COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Women’s Basketball (10-3) extended its season-high winning streak to four games on Monday, defeating visiting UC-Riverside, 68-62. The Tigers claimed their 10th victory of the year, marking their sixth consecutive season with 10-plus wins in nonconference action.
Sophomore Cierra Porter (Columbia, Mo.) and senior Sierra Michaelis (Mercer, Mo.) paced the Tigers’ offense Monday with respective double-doubles. Porter finished with a career-high 26 points and 12 rebounds and Michaelis posted 10 points and a season-high 11 rebounds. It marked the second time this season that a Tiger duo posted double-doubles in the same game, joining Lindsey Cunningham (Columbia, Mo.) and Porter’s strong performances against SIU-Edwardsville (Dec. 7).
Mizzou was sensational in the opening quarter, shooting 9-of-12 (75-percent) from the field. The Tigers jumped out to a 16-0 lead early. In the quarter, they hit both shots from behind the arc and went 7-of-7 from the charity stripe to key their strong opening 10 minutes of play. Mizzou’s defense also played well in the first quarter, limiting UC-Riverside to 4-of-18 (22-percent) shooting.
Sophomore Sophie Cunningham (Columbia, Mo.) delivered a perfect shooting performance in the first quarter, hitting all three shots from the field and all five attempts from the free throw line. Cunningham’s 12 quick points marked her 10th double-digit scoring outing of the season. She finished with 14 points.
Early in the second quarter, Porter surpassed double-digit points with a contested layup. Porter has tallied 10-plus points in each of Mizzou’s 13 games so far this season. Her consistent dominance in the post allowed Mizzou to take a 41-29 lead into halftime.
The Tigers’ offense struggled to open the second half, allowing the Highlanders to pull within single digits on multiple occasions. Porter continued to pace Mizzou in the third quarter with 10 points in the frame. She had 20 points through 30 minutes of game clock.
Porter continued her standout evening in the fourth quarter, as she clinched her team-leading sixth double-double this season. She notched six of Mizzou’s last 10 points to close the game. UC Riverside managed to cut the deficit to as low as four with less than three minutes remaining, but Porter earned another trip to the free throw line and made both foul shots to push the Tigers back up by six. Mizzou clamped down and got the stops it needed to hold off the Highlanders.
Mizzou concludes its 2016 non-conference schedule on Wednesday, Dec. 21, with a game at Saint Louis. The Tigers and Billikens are set for a 7 p.m. (CT) tip inside Chaifetz Arena.
— Mizzou Athletics —