No. 1 South Carolina Women's Basketball Upset By Unranked Missouri in OT
December 31, 2021
The South Carolina women's basketball team is no longer undefeated.
The Missouri Tigers defeated the Gamecocks 70-69 in overtime during Thursday's SEC showdown in front of more than 6,000 fans:
The Athletic @TheAthleticDOWN GOES NO. 1.<br><br>Unranked Missouri defeats No. 1 South Carolina 70-69 in OT in front of 6,139 fans at home.<br><br>◻️ Hayley Frank: 21 PTS<br>◻️ Lauren Hansen: 21 PTS<br>◻️ Ladazhia Williams: 12 PTS | 12 REB<br><br>📸 <a href="https://twitter.com/MizzouWBB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MizzouWBB</a> <a href="https://t.co/ziddSqXdNr">pic.twitter.com/ziddSqXdNr</a>
Lauren Hansen's layup in the final seconds gave the Tigers the lead for good and propelled them to a 12-2 record on the campaign. South Carolina fell to 12-1 with its first loss of the season.
Alexa Philippou of the Hartford Courant noted it was Missouri's first win over a No. 1 team in program history.
It was all the more impressive because the victors were missing star player Aijha Blackwell and had just seven players available. Hansen (21 points and seven rebounds) and Hayley Frank (21 points) picked up the scoring slack for the short-handed squad.
LaDazhia Williams also notched a double-double of 12 points and 12 rebounds while helping counter South Carolina's strong frontcourt.
Aliyah Boston spearheaded the effort for the Gamecocks with her own double-double of 17 points and 12 boards.
South Carolina is still in position to compete for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA women's tournament despite the loss, while Missouri will remain a factor in the SEC if Thursday's conference opener was any indication.
Next up for the Gamecocks is a matchup with LSU on Jan. 6, while the Tigers will look to build on this signature win when they face Vanderbilt on Sunday.