Mizzou Women's Basketball Set for WNIT in Fort Worth

Friday, March 19

Fort Worth, Texas

2:00 P.M. CT

University of Missouri

Fresno State

3/18/2021 5:10:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Mizzou and Fresno State to play at 2 p.m. CT Friday on FloHoops

MIZZOU vs. FRESNO STATE - WNIT
OPPONENT	LOCATION	DAY	TIME (CT)	TV	LISTEN	STATS	GAME NOTES	BRACKET
Fresno State	Fort Worth, Texas	Friday, March 19	2 p.m. CT	FloHoops	KTGR	Stats	Notes	Full Bracket

THE MATCHUP

Mizzou Women's Basketball is set to make its eighth postseason trip in the last nine seasons when the Tigers play in the 2021 Women's National Invitational Tournament against Fresno State on Friday, March 19 in Fort Worth, Texas. Tipoff from the Wilkerson-Greines Activity Center is slated for the 2 p.m. CT on FloHoops (subscription required). This season's WNIT field features 32 teams, with each team guaranteed two games at the four regional sites. The winning team from each region will advance to the final four in Memphis, Tenn., which will take place March 26/28. On Saturday, Mizzou will face the winner/loser of Arizona State/Rice, dependent on Friday's outcome.
Mizzou finished the regular season winning two of its last three games before falling to Alabama, 82-74, in the opening round of the SEC Tournament on March 4. The theme of Mizzou's season has become 'close but no cigar' as five of the Tigers nine losses in SEC play came by a combined 25 points. Four of those five setbacks have come against ranked opponents as the Tigers look to make a run in the WNIT.
Fresno State enters the game with a mark of 16-10 on the season and narrowly missed advancing to the NCAA Tournament as the Bulldogs fell to Wyoming, 58-56, in the Mountain West Champoinship game on March 10.

THE SERIES

Friday's matchup will be the first-ever matchup between the two programs, however, redshirt senior forward Shannon Dufficy does have some familiarity with the Fresno State Bulldogs in her three years spent at Utah State (2016-19). In five all-time games against the Bulldogs, Dufficy's Aggies went 2-3 while the Melbourne, Australia native averaged 10.4 points and 9.8 rebounds per game.

HIGH-POWERED OFFENSE

Mizzou's high-powered offense has steered the way for the Tigers in 2020-21, as Mizzou leads the SEC and ranks seventh in the NCAA in field goal percentage at 48.1 percent (562-of-1,168). Mizzou has shot 50 percent or better from the field in nine of 20 games this season and 60 percent or better in two contests. More on Mizzou's hot shooting later. Mizzou's scoring has been a balanced attack as well, as four players are currently averaging double figures: sophomore guard Aijha Blackwell (14.7 ppg), redshirt junior forward LaDazhia Williams (12.7 ppg), sophomore forward Hayley Frank (12.7 ppg) and redshirt senior guard Shug Dickson (10.6 ppg).

DOUBLE-DOUBLE MACHINE

Always an elite scorer, sophomore guard Aijha Blackwell has elevated her rebounding production this season to become a double-double machine.
Blackwell has scored in double figures in 18 of 19 games played this season, and has produced 13 double-doubles, the most by a Tiger in a single season since Christelle N'Garsanet had 13 in 2005-06. Her six consecutive double-doubles from Jan. 18 to Feb. 7 was the longest streak in her career as she became the first Tiger to reach that mark since Christelle N'Garsanet had six straight in the 2005-06 season.
Blackwell currently ranks third in the SEC and 19th in the NCAA at 11.3 rebounds per game. She is the first Tiger since at least 2002-03 to record 15 or more rebounds in consecutive games, let alone three-straight straight when she did so against Texas A&M (16, Jan. 24), at Florida (16, Jan. 28) and at Kentucky (19, Jan. 31).. Her 19-board performance at Kentucky (Jan. 31) was the most since Jessra Johnson had 19 on Nov. 15, 2007.
Her 11.3 rebounds per game would be the best mark-ever by a Mizzou sophomore and would rank second overall on the single-season list.

HOT SHOOTING

All season, Mizzou has been able to shoot the ball at an extremely high level. Mizzou currently leads the SEC and ranks seventh nationally in field goal percentage at 48.1 percent (562-of-1,168).
Sophomore forward Hayley Frank has lit up the net so far this season, as her shooting percentages currently sit at 53.3 percent (88-of-165) from the field, 45.1 percent (37-of-82) from three and 87.0 percent (40-of-46) from the free throw line. Frank would rank near the NCAA's top in each category, but her makes per game fall below the minimum threshold.
Redshirt junior forward LaDazhia Williams has also helped lead the charge from the field this season, as she is shooting 57.7 percent (97-of-168) from the field, a mark which ranks second in the SEC, 12th nationally and would be the third-best mark in a single season in program history.
Mizzou has shot the lights out this season, recording field goal percentages of 40 percent in 14 of 20 games, 50 percent or better in nine games and 60 percent or better twice. Mizzou's two games of 60 percent or better ties the most in the Coach Pingeton era with the 2016-17 squad.
Against New Orleans (Dec. 16), the Tigers shot an incredible 63.2 percent (36-of-57) from the field, the 10th-best mark in program history and their best mark since a 65.9 percent (27-of-41) performance against Ole Miss on Jan. 3, 2019.
Mizzou shot above 60 percent again in its win against Southern Illinois (Dec. 20), shooting 61.2 percent (30-of-49).
Since the 1977-78 season (43 seasons), Mizzou has shot better than 60 percent from the field just 25 times, with six occurrences (24.0 percent) happening under head coach Robin Pingeton.

LETHAL FROM DEEP

Mizzou has heated up from beyond the three-point arc recently, hitting seven or more three-pointers in the last eight games, and 12 or more in the last four games. Mizzou's 39.0 percent (158-of-405) success rate from deep ranks second in the SEC.
Mizzou's 18 three-pointers against Florida (Feb. 21) matched a program record, the third time its hit that mark after also doing so on Jan. 16, 2013 (vs. Auburn) and Dec. 8, 2013 (vs. Bradley).
Frank's nine field goals made matched a career-high, while her sixth threes were a career-best and the most since Sophie Cunningham made seven against Vanderbilt on Feb. 10, 2019.
Sophomore forward Hayley Frank's six threes against Florida were a career-best and the most since Sophie Cunningham made seven against Vanderbilt on Feb. 10, 2019. Redshirt senior guard Shannon Dufficy also set a career-high in three-pointers against the Gators with five, surpassing her previous best of four that she set three times while playing for Utah State.
Mizzou has four players who are shooting 40.0 percent from deep or better, led by Frank who is shooting 44.9 percent (35-of-78) from beyond the arc. Joining Frank at 40 percent or better from deep is sophomore guard Lauren Hansen at 43.9 percent (25-of-57), Dufficy at 42.6 percent (23-of-54) and redshirt guard Haley Troup at 40.9 percent (18-of-44).

BALANCED SCORING

Through 20 games this season, Mizzou has had a balanced attack leading the way in scoring, as four are currently averaging double figures: sophomore guard Aijha Blackwell (14.7 ppg), redshirt junior forward LaDazhia Williams (12.7 ppg), sophomore forward Hayley Frank (12.7 ppg) and redshirt senior guard Shug Dickson (10.6 ppg).
As the season winds down, the last Mizzou team to have four players average in double figures was the 2006-07 Mizzou Tigers.
Already this season, Mizzou has had five games where five players have scored in double figures, the most since the 2005-06 Tigers did so in seven contests, including four straight between Nov. 27 and Dec. 11, 2005.