COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Women’s Basketball closed out their exhibition slate on Thursday evening with a 74-59 victory over Washburn. The Mizzou offense found its grove in the fourth quarter, as the team shot 59 percent from the field in the closing frame to finish off the visiting Ichabods.
Senior guard Sophie Cunningham (Columbia, Mo.) spearheaded the Mizzou offense with 22 points and eight rebounds (five on the offensive glass). Junior guardAmber Smith (Shreveport, La.) contributed 17 points and 10 rebounds to record a double-double in just 19 minutes played. Freshman guard Akira Levy (Baxter, Tenn.) chipped in 10 points, while redshirt senior guard Lauren Aldridge (Marshfield, Mo.) and junior guard Jordan Chavis (Lexington, N.C.) scored seven and six points, respectively. Cunningham and Smith combined to grab 18 of the teams’ 38 total rebounds, while Aldridge, Levy and Smith dished out nine of the Tigers’ 15 total assists.
TURNING POINT
Mizzou and Washburn played a tight game for the majority of the contest, but that changed with a Chavis three-pointer from top of the key with 46 seconds left to play in the third quarter. Then, a buzzer-beating three pointer from Cunningham on the subsequent possession put the Tigers up by seven to end the third period. From there, the Black & Gold offense came alive in the final period of play, as they outscored in the Ichabods 23-15 in the final 10 minutes of action.
TOP TIGERS
Cunningham led Mizzou’s offense, scoring a team-high 22 points and pulling down eight rebounds. The hometown senior turned in another solid shooting performance, going 8-for-13 from the field and 3-for-6 from beyond the three-point arc.
Smith tallied a double-double with 17 points on 57 percent shooting, while also recording 10 rebounds, four blocks and four steals. The Shreveport, La., native was on fire in the second half, scoring 14 points on 7-for-11 shooting.
After an impressive debut as a Tiger on Monday against Missouri Western, Levy contributed valuable minutes off the bench, filling the stat sheet with 10 points, four steals, three rebounds and three assists in 23 minutes of action.
GAME NOTES
- Cunningham shot 50 percent (3-for-6) from the three-point line. The two-time All-SEC selection shot 50 percent or better from beyond the arc in both exhibition contests this season.
- Cunningham, Levy and Smith all scored in double-digits for the second game in a row. The deadly offensive trio combined for 49 points on 59 percent shooting in tonight’s game.
- The Tigers shot a notable 50 percent from the field, improving on a 44 percent performance from Monday’s exhibition matchup against Missouri Western.
UP NEXT
Mizzou kicks off the regular season on Tuesday when the Tigers pay a visit to Macomb, Ill. to take on Western Illinois. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. at Western Hall.
— Mizzou Athletics —