COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Women's Basketball (17-3, 5-2) fell 62-50 in a physical road battle to No. 21 Georgia on Thursday night in Athens, Ga. Junior Sophie Cunningham scored 20 points for the third consecutive game to lead all scorers. Redshirt senior Jordan Frericks secured her 27^th career double-double with 11 points and 14 rebounds. Mizzou outrebounded the Bulldogs, 50-40, but Georgia limited Mizzou to 27.6-percent shooting. Georgia outscored the Tigers, 22-11, in the fourth quarter to seal the win. Cunningham added nine rebounds and four assists and converted 6-of-6 free throw attempts in a gritty performance, but it wasn't enough late as Georgia prevented a comeback in the final five minutes.

Turning Point

To end the third quarter, sophomore guard Amber Smith buried a corner triple, slicing the deficit to 40-39 heading into the final 10 minutes of action. Georgia clamped down defensively to seize back momentum early in the fourth quarter, holding Mizzou scoreless for the first 2:48 of the frame. The Bulldogs used a 6-0 run to jump back in front 46-39. Sophomore Jordan Chavis hit a three-pointer of her own to bring Mizzou back within four, but Georgia responded with a pair of timely buckets to go up 50-42. Georgia held at least a two-possession lead for the remainder of the game.

Top Tigers

• Cunningham scored a game-high 20 points and grabbed nine rebounds. She's now averaging 20.5 points per game over the last three contests. Cunningham added four assists in 39 minutes.
• Frericks grabbed 14 rebounds and added 11 points. She has 27 career double-doubles and three this season.
• Smith corralled eight rebounds. She has eight or more rebounds in four of the past five games.

Notes

• Mizzou outrebounded its opponent for the 18^th time in the last 20 games.
• The Tigers have grabbed 40+ rebounds 10 times in the last 12 games.
• With 14 rebounds on Thursday, Frericks has 944 career rebounds, just one shy of moving into third place all-time in program history.
• Cunningham now has 28 career 20+-point performances.
• Cunningham's career free throw percentage improved to 84.5 percent, which is on pace to set a new program record.

Up Next

Mizzou continues a three-game stretch against ranked opponents when the Tigers travel to No. 9 South Carolina on Sunday. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. CT on ESPN2. Mizzou has won the last two meetings over the defending national champion Gamecocks.