Mizzou women's basketball schedule preview: Games 4-6

Schreacke communicating against Miss St — Mizzou's Abbey Schreacke communicates with teammates before an inbounds pass. (Photo by Kyle McAreavy)

The look through the Mizzou women’s basketball schedule continues. And after three games against lower-level opponents, the Tigers have a big one in Game 4. Here is a look at the Border War, plus matchups hosting Southern Illinois and Troy.

Game 4: The Border War, at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City. Nov. 15.

The football team isn’t the only Tiger team reviving the Border War this fall.

For the first time since 2012, the Tigers will play Kansas in women’s basketball on Nov. 15 in a series Mizzou trails 47-37 but won the most recent matchup 70-65 in Lawrence on Feb. 18, 2012.

Kansas is coming off a 16-14 season with a 6-12 record in Big 12 play. Last year was a major decline after three years of success for the program to the west in which Kansas won 20 games each year.

Kansas coach Brandon Schneider is back for Year 11 in Lawrence after a season where his team averaged 65.7 points per game and allowed 66.8.

His team shot 42.1 percent from the field, 35.2 percent from 3 and 74.6 percent from the free-throw line last season.

Kansas’ player retention from last year to this year is honestly incredible. Returning for the team to the west are:

Junior guard S’Mya Nichols (6-foot-0) started all 30 games last year and led the team with 18.6 points per game. She dished out a team-high 141 assists, well more than double any of her teammates. She shot 46.2 percent from the field and 38 percent from 3.
Senior guard Elle Evans (6-3) started all 28 games she played in last year. She averaged 35.1 minutes per contest and her 14.4 points per game were second on the team, as were he 4.1 rebounds per contest. She led Kansas in 2024 with a 42.1 percent 3-point rate and 69 made 3-pointers. She also led the team with 17 blocks.
Sophomore forward Regan Williams (6-3) started 24-of-30 games she played in last year. She averaged 9.0 points and a team-high 4.9 rebounds per game.
Junior guard Laia Conesa (5-11) started 25-of-30 games she played last year. She averaged 7.4 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. Her 49 steals also led the team.
Junior guard Brittany Harshaw (6-1). Harshaw started 7-of-23 games she appeared in, averaging 5.8 points and 3.8 rebounds per game.
Senior guard Sania Copeland (5-7). Copeland started 29-of-30 games, playing 33.0 minutes per contest. She averaged 5.3 points and 3.0 rebounds per game, while dishing out 56 assists for second on the team. She was also second on the team with 46 steals.
Fifth-year center Nadira Eltayeb (6-4). Eltayeb started 5-of-30 games she appeared in, averaging 2.7 points and 4.0 rebounds per game.

Out of 11 players who appeared in a game last year for Kansas, the team returns seven. In the transfer portal era, that’s incredible retention that made me think I was looking at a 2024-25 roster for multiple minutes. And bringing back all five players who started more than 20 games, including three who started at least 28-of-30, means we should have a pretty good idea of what to expect in this matchup.

Kansas did make a couple of additions:

Freshman guard Keeley Parks (5-11). Parks was an industry four-star recruit ranked as the No. 19 player in the class of 2025.
Freshman guard Libby Fandel (6-1). Fandel was an industry four-star and the No. 38 overall player in the class of 2025.
Freshman forward Tatyonna Brown (6-2). Brown averaged 18.9 points and 8.6 rebounds per game as a senior to lead her high school to the Colorado 5A State Championship game.
Freshman forward Jaliya Davis (6-2). Davis was an industry four-star recruit ranked as the No. 20 player in the class of 2025.
Senior forward Lilly Meister (6-3). Meister played three seasons at Indiana before transferring this offseason. She started 17 games last season, averaging 6.7 points and 3.5 rebounds per game.

With that amount of player retention and so many talented additions, I think this is going to be a pretty tough matchup for Mizzou. Especially early in the season with so many new Tigers still learning to play together.

Game 5: Hosting Southern Illinois, Nov. 18.

Alright, back to Mizzou Arena and back to a cupcake.

Southern Illinois is coming off a 4-26 season with a 2-18 record in Missouri Valley Conference play.

The wins came against IU-Indy, Central Methodist (Mo.), Indiana State and Evansville.

Southern Illinois scored 57.7 points per game and allowed 76.4. The Salukis shot 35.4 percent from the field, 27.6 percent from 3 and 69 percent from the free-throw line.

Southern Illinois coach Kelly Bond-White is back for a fourth season with a roster that has undergone a big change.

The primary player for the Salukis last year was Gift Uchenna, who transferred to Wisconsin to play for former Tiger coach Robin Pingeton.

Only Tkiyah Nelson, a 5-10 junior guard from St. Louis, and Kayla Cooper, a 5-9 guard, are back from last year’s starters. Nelson started 29-of-30 games and averaged 6.5 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. Cooper started 26-of-29 and averaged 9.8 points per game. She was second to Nelson in assists. Nelson led the team with 76, Cooper had 63.

Graduate Jeniah Thompson, a 5-10 guard, started 6-of-8 games and is back. Sophomore center Mia Gaines (6-4) returns after playing in 27 games and starting one, as is sophomore guard Ternadoo Agatha Agba (5-9) is back after playing 23 games and starting two.

Sophomore guard Kelowna Ngoyi (5-10) is back after appearing in 28 games and starting two.

I could see size being an issue. Southern Illinois has three players standing 6-2 or taller, the Tigers also have three, but without a true center.

But this should be a pretty easy game. If it’s not, that’s a problem.

Game 5: Hosting Troy on Nov. 20.

We’re back into the talented lower-level opponents.

Troy is coming off a season where it went 24-14 last year and 13-5 in Sunbelt Conference play. The Trojans beat Memphis and Arkansas in nonconference play and made it to the WNIT semifinals.

Troy will come to Mizzou Arena following a matchup at Kansas State.

Trojans coach Chanda Rigby enters her 14th season at the helm of the program after leading the team to an average of 80.1 points per game last year while allowing 73.5.

Troy shot 42.5 percent from the field, 30.3 percent from 3 and 72.4 percent from the free-throw line.

Three primary starters and a couple of key bench player all return for the Trojans:

Senior forward Zay Dyer (6-2) is back after starting 37-of-38 games and leading the team with a double-double of 13.8 points and 10.4 rebounds per game. She added 39 blocks, which was second on the team.
Senior forward Fortuna Ngnawo (6-0) started 10-of-33 games and averaged 9.5 points and 7.7 rebounds per game.
Senior guard Ashely Baez (5-5) started 34-of-38 games and averaged 9.3 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. She led the team with 62 steals.
Senior guard Emani Jenkins (5-10) appeared in all 38 games and started two. She scored 7.6 points per game.
Senior guard Leilani Guion (5-10) started 23-of-38 games and averaged 5.8 points per game.

That’s a pretty good returning squad under a coach that has led teams pretty far considering the level of competition.

I have a feeling this is one of the disappointing ones for Mizzou this season.

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