SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Sophie Cunningham (Columbia, Mo.) and Jordan Frericks (Quincy, Ill.) both recorded double-doubles as Mizzou Women’s Basketball (1-0) earned a 71-55 victory at Missouri State (0-1) in the season opener on Friday evening at JQH Arena. Michelle Hudyn (Kitchener, Ontario) added a career-high 13 rebounds in the win.
“I’m really proud of the way our team battled,” head coach Robin Pingeton said. “We felt like the team that won the rebounding battle would win the game. Missouri State is a really good team and it was a great environment tonight.”
Mizzou’s defense limited Missouri State to 31 percent (19-for-61) shooting from the field and 32 percent (7-for-22) from 3-point range. The Tigers outscored the Bears 27-8 in the fourth quarter as MSU closed the game by making one of its last 16 shots from the floor.
The Tigers outrebounded MSU 53-27 and outscored the Bears 15-4 in second-chance points and 28-16 in the paint. For the game, Mizzou shot 44 percent (24-for-54) from the field and 74 percent (17-for-23) from the free throw line. In the second half, the Tigers shot 62 percent (16-for-26) from the floor and 46 percent (5-for-11) from 3-point range.
Sophie Cunningham scored 19 points and pulled down four rebounds in the last two quarters to lead the Tigers back from a 22-21 halftime deficit. Her 3-pointer with 7:42 remaining gave Mizzou a 51-50 lead that would never be relinquished. She finished the game 7-for-11 from the field, 2-for-4 from beyond the arc and 7-for-8 from the foul line. Five of her rebounds came on the offensive end and she also added five assists.
Frericks scored 14 points and grabbed 10 boards. She went 5-for-7 from the floor and 4-for-5 from the free throw line. Frericks scored 12 points and pulled down eight rebounds over the final two quarters.
Lindsey Cunningham (Columbia, Mo.) scored 10 points and was a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the arc, including a crucial 3-pointer off of a pass from Sierra Michaelis (Mercer, Mo.) with 2:41 remaining to increase the lead to 58-52. Michaelis also finished with 10 points to go along with five assists.
Over the game’s final 7:42, the Tigers outscored MSU 23-5, including an 8-0 run over the final 1:14.
Liza Fruendt led the Bears with 13 points and two steals before fouling out.
Mizzou returns to action on Monday, Nov. 16 with the regular season home opener against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT at Mizzou Arena.
— Mizzou Athletics —