I watched the 1st half of their most recent game against undefeated Northwestern. The Tigers prevailed with a strong 4th quarter to overwhelm the Wildcats, 85-70. Missouri appears to be the best offensive team that Cal will have faced this season. The game is not a good matchup for the Bears because the Tigers make more threes & shoot a much higher percentage. They field a starting lineup that has three strong rebounders that all average more boards per game than any Cal player. Missou averages 80.11 points per game while giving up 70.78 to their opposition. The only home game that they lost was an offensive shootout, 100-82.
2025-2026 University of Missouri Women's Basketball
Their star is 6-2 junior SG, Grace Slaughter (#0). She is a fast starter so Cal must try to slow her scoring tempo in the initial quarter. The halftime score was Missouri 42, NW 36. Slaughter was responsible for 50% of the Tigers scoring with 21 points. In the first period, she hit 3 of 4 treys to keep her team close to the Wildcats.
Slaughter has multiple ways to put up points. She can play a low or high post. When she sets up low, the point guard gets the ball into her, and she usually scores with a left-handed hook or gets fouled. If she lines up high, she sets a screen around the free throw line but does not roll to the basket. She backs up to get open for a long three-point bomb. Her third facet of her game is to drive aggressively to the basket when her defender attempts to come out on her to defend the long-distance shot. Due to her height advantage over other guards, she usually succeeds to the basket or gets fouled. Grace hits 77% of her free throws. Basically, Slaughter is adept at scoring from the shooting guard position or playing inside as a post. Grace tops her team w/ 18 offensive rebounds early this season.
Missouri is a self-confident offensive team that can shoot and rebound. The Tigers make approximately 49% of field goal attempt and hit 40.4% of their 3PT shots. As a group, they collectively convert 77.4% of their foul shots. They are not a strong defensive team. Northwestern had a dynamite post that continually exploited their weak interior defense to score inside. Missou makes 8.4 treys per game but allows 8.7! This should benefit Cal
2025-26 Women's Basketball Roster - University of Missouri Athletics
Missouri has a new HC, Kellie Harper. She has 20 years of experience at the job and most recently coached at her alma-mater, Tennessee, for the last five seasons. She employs an eight-player rotation but playing time is concentrated to six individuals that play 24.6 to 35.1 minutes per. I will briefly overview the other five. The team's #2 offensive threat is junior transfer SG, Shannon Dowell (#1), a 5-10 jumping jack, that leads the team in rebounding with 8.4. She loves to drive to the basket or utilize her pull-up jumper from 8-10 feet out. These two dynamos almost always look for their shot when they get the ball. It explains why they have taken quite a few more shots than anyone else on the team. I do not know who Charmin Smith will assign to defend #0 & #1.
Their third top scorer and rebounder is a 6-3 senior transfer, #10 Jordana Reisma. She is the true center who averages 11.7 points & 7.2 rebounds. The other two backcourt starters, Abbey Schreacke and Chloe Sotell, are good three-point shooters and perform like point guards to run this explosive offensive scheme. They hustle and are decent ball-handlers. Their sixth man, a 6-0 wing, Jayla Smith (#11), is an impressive all-around player. She hits 52.6% of her treys and leads the team in steals (11) & shot blocks (10). She actually is the fourth cog in the offense, averaging 10 ppg.
In conclusion, Cal will have to shut down one of their two top scorers to win this road affair. My prediction is that Missouri triumphs over Cal, 77-71. I cannot envision any Bear defender being able to handle Grace Slaughter. I hope that the Bear's offense is "on fire" tomorrow night, but they seem to have at least one bad offensive quarter every game. It doesn't happen often to our SEC opponent. GO BEARS!
2025-2026 University of Missouri Women's Basketball
Their star is 6-2 junior SG, Grace Slaughter (#0). She is a fast starter so Cal must try to slow her scoring tempo in the initial quarter. The halftime score was Missouri 42, NW 36. Slaughter was responsible for 50% of the Tigers scoring with 21 points. In the first period, she hit 3 of 4 treys to keep her team close to the Wildcats.
Slaughter has multiple ways to put up points. She can play a low or high post. When she sets up low, the point guard gets the ball into her, and she usually scores with a left-handed hook or gets fouled. If she lines up high, she sets a screen around the free throw line but does not roll to the basket. She backs up to get open for a long three-point bomb. Her third facet of her game is to drive aggressively to the basket when her defender attempts to come out on her to defend the long-distance shot. Due to her height advantage over other guards, she usually succeeds to the basket or gets fouled. Grace hits 77% of her free throws. Basically, Slaughter is adept at scoring from the shooting guard position or playing inside as a post. Grace tops her team w/ 18 offensive rebounds early this season.
Missouri is a self-confident offensive team that can shoot and rebound. The Tigers make approximately 49% of field goal attempt and hit 40.4% of their 3PT shots. As a group, they collectively convert 77.4% of their foul shots. They are not a strong defensive team. Northwestern had a dynamite post that continually exploited their weak interior defense to score inside. Missou makes 8.4 treys per game but allows 8.7! This should benefit Cal
2025-26 Women's Basketball Roster - University of Missouri Athletics
Missouri has a new HC, Kellie Harper. She has 20 years of experience at the job and most recently coached at her alma-mater, Tennessee, for the last five seasons. She employs an eight-player rotation but playing time is concentrated to six individuals that play 24.6 to 35.1 minutes per. I will briefly overview the other five. The team's #2 offensive threat is junior transfer SG, Shannon Dowell (#1), a 5-10 jumping jack, that leads the team in rebounding with 8.4. She loves to drive to the basket or utilize her pull-up jumper from 8-10 feet out. These two dynamos almost always look for their shot when they get the ball. It explains why they have taken quite a few more shots than anyone else on the team. I do not know who Charmin Smith will assign to defend #0 & #1.
Their third top scorer and rebounder is a 6-3 senior transfer, #10 Jordana Reisma. She is the true center who averages 11.7 points & 7.2 rebounds. The other two backcourt starters, Abbey Schreacke and Chloe Sotell, are good three-point shooters and perform like point guards to run this explosive offensive scheme. They hustle and are decent ball-handlers. Their sixth man, a 6-0 wing, Jayla Smith (#11), is an impressive all-around player. She hits 52.6% of her treys and leads the team in steals (11) & shot blocks (10). She actually is the fourth cog in the offense, averaging 10 ppg.
In conclusion, Cal will have to shut down one of their two top scorers to win this road affair. My prediction is that Missouri triumphs over Cal, 77-71. I cannot envision any Bear defender being able to handle Grace Slaughter. I hope that the Bear's offense is "on fire" tomorrow night, but they seem to have at least one bad offensive quarter every game. It doesn't happen often to our SEC opponent. GO BEARS!