University of Missouri
9-0
Loyola Marymount
3-6
@MizzouWBB Defeats Loyola Marymount 80-48; Tigers Move to 9-0 for Second Time in History
12/7/2015 10:54:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Tigers match second-best start in program history along with 1982-83 squad
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou (9-0) defeated Loyola Marymount (3-6) 80-48 on Monday evening at Mizzou Arena as the Tigers tied the program record for the best start in school history at 9-0. The only other Mizzou team to begin 9-0 was the 1982-83 squad which finished the season 25-6 and ranked 14th nationally.
"I'm happy for our girls, I thought we really competed hard for 40 minutes," head coach Robin Pingeton said. "I thought we did a tremendous job out of the gates, just unselfish play, especially from that first group that was on the court. For them to take the court in the beginning of that second half and maintain and build on that intensity an energy, I thought was outstanding.
"I really appreciate all the fans, we had a great turnout again for our team and I can't acknowledge them enough. They've just been an unbelievable sixth man for us this season."
Mizzou scored the first 21 points of the game with the first 10 coming from sisters Sophie Cunningham (Columbia, Mo) and Lindsey Cunningham (Columbia, Mo). Sophie scored the first seven points before her older sister knocked down a triple to make it 10-0. LMU didn't get on the board until the 3:07 mark of the first quarter.
Sophie Cunningham led all scorers with 23 points, going 9-11 from the field and a perfect 3-3 beyond the arc. She also had five rebounds, tied a career-high with three assists and notched two assists.
Throughout the game, 11 Tigers entered the scoring column while 13 players again saw significant minutes. It was the fourth time this season that the team has had 11 players record points.
Mizzou dominated in the hustle stats, registering eight blocks and 13 steals. Those defensive stands led to a lopsided lead in points in the paint (40-12) and fast-break points (18-4). It marked the fifth time the Tigers have recorded 12 or more steals in a game this season after doing so only twice all of last year.
LMU closed the gap to as few as 10 points early in the second quarter, but a 9-0 Mizzou run, sparked by baskets from four different players, reopened Mizzou's large lead at 32-13. The Tigers led 43-20 lead at the half, holding LMU without a point over the final 4:45 of the second quarter, closing on a 7-0 run.
Mizzou had seven different players score in the first half, led by 17 from Sophie Cunningham.
The second half was more of the same from Mizzou, with the defense holding LMU to 30.3 percent shooting (10-33). The Tigers shot 42.4 in the second half and 50.8 percent for the game. That excellent shooting performance was the second best so far this season; their high came against Wichita State Nov. 18 (51.6 percent). It was the third time this season that Mizzou has shot over 50 percent.
Mizzou heads to Boulder, Colorado, Saturday to face Colorado at 2:30 p.m. on the Pac-12 Network. For all the latest on Mizzou Women's Basketball, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Twitter (@MizzouWBB) and like the team on Facebook (Mizzou Women's Basketball) and Instagram (MizzouWBB).
POSTGAME NOTES
- With the win, Mizzou is now 9-0 on the season, matching the best start in program history (the 1982-82 team also began the season 9-0). To put that mark into perspective, the 1982-83 team finished as the Big Eight runner-up and finished the season ranked 14th nationally while going 25-6.
- With the win, Mizzou is now 9-1 all-time against West Coast Conference foes and now leads the all-time series with LMU, 1-0, as Monday's meeting was first ever.
- The crowd of 3,832 marked the 15th-largest attendance figure for a home Mizzou Women's Basketball game. It was the largest crowd at Mizzou Arena since 5,013 fans attended vs. Tennessee on Feb. 23, 2014.
- Mizzou shot 33-for-65 (50.8 percent), which is its second-best total of the season and best since Nov. 18 at Wichita State. It was also the third time this season that Mizzou has shot better than 50 percent.
- Mizzou outscored LMU, 40-12, in the paint and 18-4 in fast break points.
- Freshman guard Sophie Cunningham scored 23 points in the win, marking her third game with 20-plus points this season. It was her first since tallying a school-record 42 in a win vs. Wake Forest on Nov. 22. She has scored in double figures in eight of nine games.
- Cunningham scored her 23 points on 9-of-11 shooting, the best single game shooting mark of her young career. It was her second-best game in FGs made with her previous best totaling 13 against Wake Forest when she reset the school's scoring record. It was also the second time this season that she has scored more than a point per minute with 23 points in 22 minutes. The other was of course when she scored 42 in 33 minutes vs. Wake Forest.
- Junior guard Sierra Michaelis tallied 10 points in the win. She has now scored in double figures in five games this season.
- In games that Cunningham and Michaelis each reach double figures, Mizzou is 5-0 and is averaging 79.4 points per game and limiting opponents to 59.8 points.
- After outscoring LMU 23-8 in the first quarter, Mizzou is now outscoring its opponents 105-51 (average of 21.0-10.2 per game) in the first quarter at home this season. Mizzou has not allowed a team to score more than eight points in each of its last three home contests and is averaging nearly 22 points in the first quarter in that span.
- Remarkably, Mizzou's 23-8 first quarter was not its best of the season. The Tigers outscored SIU Edwardsville 24-7 on Nov. 24 in the opening period.
- Mizzou tallied eight blocks in the win, one more than the total from the previous two games combined. This season, Mizzou has had at least six blocks in five of nine contests. Mizzou accomplished that feat just six times all of last season (33 games).
- Monday's game was tied for all of six seconds with Mizzou leading throughout.
- Mizzou assisted on 22 of 33 field goals in the win. That is good for 66.7 percent. On the season, Mizzou has assisted on 156-of-247 field goals, good for 63.2 percent.
- Mizzou grabbed 13 steals on Monday, marking the fifth time this season Mizzou finished with more than 12 steals in a game. Mizzou accomplished that feat just twice last season (33 games).
POSTGAME QUOTES
Mizzou head coach Robin Pingeton
Opening Statement…
"Thank you guys for coming out. I really appreciate all the fans, we had a great turnout again for our team and I can't acknowledge them enough. They've just been an unbelievable sixth man for us this season. I'm happy for our girls, I thought we really competed hard for 40 minutes. That was the challenge going into this game. I said, 'We're not going to play perfect, but we can play really hard for 40 minutes.' I said, 'We want to be first to 50-50 balls. We want to guard hard.' I thought we did a tremendous job out of the gates, just unselfish play. Incredibly unselfish play, especially from that first group that was on the court. For them to take the court in the beginning of that second half and maintain and build on that intensity and energy, I thought was outstanding."
Clarifying what she to the team in the locker room about parity in women's college basketball this season…
"The craziest nonconference month of women's basketball in a long time, just with so many upsets. So just talking about, 'We've got to make sure we're ready to go night-in and night-out.'"
On what she was doing in 1982, the last time the team was 9-0…
"1982? Is that for the paper? I don't want to admit my age. Yeah, that was back in elementary school…wink, wink."
On what the team can do to keep their momentum…
"We all know and understand that it's just going to get more and more challenging. I think it's been really good to see how our girls have responded to playing on the road with environments where maybe we're thrown out of our routine a little bit. So there's been some really positive things, but we also know as you get into SEC play- well heck, this weekend it's going to get a lot tougher in Colorado. But it does have a different feel to it this year. I just think the way we've been playing the game, the balanced scoring, the depth with our post players, the depth on the perimeter, there's a lot of options. There's a lot of firepower. I don't think we're relying so heavily on one or two players to carry the load for us. I think defensively, from a rebounding standpoint, we've been pretty consistent. Even though I'm not satisfied with what we're doing defensively, I think that it's been pretty consistent for us, and it needs to consistently get better, but that's just from a coach's perspective. I think there's been a lot of consistency that maybe we haven't had, the games didn't feel the same the previous number of years where we've gotten off to still pretty good starts in non-conference play. Depth. I keep going back to depth and the power that we've got coming off of our bench."
On whether the team has improved with shot selection or shooting ability…
"I think it's a little bit of both. I think our very unselfish play… I think our team has done a great job all year long making that extra pass, and in some games more than others, but I think consistently our kids are not caught up in anything but the front of the jersey. Again, I talk about that almost every press conference, but it's not an easy thing to do. We're asking them to be very abnormal in their ability to really set aside selfishness and personal goals for the good of our team, and they've done a tremendous job of that consistently. I just think shot selection, I think we've got more firepower, I think we're shooting the ball better, I think we've got more depth. We're more explosive in transition. So, I think there's a lot of pieces to it for sure."
On whether the increased number of steals is a result of a conscious effort…
"I think we've got fresher legs, so the way we sub and the rotations that we have right now, it allows us to play a lot of kids. You've got fresh legs out there, so I think you can be a little more explosive. I think that's a big part of it, but I also think that we're more athletic than we've been, maybe, in the past. Again, it goes back to that depth. Again, I think it's a little bit of everything on both ends of the court for us. Certainly, Sophie [Cunningham] impacts the game on both ends. I mean, she's a difference-maker. I think the size that we have inside, our ability to block shots. Even with our post players, we've got some pretty versatile kids that, they're switching on some of those ball screens, they're able to keep people in front of them. They can get a hand on loose balls, they're not afraid to get on the floor for the 50-50 plays. Depth. Versatility. Athleticism. Fierce competitors. I think it's a combination of a lot of different things"
On Confidence Level in Team…
"I think they are in a good place. I think that they are excited about where they're at but they are humble. They understand that every time we come in and watch film that it is a new day and a new opportunity and we have got to get better. I don't think there has been a game yet this year that we have looked ahead. We are getting prepared for the level that you need to. I think they are really pleased but we are a long way from being satisfied. It is not a one-game, one-week, one-month season. We've got a lot of games ahead of us and we understand that it is just going to get tougher and tougher. I think they are confident but I think they are also really hungry to get better individually and collectively knowing that we have a challenge in front of us."
On the Big Picture…
"We have touched on it here and there. We have probably talked more about RPI this year than we have in the past going on the road and what that looks like. We really want to take one day at a time. That has been our focus to be better today than we were yesterday, practices included. I also think it is good for them to understand the big picture a little bit and the opportunities that are in front of them. We will touch on the big picture but we consistently bring it back to today, today's practice, and today's game.
On whether Lindsay Cunningham had her best game of the season…
"Yeah, I thought it was probably one of her better games, but she's been pretty consistent for us. I feel like she's been really consistent for us. I mean, she had that game out in California against Northeastern, I thought she hit a couple of big threes for us and really kept us where we needed to be offensively that first half. The thing I've noticed with Lindsay is that she's getting more and more comfortable out there. Obviously, having last year under her belt, she's just getting her feel for the game – when to push, when to take her foot off of the gas pedal a little bit and back it up, kind of the tempo of the game, when we need to slow it down, when we need to look to get some movement in our half-court offense, when we want to run a set. I just think her feel for the game has gotten so much better. And obviously, playing with her sister like she had mentioned, there's definitely that connection there, but I don't think it's just with Sophie. I think she's just got a much better feel for the game. You'd expect that. She's an upperclassman now. She's got a full year under her belt playing that point guard position. I think she's really embraced it, and I think she's having a lot of fun with it."
Mizzou guard Lindsey Cunningham
On What Starting 9-0 Means to the Program…
"Coach was mention to us that we try to take each game at a time. She knows how much us local kids have been following Mizzou Basketball for so long. To know that's even a possibility to take it further and make history is awesome. It's what we came here to do, to turn this program around and take it to the next level. I think the combination of our players' mindset with our coaches' mindset allows us to do that."
On Why This Team is Different…
"I think every year feels different but there is definitely a different feel this year. Coach mentioned that everyone got in and everyone's energy level. Playing with each other and for each other is something that you can't teach but it's something that this team has that is really special and we just have to protect that."
On Her Connection with Sophie…
"We have different plays for different people and I just try to hit whoever is open. There is this natural connection that we've had. We noticed it in high school that year we had together. That is just what we get growing up playing every day in the back yard, that natural connection. I'm not necessarily looking for Sophie, but if she's open and able to knock them down, we will take it."
Mizzou guard Sierra Michaelis
On the 21-0 Run to Start Game…
"We are just thinking that we have to keep it going and sustain and keep the bench going with high energy and give our all."
On Why Offense was Playing Better…
"Our unselfishness and our ball movement. We watch the [San Antonio] Spurs and how they move the ball, and we try to replicate that."
Mizzou Guard Sophie Cunningham
On Keys to the Fast Start…
"I think it's just a dominating mindset from the very get-go. It starts in practice, but when you get to the game, you have to mentally prepare yourself. So, that is just in the back of all of our minds. Every team we play, we have to have the dominating mindset in everything."
On Offensive Production Beyond the Arc…
"That is my teammates. They are all really good – especially our posts – once they get the ball in there. All their defense is in there, so credit to them for looking out and kicking it out to us guards."
On What Clicked for Her Tonight…
"I think getting out fast, fast break-wise because they weren't getting back on defense. Credit to my teammates for getting the ball up to me. It was just fast break."
