University of Missouri
19-7 (8-4SEC)
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Mississippi State
22-2 (10-1SEC)
@MizzouWBB Knocks off No. 5 Mississippi State on the Road, 75-67
2/15/2019 1:35:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Cunningham becomes third Tiger to score 2,000 career points, Mizzou snaps MSU’s 26-game SEC win streak
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Mizzou Women's Basketball (19-7, 8-4 SEC) recorded one of its best wins in program history on Thursday, as the Tigers defeated the No. 5-ranked Mississippi State Bulldogs (22-2, 10-1 SEC), 75-67 on Thursday at the Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville, Miss. The win is the highest road win over ranked opponent in the regular season in program history, surpassing the win over the No. 10-ranked Tennessee Volunteers that Mizzou recorded earlier this season on Jan. 6.
The win also snapped 30-game home win streak, and a 26-game SEC regular season winning streak for the Bulldogs, who last lost on their home court on Feb. 26, 2017 when Tennessee defeated Mississippi State.
Senior guard Sophie Cunningham (Columbia, Mo.) produced her sixth 20-point game in the last eight games, and her 12th of the season with 24 points on 4-for-9 shooting from three and 4-for-4 shooting from the free throw line. Cunningham became the third Tiger in program history to eclipse the 2,000-point mark in the game, and now sits in sole possession of first place on the all-time free throws made list with 484.
In total, three Tigers scored in double figures, as junior guard Amber Smith (Shreveport, La.) scored 16 points with five rebounds, while freshman guard Akira Levy (Baxter, Tenn.) scored 10 points in 22 crucial minutes off the bench.
TURNING POINT
The game was tightly contested throughout the entire game, as neither team led by more the six points until the game's final minute. Redshirt senior guard Lauren Aldridge (Marshfield, Mo.) broke the game's eighth tie as she connected on a running layup with 7:32 remaining to give Mizzou a 58-56 lead. The Tigers would not relinquish the lead again, as Mizzou ended the game on a 19-11 run to seal the victory. A three-pointer from senior Cierra Porter (Columbia, Mo.) with 41 seconds remaining in the game gave Mizzou a six-point cushion in the game's final minute. From there, Mizzou was able to convert on 5-for-6 shots from the free throw line in the game's final minute to secure the win.
TOP TIGERS
- Cunningham led Mizzou in points (24), three-pointers (four), rebounds (six) and steals (four) while shooting 8-for-17 from the field, 4-for-9 from three and 4-for-4 from the free throw line.
- Smith chipped in 16 points and shot 7-for-10 from the field, while grabbing five rebounds.
- Levy scored in double figures for the fifth time this season with 10 points, while also dishing out a team-high five assists, matching her season-best.
NOTES
- Mizzou's win over the fifth-ranked Bulldogs is the highest ranked win on the road in a regular season game in program history, surpassing Mizzou's 66-64 win over the No. 10-ranked Tennessee Lady Volunteers on Jan. 6. It is the second-highest road win over a ranked opponent overall, trailing only Mizzou's win over No. 4 Georgia in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on March 18, 2001.
- Prior to the season, Mizzou had never recorded a road win over a top-10 ranked opponent, it now has two such victories.
- The win snapped a 26-game SEC regular season win streak and 32-game home win streak for the fifth-ranked Bulldogs, who last lost on their home court on Feb. 26, 2017 to the Tennessee Lady Volunteers.
- Cunningham became the third player in program history to score 2,000 points in the victory, as the Tiger senior joins Joni Davis (1981-85 – 2,126 points) and Renee Kelly (1983-87 – 2,199 points). Cunningham has now scored 2,015 points in her career.
- Cunningham also became Mizzou's most prolific free throw shooter in the game, as she has now sank 484 career free throws, surpassing Nancy Rutter (1974-78) and Renee Kelly's (1983-87) mark of 481 free throws made.
- Cunningham's 24-point performance is her 12th 20-point game of the season and the 45th of her career.
- Mizzou shot 55.1 percent from the field in the game (27-for-49), its second-best shooting performance of the season and the sixth time Mizzou has shot better than 55 percent from the field in the last 17 seasons.
- Mizzou shot 42.3 percent from three in the game, as the Tigers connected on 11-for-26 from deep. It marked the ninth time this season Mizzou has made 10 or more threes and the 19th time in 26 games the Tigers have made at least seven.
- Levy matched career-highs in assists and steals with five and three, respectively.
- After Smith scored 16 points, Mizzou improves to 28-6 all-time when Smith reaches double figures.
UP NEXT
Next, Mizzou returns home to face the Tennessee Lady Volunteers on Sunday, Feb. 17. Tipoff from Mizzou Arena is slated for 4 p.m. CT and will be televised live on ESPN 2.
For all the latest on Mizzou Women's Basketball, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team @MizzouWBB (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook).
