COLUMBIA, Mo. – Missouri women's basketball entered the 2025-2026 season with a six-year streak of losing records in conference play. The program parted ways with longtime head coach Robin Pingeton, and began its search for a new leader.
“We want somebody with real energy," Missouri Director of Athletics Laird Veatch said. "Somebody to reinvigorate and reinstill energy in the program”
Boy, did Missouri find that special someone.
Veteran head coach and former Tennessee star Kellie Harper was announced as the next head coach of Missouri women's basketball, ushering in a new era littered with aspirations to return to postseason success.
Harper had reached the NCAA Tournament at each of her previous four head coaching stops, and has only finished two seasons with a losing record – one at Western Carolina in 2007-2008 and one at North Carolina State in 2010-2011.
Two titans were set to clash: Missouri's uncanny recent history of losing records in spite of talent, and Kellie Harper's history of bringing success to every stop. Which would prevail?
It seemed as if Harper's ability to bring winning with her was stooped early on, as her coaching debut with the Tigers was actually a 90-84 upset exhibition loss to Maryville, a Division II program in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. In an instant, all excitement and buzz surrounding the new era of Missouri women's basketball dissipated.
But perhaps many were too quick to jump the gun.
Fast forward 10 games through the season and the Tigers sit at 8-2 atop of the Southeastern Conference. They have impressive wins over 6-3 California, 6-2 Northwestern, along with blowout wins over 6-3 Arkansas State, Tulane, Southern Illinois and more.
Missouri's only two losses are at the hands of 8-1 Troy and 7-2 Kansas.
At the helm of the on-court success is junior Grace Slaughter, who's embraced a new role as the face of the program.
"As a leader, I'll definitely focus on trying to be more vocal this season and making sure my teammates can hear me in different ways." Slaughter said in the offseason. "Bringing the team together and working on leadership."
She increased her points per game from 15 to 19.7 all while maintaining her efficient splits, shooting 46.4% from the field and 43.1% from beyond-the-arc. She's had three games over 25 points this season: a 33-point, nine-rebound and five-assist game against Northwestern, a 25-point, nine-rebound game against Arkansas State and a 27-point, five-rebound, six-assist game against Tulane. She also has posted two double-doubles: a 21-point, 10-rebound game against Cal and a 19 point, 14 rebound game against Bradley – Slaughter does it all.
She's also found her Robin in the form of Shannon Dowell, a reliable second option who can step up and take over the game at any moment, which was displayed front and center against California. Dowell scored 25 points and got the ball in the closing seconds of the game, hitting a game-winning layup with under two seconds on the clock.
Together, Slaughter and Dowell are the first duo to score double-digits in the first 10 games of the season in program history.
This is just one of many firsts Missouri could hit this season, and it's all under the guidance of Harper.