NEWARK, N.J. (Interstat) — Grace Slaughter scored 22 points and the Missouri Tigers used a dominant defensive fourth quarter to overcome a slow start and defeat the Seton Hall Pirates 67-57 in a nonconference women’s basketball game Thursday night at Prudential Center.

The Tigers, who trailed by as many as eight points in the first half, outscored the Pirates 15-5 in the final period, holding Seton Hall without a field goal for the final 7 minutes, 53 seconds. The decisive stretch turned a two-point game entering the fourth into a double-digit victory for Missouri.

Seton Hall’s Mariana Valenzuela, who finished with a team-high 17 points, made a layup to cut Missouri’s lead to 52-50 with 7:53 remaining. The Pirates would not score again from the floor. Their only points the rest of the way came on a Savannah Catalon 3-pointer with 42 seconds left, by which time Missouri had built a 10-point cushion.

The most critical sequence came with just over three minutes to play and Missouri leading 57-54. After a Jayla Smith block led to a fast break, Slaughter drained a 3-pointer from the wing off a Smith assist to push the lead to six. On the ensuing Seton Hall possession, the Tigers forced a turnover, leading to a Jordana Reisma jumper that extended the advantage to eight with 2:19 left, effectively sealing the game against a Pirate offense that had gone cold.

Missouri improved to 17-16 overall, while Seton Hall fell to 19-13.

The game was a tale of contrasting halves for both teams. Seton Hall started strong, leading 17-14 after the first quarter and 29-27 at halftime behind early shooting from Valenzuela and Ja’Kahla Craft, who added 15 points. The Pirates’ defense forced 12 Missouri turnovers in the first half.

The Tigers found their rhythm in a high-scoring third quarter, erupting for 25 points. Slaughter was central to the surge, scoring from all three levels, while Reisma provided consistent interior offense. Missouri took its first lead since the opening minutes on a Reisma 3-pointer midway through the period and entered the fourth quarter ahead 52-50.

The final frame belonged entirely to Missouri’s defense. The Tigers tightened their perimeter coverage, contested every shot and capitalized on Seton Hall’s mistakes, scoring 10 points off five Pirate turnovers in the quarter. Ari Woodard led Seton Hall with seven points and six assists but also committed seven turnovers, several in the closing minutes under duress.

Slaughter, a sophomore from Grain Valley, Missouri, played 39 minutes and added three assists to her game-high point total. Reisma provided a strong inside presence for the Tigers throughout the contest.

For Seton Hall, Valenzuela, from Mazatlan, Mexico, was efficient from the field but received little scoring support down the stretch. Craft, from Elk River, Minnesota, scored all 15 of her points in the first three quarters before being shut out in the fourth.

The Tigers shot effectively in the second half to finish the game at a higher percentage than the Pirates, who struggled mightily after halftime, particularly in the decisive fourth quarter. Missouri also won the battle at the free-throw line, making key attempts late to maintain its lead.

Attendance at Prudential Center was 453.

The victory marked a positive end to the regular season for Missouri, which had lost five of its last six games entering the contest. Seton Hall saw a two-game winning streak snapped.

Missouri is next scheduled to play at Alabama A&M on Sunday. Seton Hall’s season is complete.