Highlanders Late Rally Falls Short At Missouri 68-65

Tuesday, December 21

Columbia, MO

5:00 pm

UC Riverside

6-4

Missouri

7-4

Team	1	2	F
UC Riverside	30	35	65
Missouri	37	31	68

Photo by: Gabriel L. Acosta

Highlanders Late Rally Falls Short At Missouri 68-65

12/21/2010 4:04:01 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Box Score - Missouri 68, UC Riverside 65

Watch the recap video

Columbia, MO - The UC Riverside women's basketball team (6-4) played from behind for the majority of the game on Tuesday evening at Missouri, and could never quite catch up as the Tigers (7-4) held on for the 68-65 win at Mizzou Arena.

Down 10 with 2:39 remaining, UCR used a Brittany Waddell layup and four Tre'Shonti Nottingham free throws to get within four, 65-61, with 48 seconds to go. After one Tiger free throw, Nottingham's layup made it a three point game, 66-63, with 16 seconds left.

After a UCR foul and two Tigers free throws, another Nottingham layup made it a three-point game, 68-65, with three seconds to go. UCR stole the ball with a second left, but did not get a shot off as Missouri held on for the win.

Nottingham scored 12 of her team-high 17 points in the second half, including all eight free throws. Alyssa Morris added 15 points and Rhaya Neabors had 14 for the Highlanders, who concluded their four-game cross country road trip.

The Highlanders opened the game hitting 6-of-9 shots for 66.7 percent from the field to take a 13-4 lead just 5:16 into regulation. Mizzou then limited UCR to just one basket over the next five minutes as the Tigers scored six straight points and 12 of the next 14 to take a 16-15 lead with 10:05 to go in the first half.

Missouri further pushed its advantage out to double-digits at the 5:29 mark, leading 31-19, but the Highlanders closed to seven, 37-30, to conclude the period.

The Tigers scored six straight to begin the second half, but UCR responded by forcing a couple turnovers and scoring the next eight straight points to get within five, 43-38, with 16:40 remaining.

Missouri then took a 57-45 lead with 8:39 to go, but the Highlanders cut the lead to six, 59-53, capped off by two Nottingham free throws.

The Tigers responded with five straight points to again claim a double-digit lead, 64-53, with 4:44 to go, until the last couple minutes of play where UCR closed to within a single possession.

UC Riverside outshot the Tigers 48.1 percent to 45.6 percent, but Mizzou hit double the amount of three pointers.

The Highlanders now break for Christmas and return to host Pepperdine on Tuesday, December 28 at 7pm PST at the Student Recreation Center in Riverside, CA.