COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Women’s Basketball sophomore guard Sophie Cunningham (Columbia, Mo.) and freshman Amber Smith (Shreveport, La.) received All-SEC recognition, as announced by the league Tuesday. Cunningham was named First Team All-SEC while Smith earned SEC Co-Freshman of the Year and All-Freshman Team honors.

Cunningham is the first Tiger to receive a First Team All-Conference nod since Bri Kulas in 2014. Cunningham averaged a team-best 17.8 points per game, which ranks second in the SEC entering postseason play. The sensational sophomore ended the regular season with four consecutive 20-point performances, averaging 26.5 points per game in the span while racking up a pair of National Player of the Week awards. During that stretch, she became the first Tiger since Sandie Prophete in 1989 to score 26 points in three straight games.

Cunningham finished with 10 20-point performances this season and has 20 such outings in just 60 career games. She scored at least 30 points on three different occasions during the current campaign, one of just two players in the SEC to do so in league play.

Cunningham ranks second in the SEC in free throw shooting, making 84.4 percent of her attempts. She also boasts a 48.4 field goal percentage and is the only player in the league shooting above 80 percent from the free throw line and 45 percent from the field.

Cunningham dished out at least three assists in 18 games. She leads Mizzou in assists and ranks 11th in the league with 3.5 per game.

Smith is the fourth Tiger in program history to earn conference Freshman of the Year honors. She gives Mizzou back-to-back Freshman of the Year honorees for the second time in program history (Kesha Bonds – 1996, Julie Helm-1997). Smith put together an outstanding freshman campaign, averaging 5.8 points and 2.9 rebounds while shooting 48.5 percent from three-point range, 47.0 percent from the field and 75 percent from the free throw line. Her current three-point field goal percentage is on pace to set a single-season program record (min. 30 attempts).

Smith reached double figures five times with Mizzou going 5-0 in those contests. She leads the team in field goal percentage and finished the regular season ranked second among freshmen in the SEC in 3-point field goal percentage.

Smith scored at least eight points nine times during the regular season, with seven of those occasions coming in league play. Since Jan. 23, she’s averaged 7.8 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. Mizzou is 8-2 in that span.

Cunningham, Smith and the rest of the Tigers now turn to the postseason, which begins with the 2017 SEC Tournament in Greenville, S.C. With a double bye locked up, Mizzou rests until the quarterfinals on Friday. Tip off is set for approximately 7:30 p.m. CT.

— Mizzou Athletics —