COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Women's Basketball (21-5, 9-4) earned its fourth consecutive victory, staving off Auburn to secure a gritty 59-51 road win on Thursday night. Mizzou used a dominant opening quarter on both ends to build a crucial early lead and never trailed after that, holding Auburn to 27.6-percent shooting from the field and 18.8-percent shooting from 3-point range. Redshirt senior Jordan Frericks powered the victory, tallying a game-high 19 points and adding eight rebounds, four assists and three blocked shots. Sophie Cunningham contributed 12 points and Amber Smith chipped in 10 rebounds and seven points.

Turning Point

Mizzou rode a hot start in the first quarter to establish a double-digit advantage. Head coach Robin Pingeton's squad ended the frame on a 9-0 run to take a 19-7 lead 10 minutes into the game. After a Smith 3-pointer, Frericks scored down low and Cunningham drained a triple of her own on the next two offensive possessions. Meanwhile, Mizzou held Auburn scoreless for the final 4:33 of the first quarter to push in front by 12.

Auburn battled back in the third quarter and cut the deficit to 39-34 with 11 minutes remaining in the contest. That's when Frericks took over, scoring back-to-back buckets to give Mizzou a nine-point edge. A Cunningham layup in transition with 5:27 left surged Mizzou ahead 52-40 and the Tigers in black and gold prevented an Auburn comeback in the final minutes.

Top Tigers

• Frericks' 19 points were her most in a game since scoring 19 vs. LSU on Jan. 4. Over the last four games she is averaging 16.8 points per game and Mizzou has gone 4-0 in those contests.
• Frericks' three blocked shots were a season-high. She now has 125 career blocked shots, which is tied for fifth on Mizzou's all-time career blocked shots list.
• Cunningham scored 12 points, taking just seven shots. She has scored in double figures in 23 of 25 games this season.
• Smith grabbed 10 rebounds, securing double-digit boards in a game for the fourth time this season.
• Freshman Emmanuelle Tahane played a career-high 16 solid minutes, scoring two points, dishing one assist and corralling one rebound.

Notes

• Frericks is just 12 rebounds shy of becoming the third Tiger ever in the 1,000-point, 1000-rebound club.
• Mizzou has now had a higher field goal percentage than its opponent in 24 of 26 games this season.
• Mizzou earned its seventh true road win, its most road victories in a campaign since the 2003-04 season.
• Mizzou has now won five consecutive regular season games against Auburn.
• Auburn's 27.6-percent shooting performance was the worst by a Mizzou opponent in league play this season and the lowest by an opponent since SIUE shot 25.8 percent on Dec. 10.
• Mizzou has now won 14 of its past 18 games against SEC opponents.
• Mizzou hosts another Top-25 opponent on Sunday at Mizzou Arena. The Tigers have won six of their past seven games against Top 25 opponents at home.

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