COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Women’s Basketball senior guard Sophie Cunningham (Columbia, Mo.) is one of 25 athletes named to the Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 list, as announced by ESPN on Wednesday. The players on the list are considered strong candidates for the 2019 John R. Wooden Award Women’s Player of the Year, presented by Wendy’s, the nation’s top individual honor.

Last season, Cunningham was named to the Wooden Award preseason top 30, midseason top 25, late season top 20 and the national ballot.

A top 20 list will be announced later in the season, followed by a list of 15 finalists which will be revealed before the NCAA Tournament. The winner of the Wooden Award will be announced April 12 at the College Basketball Awards.

Through 16 games, Cunningham is Mizzou’s leading scorer and ranks in the top-20 in the SEC in both scoring and rebounding, as her 16.0 points per game ranks ninth and her 5.9 rebounds per game ranks 19th. Cunningham has reached 20 points six times this season, and has reached 18 points in six of her last eight, including a 20 point performance in Mizzou’s road win over No. 10 Tennessee on Sunday. Cunningham also dished out six assists against the Lady Volunteers, her ninth career game of 20+ points and 5+ assists, the most by a Tiger since the 2000-01 season.

Cunningham is the SEC career active scoring leader with 1,819 points, and ranks sixth in career rebounds (591) and seventh in steals. Among program records, Cunningham currently ranks third in free throw percentage (.828), fourth in three-pointers made (184), fourth in career three-point percentage (.397), fifth in scoring (1,819 points), fifth in career points per game (16.5) and fifth in assists (342).

Last season, Cunningham earned AP All-America Honorable Mention and All-SEC First Team honors for the second consecutive season after averaging 18.5 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. She was the only player in the nation to shoot better than 54 percent from the field (54.2 percent, 186-for-343), 45 percent from three (45.7 percent, 69-for-151) and 83 percent from the free throw line (83.6 percent, 133-for-159).

Mizzou returns home to Mizzou Arena to face Arkansas on Thursday, Jan. 10. Tipoff from Mizzou Arena will be at 7 p.m.

— Mizzou Athletics —