against Drake (12/1/19) tied for the most three-pointers made by an SEC player in a single game during the season.
• Hailing from Long Island, N.Y., Hansen was the No. 71-ranked prospect and the No. 20-ranked guard in the Class of 2019 by ESPNW HoopGurlz. In her senior season at Ward Melville High School, Hansen averaged 27.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game while earning all-conference and USA Today first team all-state team honors. Hansen also helped lead Ward Melville to back-to-back state championships in her sophomore and junior campaigns.

TRANSFER TRIO WAITING IN THE WINGS

• A trio of Tigers will get to make their long-awaited debut in the Black & Gold when Mizzou takes the court on Friday against North Alabama. Seniors Shug Dickson and Shannon Dufficy, and junior LaDazhia Williams will all return to action after sitting out last season due to NCAA transfer requirements. Each brings a different dynamic to the floor, and will look to be instant contributors for Mizzou.
• Dickson, a shifty combo-guard with play-making skills, returns home from her senior campaign after beginning her collegiate career at Tulsa and Texas Tech. The St. Louis, native burst onto the scene as a freshman in 2016-17, as earned The American All-Freshman team honors after averaging 8.6 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. She also became the first freshman in program history to score 20+ points in three consecutive games. Dickson followed up that performance by averaging 14.1 points and 4.7 rebounds per game in 2017-18. She scored 20+ points in nine games, including a carer-high 33-point performance at Saint Louis on Dec 19, 2017.
• Dufficy, a two-time all-conference player at Utah State, is a prototypical stretch-forward who can grab tough rebounds and sink outside shots on the perimeter. In 2018-19, she averaged a double-double (15.8 ppg / 10.3 rpg) while setting the school single-season records rebounds (339) and double-doubles (19). Dufficy left Utah State ranked first in career double-doubles (31) and second in rebounds (838), and enters the season five points away from reaching the 1,000-point milestone.
• Williams, a skilled big who can run the floor and finish in transition, will get her increased role with the Tigers after spending two seasons at South Carolina. With the Gamecocks, WIlliams played in 48 games, averaging 1.3 points and 1.7 rebounds per game in just 6.2 minutes per game. Coming out of high school, she ranked as the nation’s 12th-best forward and No. 48 overall prospect in the Class of 2017 class by ESPNW. She was named the 8A Player of the Year by Florida Association of Basketball Coaches (FABC) and Sarasota Herald-Tribune (2017) after earning FABC 7A Player of the Year honors as a junior (2016).

INFLUX OF INTERNATIONAL TALENT

• The 2020-21 edition of Mizzou Women’s Basketball will feature three international student-athletes, by far the most of any team head coach Robin Pingeton has had during her tenure. Two aussies – senior forward Shannon Dufficy (Melbourne, Australia) and freshman guard Sara-Rose Smith (Victoria, Australia) – and Spanish point guard freshman guard Mama Dembele (Manlleu, Spain) will don the Black & Gold for the Tigers this season.
• The trio makes up exactly half of the number of international players who have played for Mizzou under Coach Pingeton, as they are joined by Manue Tahane (2017-19 –  Bondy, France), Michelle Hudyn (2012-16 – Kitchener, Ontario, Canada) and Liene Preiede (2010-13 – Riga, Latvia).
• Smith and Dembele both bring a wealth of international experience to the Mizzou roster. Smith was a member of Australian’s selection camp roster for the 2019 FIBA U19 World Cup and captured a bronze medal at the 2018 Youth Olympics playing for Australian’s 3-on-3 national team.
• Dembele played for Spain’s national team at both the 2018 U16 and 2019 U18 European Championships. In 2018, she earned all-star recognition for her performance while leading the Spaniards to a bronze medal after averaging 5.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game. She was had the chance to participate in the 2020 NBA Basketball Without Borders Global Camp, hosted by FIBA during the 2020 NBA All-Star weekend.

MILESTONE CHASING

• A host of milestones will be in-play early on in the season for the Tigers. Below is a rundown of career achievements that should happen soon in the 2020-21 season.
• Mizzou senior forward Shannon Dufficy will get to finish her already decorated career with a senior campaign at Mizzou. The Aussie native will need jist five points to reach the vaunted 1,000-point career mark. She also has a good chance at reaching the 1,000-rebound mark this season, as she needs just 162 rebounds to eclipse that mark. In three seasons at Utah State, Dufficy averaged 279.3 rebounds per season, including a single-season program record of 339 rebounds in 2018-19.
• Also wrapping up her collegiate career in CoMo, senior guard Shug Dickson will have the 1,000-point mark in her sights, as she currently has 693 points, needing 307 to reach the mark. In her sophomore campaign at Tulsa (2017-18), Dickson scored 410 points (14.1 ppg) in 29 games.
• Entering her 11th season, head coach Robin Pingeton record at Mizzou sits at 180-141 (.561). The Tiger head boss needs just six wins to move past Cindy Stein (1998-10, 185-77) for second-place on Mizzou’s all-time win list. She already ranks second in winning percentage, trailing only Mizzou Hall of Famer Joann Rutherford, who had a 61.8 percent winning percentage in 23 seasons (1975-98, 423-261). Pingeton is just 1 of 16 Power 5 active coaches and 1 of 31 active D-I head coaches to win 500 or more career games.
• As a program, Mizzou needs just three wins to record its 800th win, as the Tigers enter their 47th season with a mark of 797-587 (.576). Nationally, less than 65 programs have reached the 800 win mark in NCAA history.