COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Women’s Basketball senior guard Sophie Cunningham (Columbia, Mo.) was named to the Citizen Naismith Trophy Midseason Team, announced by the Atlanta Tipoff Club Monday. The list includes 30 players for the Women’s National Player of the Year award.
The midseason team will be narrowed down to 10 national semifinalists on March 4, 2019, then four finalists will be named on March 22, 2019, with the winner being announced on April 6, 2019.
Cunningham has been recognized among the best in the nation this season. In addition to the Naismith Trophy midseason team, Cunningham also currently sits on the watch lists for the Wooden Award, the Wade Trophy and the Cheryl Miller Small Forward of the Year Award.
Cunningham has been on a recent scoring-tear, as she has averaged 22.4 points per game over her last seven contests with five 20-point games. Cunningham scored 27 points, grabbed eight rebounds and matched a career-high with seven three-pointers in Mizzou’s 69-46 win over Vanderbilt on Sunday. It marked the 11th time this season and the 44th time in her career she has reached 20 points, as Mizzou moved to 10-1 in games this season in which she has scored 20+ points. Earlier in the week, the Tiger senior led Mizzou to a 70-65 overtime victory over No. 18 Texas A&M on Thursday, as Cunningham notched her 12th career double-double with 22 points and 12 rebounds.
Cunningham is the SEC career active scoring leader with 1,991 points, and ranks sixth in career rebounds (646) and seventh in assists (363). Among program records, Cunningham currently ranks second in career three-point percentage (.407), third in scoring (1,991 points), third in free throws made (480), third in free throw percentage (.830), third in three-pointers made (213), fourth in career points per game (16.7) and fifth in assists (363).
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 hits the road this week for a matchup with No. 6 Mississippi State on Thursday before returning home to Mizzou Arena on Sunday to host Tennessee.
— Mizzou Athletics —