University of Missouri
24-10
Drake
27-7
@MizzouWBB Defeats Drake in OT to Advance to Second Round of NCAA Tournament
3/22/2019 8:06:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Cunningham and Porter become first Mizzou players to record three career wins in the NCAA Tournament
IOWA CITY, Iowa. – Mizzou Women's Basketball (24-10, 10-6 SEC) advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament with a 77-76 overtime win over Drake (27-7, 17-1 MVC) on Friday in Iowa City, Iowa.
This victory helped seniors Sophie Cunningham (Columbia, Mo.) and Cierra Porter (Columbia, Mo.) accomplish a feat no other Tigers ever have – win three career games in the NCAA Tournament. The pair led the Tigers to first round victories over BYU in 2016 and South Florida in 2017. For the first time in program history, Mizzou has won three NCAA Tournament games in a four-year stretch.
TURNING POINT
The Tigers' largest lead came in the first quarter, when they were ahead by nine points. The Tigers spent the remainder of the game in a battle with the Bulldogs for the advantage. The teams exchanged the lead 12 times throughout the contest and were locked at 64 at the end of regulation.
The teams continued to battle down until the last second. With the score tied 76-76 with 15 seconds on the clock, the Tigers had possession as junior guard Jordan Roundtree (St. Louis, Mo.) took a last effort shot and was fouled as she went up. She drained one of three free throws, putting the Tigers up one point with little over a second left in the game. A quick shot by the Bulldogs just missed the mark, giving Mizzou the victory and advancing them to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the third time in the last four seasons.
TOP TIGERS
- The Tiger offense was led by Cunningham, who scored 21 points in the contest. She went 10-for-10 from the free-throw line and shot 50 percent from the field (5-for-10). Her efforts further solidified her position as Mizzou's all-time leading scorer, now with 2,179 career points.
- Porter dropped 18 points against the Bulldogs, her second-highest total this season. She scored 21 points against Arkansas on (Feb. 28).
- Roundtree put up a strong defensive front, grabbing two steals as she shut down the Bulldogs' offensive front. She drained the Tigers' final points from the free throw line to lock in the win.
NOTES
- With the win, Sophie Cunningham and Cierra Porter became the first players in Mizzou history to record three career NCAA Tournament wins.
- Porter's 18 points were her most scored in an NCAA Tournament game, surpassing her 12 points against Florida State in 2017.
- This overtime victory was the Tigers' second this month. Their last one came against Kentucky on March 8, where they won 70-68. They are now 3-0 in overtime games this season.
- Cunningham was 10-for-10 from the free throw line, as she recorded the fifth ever perfect performance from the free throw line from a Mizzou player when attempting at least 10 shots. She joins Lisa Plummer (14-for-14 vs. Kansas, Nov. 24, 1979), Tracy Ellis (14-for-14 vs. Tennessee Tech, Dec. 12, 1987) and Cierra Porter (twice – 11-for-11 vs. Kentucky, Jan. 30, 2017 and 11-for-11 at Arkansas, Feb. 28, 2019).
- Cunningham has scored in double figures in 28 of her 34 games this season, and 20+ points in 16 of those games.
- The 21-point performance was 16th of the season for Cunningham, and the 49th of her career.
- Sophomore Emmanuelle Tahane (Bondy, France) grabbed seven rebounds in the contest, leading the team. She was just short of her season high of eight rebounds, which she recorded against Vanderbilt on Feb. 10, 2019.
UP NEXT
The Tigers advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament and will face off against the Iowa on Sunday in Iowa City.
For all the latest on Mizzou Women's Basketball, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team @MizzouWBB (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook).
