University of Missouri
3-1 (0-0)
SIU Edwardsville
2-1 (0-0)
Defense Leads No. 21 @MizzouWBB to 59-36 Win over SIUE
11/19/2018 10:50:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Mizzou forces 19 turnovers, Pingeton records 150th win at Mizzou
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Women's Basketball held its opponent to its lowest total in two years as the Tigers defeated SIU Edwardsville, 59-36, Monday evening at Mizzou Arena. The 36 points given up is the lowest Mizzou has surrendered to an opponent since giving up 35 points to Nebraska on Nov. 14, 2016. The win was head coach Robin Pingeton's 150th win at Mizzou.
Mizzou's defense was stifling all night, as the Tigers held the Cougars to 27.8 percent shooting from the field (15-for-54) and 20 percent shooting from the field (2-for-10) while forcing 19 turnovers. Mizzou recorded a season-high nine steals in the win, including four from freshman forward Grace Berg (Indianola, Iowa) and three from junior Amber Smith (Shreveport, La.).
Senior guard Sophie Cunningham (Columbia, Mo.) led the way for Mizzou in scoring with 14 points and a career-high 12 rebounds, marking her ninth career double-double. With 14 points, Cunningham surpassed Lorraine Ferret (1,624 points) for sixth all-time in scoring in Mizzou history with 1,628 points.
TURNING POINT
Mizzou jumped out to a 17-6 lead after the first quarter thanks to two separate runs of 8-0 and 7-0 in the opening period. With the Tigers trailing 4-2, freshman guard Akira Levy (Baxter, Tenn.) sparked the first run as she scored five points and assisted on another basket to give Mizzou a 10-4 lead with 2:48 remaining in the period. Cunningham scored five points in the next run, as she scored a layup and a three-pointer on back-to-back possessions as Mizzou's lead grew to 17-6 before the end of the period.
TOP TIGERS
- Cunningham led Mizzou in scoring for the third time in four games, as she scored 14 points and grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds to record her ninth career double-double.
- Smith scored 10 points and grabbed five rebounds while matching her career-high with three steals.
- Berg scored in double figures for the second time in four games with 10 points, while also recording a team-high four steals.
NOTES
- Coach Pingeton recorded her 150th victory at the helm of Mizzou with the victory. She now owns a 150-109 (.579) record in nine seasons at Mizzou, and a 485-266 (.646) career record overall in 24 seasons overall. Pingeton's 485 career wins ranks second among active coaches in the SEC, and 37th overall among D-I head coaches.
- With 14 points, Cunningham surpassed Lorraine Ferret (1,624 points) for sixth all-time in scoring in Mizzou history with 1,628 points. Cunningham also dished out two assists in the game to move into a tie with Erika Martin for ninth all-time with 299 career assists.
- Mizzou held SIUE to 36 points in the game, the lowest point total Mizzou has given up since allowing 35 points to Nebraska on Nov. 14, 2016.
UP NEXT
Mizzou will now travel to Fort Myers, Fla., for the Gulf Coast Showcase over the Thanksgiving weekend. The Tigers will begin the eight-team tournament with a matchup against Michigan on Friday, Nov. 23, at 6:30 p.m. (CT). Mizzou will then have games on Saturday, Nov. 24, and Sunday, Nov. 25, depending on the outcome of each contest. All games will be available to stream online through gulfcoastshowcase.com.
For all the latest on Mizzou Women's Basketball, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team @MizzouWBB (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook).
