ESTERO, Fla. (AP) — Hannah Schuchts made every shot she took except a free throw in the final seconds, setting career highs with six 3-pointers and 25 points, to lead No. 21 Missouri to a 62-54 win over Duke for fifth place in the Gulf Coast Showcase on Sunday.

Schuchts, a junior forward whose previous career game highs were four 3-pointers and 12 points, was 8-of-8 shooting and 3 of 4 from the line, her only miss coming with 18 seconds left.

The Tigers (5-2) were 16 of 34 outside the arc for 47 percent and only 3 of 20 inside it.

Duke dominated points in the paint 24-4, matched Missouri with 19 field goals but made only five 3-pointers and missed 7 of 18 free throws.

Lauren Aldridge added four 3-pointers and 13 points, seven in the fourth quarter, for Missouri.

Haley Gorecki had four 3-pointers and 24 points, while Leaonna Odom added 15 points and Onome Akinbode-James grabbed 11 rebounds for the Blue Devils (3-3).

Missouri led 39-38 after three quarters. Schuchts and Aldridge opened the fourth quarter with 3-pointers and the Tigers held on, going up by nine with 30 seconds to go. Schuchts had 11 points in the final period.

— Associated Press —

ESTERO, Fla. (AP) — Sophie Cunningham scored 26 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, Amber Smith also had a double-double and No. 21 Missouri beat Quinnipiac 65-51 in the consolation semifinals of the Gulf Coast Showcase on Saturday.

Cunningham made 7 of 14 shots and 9 of 12 free throws, and also had three assists and two blocks. Smith had 17 points and 10 rebounds for Missouri (4-2).

Cunningham scored 15 of Missouri’s 37 first-half points and the Tigers ended the half on a 13-2 run for a 15-point lead. Missouri made seven of its nine 3-point attempts in the first half.

Jen Fay led Quinnipiac (2-3) with 14 points and eight rebounds.

Quinnipiac was just 6-of-32 shooting (18.8 percent) in the first half, with four makes from 3-point range. The Bobcats were held to nine points in the second quarter and trailed 37-22 at the break. Quinnipiac started the fourth quarter on a 9-0 run to pull to 49-40.

— Associated Press —

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Three years ago, Drew Lock’s freshman season ended with a dismal performance in a blowout loss to Arkansas in a chilly downpour. A losing season coupled with the retirement of longtime coach Gary Pinkel had the quarterback questioning whether Missouri was the right school for him.

On Friday, only the opponent and the weather was the same. Lock threw for two touchdowns and rushed for two more to guide Missouri to a 38-0 victory over Arkansas in his final home game. After a rocky start to his career, Lock has led the Tigers to two straight winning seasons and positioned himself to be a high NFL draft pick, which explained Denver Broncos general manager John Elway’s presence at Friday’s game.

“The best way to put it is it just felt right walking off the field,” Lock said.

Missouri (8-4, 4-4 SEC) held Arkansas (2-10, 0-8 SEC) to just 187 total yards and broke the game open by converting two second-quarter turnovers into 14 points.

Lock completed 16 of 25 passes for 221 yards. He went over 3,000 passing yards for the third straight season. With a bowl game left to play, Lock’s career total of 11,820 passing yards is second in SEC history to Georgia’s Aaron Murray, who threw for 13,166 yards from 2010-13.

“He’s done a heck of a job of being Drew, being what we need him to be and playing really well at a high level,” Missouri coach Barry Odom said. “He left his mark.”

Lock had plenty of help on both sides of the ball against Arkansas. Emanuel Hall caught six passes for 153 yards and two touchdowns. Larry Rountree carried 29 times for 119 yards to go over 1,000 yards on the season.

Arkansas had no answer. Starting quarterback Ty Storey threw an interception into the chest of linebacker Terez Hall in the second quarter, setting up Missouri’s second touchdown. On the next series, Missouri defensive tackle Jordan Elliott sacked Storey and forced a fumble that Akial Byers recovered in the end zone to give the Tigers a 21-0 lead. Elliott, who entered the game without a sack, racked up three against the Razorbacks.

“I did not think we played well up front,” Arkansas coach Chad Morris said. “We’ve got guys that have been playing those positions all year long. … Our inability to sustain some blocks was disappointing and put us behind the chains.”

REVOLVING QBS

Morris made a change at quarterback in the second quarter, inserting freshman Connor Noland in place of Storey, who is a junior. Storey completed 4 of 7 passes for 24 yards, and Noland was 5 of 17 for 98 yards.

“Connor did some good things,” Morris said. “Thought he got the ball out of his hand, hit some throws that were good to see. Obviously missed a few, but I thought the more he played, he got more comfortable.”

Freshman John Stephen Jones, the grandson of Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, took over for the final two series of the game.

ARKANSAS CONNECTION

Missouri’s most noteworthy player from the state of Arkansas, running back Damarea Crockett, did not play against the Razorbacks for the third straight year. He was suspended in 2016 and was injured for the last two meetings. But three other players from the home of the Razorbacks — Fayetteville — made contributions for the Tigers.

The biggest was Byers, a sophomore defensive end who scored his first career touchdown on a fumble recovery.

“It just came to me,” Byers said. “Good things happen when you run to the ball.”

The fact it came against his hometown team wasn’t lost on him.

“That made it way more special,” Byers said.

Barrett Banister, a freshman walk-on from Fayetteville who has carved out a role as a possession receiver, caught two passes for 12 yards. Backup quarterback Taylor Powell, who replaced Lock in the fourth quarter, completed 1 of 2 passes for 6 yards.

THE TAKEAWAY

Arkansas: It was a rough debut season for Morris. The Razorbacks posted their fewest wins since going 2-8 in 1952.

“I knew that this was the toughest league in college football, and it definitely did not disappoint,” said Morris, who spent the previous three years as the SMU head coach. “It did exactly what I thought was going to happen. You’ve got to have depth, and you better have some speed.”

Missouri: In an effort to boost sagging attendance, Odom publicly offered to buy tickets to Friday’s game for any fans who wanted to attend. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that Missouri took orders for 5,537 tickets, with an estimated cost of $138,425. But heavy rain and temperatures in the 40s no doubt kept fans away as attendance was announced at 52,482 but appeared far smaller than that.

“Weather-wise, it wasn’t perfect, but I am thankful for the folks that were in the stands,” Odom said. “For those that showed up, hats off to you.”

UP NEXT

Arkansas: Morris will have plenty of time to put the finishing touches on a promising recruiting class that already has 24 verbal commitments and is ranked No. 12 nationally by Rivals.com.

Missouri: The Tigers will play in their second straight bowl game and their 11th in the last 14 years.

— Associated Press —

ESTERO, Fla. — Deja Church scored 11 of her 15 points in the first half and Michigan coasted to a 70-54 upset over No. 21 Missouri in the first round of the Gulf Coast Showcase on Friday night.

The Wolverines (4-0) dominated the first half, scoring the first nine points and breaking away to a 37-14 lead at the break. The Tigers (3-2) had a run of 11 missed shots stretching from the second into the third quarter and made just five of their first 31 shots (16.1 percent).

Nicole Munger added 11 points and Hallie Thome scored 10 for the Wolverines, who had their largest lead at 53-25 with 1:59 left in the third quarter.

Missouri had 9-2 runs to open and close the fourth quarter but only got as close as the final score. Sophie Cunningham led the Tigers with nine points.

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Athletics has extended the contract of Head Women’s Basketball Coach Robin Pingeton four years, ensuring she will be on the Mizzou sideline through the 2024-25 season. In her ninth season, Pingeton has built Mizzou into a consistent Top-25 team program, leading the Tigers to three consecutive NCAA Tournaments for the first time since 1984-86.

“It has been exciting to watch Robin and her staff restore Mizzou’s proud women’s basketball tradition while making a positive impact in the lives of our student-athletes, and a difference within the Columbia community,” said Mizzou Director of Athletics Jim Sterk. “She is a leader of impeccable integrity, who has re-built this program from the ground up, and I believe this new contract demonstrates Mizzou’s commitment to Robin and rewards her for the success she has enjoyed over the last eight seasons. Robin is a tremendous fit at Mizzou, and I look forward to watching her program continue to graduate its student-athletes at a high level while competing for championships.”

Pingeton owns a record of 150-109 (.579) at Mizzou, and stands 485-266 (.646) overall after leading her alma mater, St. Ambrose, to a 192-76 mark over eight seasons from 1992-2000 and Illinois State to a 144-81 record in eight seasons from 2003-2010. Among active coaches, Pingeton’s 485 career victories rank second among SEC head coaches and 37th overall among Division I head coaches. Her .579 winning percentage at Mizzou ranks second all-time, trailing only Mizzou Hall of Famer Joann Rutherford’s mark of .617 (422-262).

“I am extremely grateful, and appreciative to the University of Missouri for their faith and commitment to myself and my staff,” said Pingeton. “It is an honor to be associated with a great university and community. My family and I are so thankful to have the opportunity to work with great leaders, administrators and student-athletes. I am looking forward to continuing to grow this program and pursuing excellence both on and off the court.”

In her time at Mizzou, Pingeton has coached two All-Americans, 12 all-conference players and two conference freshmen of the year. She was named the Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year following the 2016-17 season and was a top-10 finalist for both the Naismith National Coach of the Year award and the WBCA National Coach of the Year award after an outstanding 2017-18 campaign.

Senior guard Sophie Cunningham (Columbia, Mo.) has earned back-to-back AP All-America Honorable Mention honors under Pingeton’s tutelage. Cunningham concluded her junior campaign by averaging 18.5 points and 4.7 rebounds per game, and was the nation’s only player 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).

Pingeton’s Tigers have achieved much success in the classroom as well, as Mizzou has recorded program-high team GPA’s in back-to-back semesters with marks of 3.34 in the 2017 fall semester and 3.4 in the 2018 spring semester. Pingeton has mentored 57 student-athletes to conference academic recognition, including 34 who have been named to the Winter SEC Academic Honor Roll. In 2014, Lianna Doty was named the SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year.

In 2017-18, Pingeton led Mizzou to its third straight NCAA Tournament and a 24-8 record, the Tigers’ most wins since the 1983-84 campaign. The 24 victories marked Mizzou’s third consecutive season with at least 22 wins, a feat which had not been accomplished in Columbia since 1982-85. In SEC play, Mizzou won 11 games for the second straight season and finished tied-for-fourth in the SEC. Mizzou’s 22 wins in conference play in the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons are the most in a two year span since Mizzou won 24 over the 1983-84 and 1984-85 seasons. Mizzou reached as high as No. 11 in the Associated Press Top-25 during the 2017-18 season, its highest ranking since 1984, and No. 9 in the Coaches Poll, its highest ranking in program history. A program-record 11,092 fans were in attendance at Mizzou Arena on Feb. 18, 2018, as the Tigers downed No. 11 Tennessee, 77-73.

Pingeton was named the Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year in 2016-17 after being selected by both the Associated Press and the league’s coaches for the honor. She steered Mizzou to its second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and a third-place finish in the SEC. It marked the Tigers’ highest finish in league play since joining the SEC and the highest since 1990. Mizzou capped off the special 2016-17 season with a trip to the Big Dance, advancing to the second round with a win over South Florida in the tournament opener.

In 2015-16, Pingeton’s squad capped the season with the program’s 10th NCAA Tournament appearance. Mizzou entered the Big Dance as a No. 10 seed and knocked off seventh-seeded BYU, 78-69, in the opening round to seal its first NCAA Tournament victory since 2001.

Pingeton Year-by-Year at Mizzou
2010-11 13-18 (.419)
2011-12 13-18 (.419)
2012-13 17-15 (.531) WNIT 1st Round
2013-14 17-14 (.548) WNIT 1st Round
2014-15 19-14 (.576) WNIT 3rd Round
2015-16 22-10 (.688) NCAA Tournament 2nd Round
2016-17 22-11 (.667) NCAA Tournament 2nd Round
2017-18 24-8 (.750) NCAA Tournament 1st Round
2018-19 3-1 (.750)

9 Seasons 150-109 (.579)

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Women’s Basketball head coach Robin Pingeton announced the addition of Micah Linthacum to its recruiting class on Tuesday. Linthacum joins Aijha Blackwell and Hayley Frank in Mizzou’s Class of 2019, which is ranked 11th overall in the nation by espnW.

A 6-foot-3 post player from Jefferson City High School, Linthacum will add size to the Mizzou women’s squad. Linthacum helped lead the Lady Jays to a Class 5 District 7 title as a junior in 2017-18, and is the No. 18-ranked player in the nation at her position, according to espnW.

“I am now a fourth generation Tiger and have always loved the family atmosphere within the team and coaching staff,” said Linthacum. “I feel blessed, and am excited to become a Mizzou Tiger.”

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Sophie Cunningham had 14 points and 12 rebounds, leading No. 21 Missouri past SIU-Edwardsville 59-36 on Monday night.

In the second half, Cunningham moved into sixth in program history with 1,626 points.

Amber Smith and Grace Berg each added 10 points for Missouri (3-1). The Tigers made 13 of 18 free throws compared to SIUE’s seven attempts.

The Tigers led 27-17 at halftime and Cunningham secured her ninth career double-double in the third quarter as they led 40-23.

Coach Robin Pingeton won her 150th game at Missouri, which allowed its fewest points since a 55-35 victory over Nebraska on Nov. 14, 2016.

Sydney Bauman had 12 points and eight rebounds for SIUE (2-1). The Cougars shot 28 percent from the floor, turned it over 19 times and were outscored 32-14 in the paint.

— Associated Press —

ST. THOMAS, U.S. Virgin Islands (AP) — Jordan Geist scored 18 of his season-high 21 points in the second half, and Missouri used a late run to pull away from Oregon State 69-63 Sunday in the semifinals of the Paradise Jam tournament.

Kevin Puryear added 17 points for the Tigers (3-1), who advance to Monday night’s championship game at the University of the Virgin Islands’ Sports and Fitness Center.

Tres Tinkle scored 17 points, Stephen Thompson Jr. added 15 and Alfred Hollins 12 for the Beavers (3-1).

Missouri led by as many as 10 points in the first half and were ahead 32-28 at the halftime break. But Oregon State rallied in the second half to tie the game three times, the last at 48 on Tinkle’s layup with 9:57 remaining.

However, Geist hit a short jumper 23 seconds later, kicking off a 13-point run by the Tigers capped by Xavier Pinson’s floater in the lane for a 61-48 lead.

— Associated Press —

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Missouri quarterback Drew Lock remembers how Tennessee fans roasted him on social media after the Tigers hired Derek Dooley as offensive coordinator.

“I still had Twitter at that time and I was getting tagged in all of these tweets from Tennessee people, (saying), `Aww, Drew Lock’s got Derek Dooley now. Here he goes down the drain, Blah, blah, blah,” Lock said.

Lock issued one heck of a response Saturday as Missouri trounced the Volunteers 50-17 in Dooley’s return to Tennessee, which fired him as head coach six years ago.

With Lock throwing two touchdown passes and Larry Rountree rushing for 135 yards, Missouri (7-4, 3-4 SEC) breezed to its third straight victory. This win had to be particularly sweet for Dooley, who went 15-21 as Tennessee’s coach from 2010-12.

Rather than going down the drain under Dooley, Lock is moving up the Southeastern Conference rankings for career passing yardage.

Lock went 21 of 30 for 257 yards Saturday and now has thrown for 11,599 yards in his career to reach second place on the SEC’s all-time list. Lock overtook David Greene, who passed for 11,528 yards at Georgia from 2001-04.

“That feels really good,” Lock said. “That is definitely really cool, especially to be able to do it here with Coach Dooley.”

The SEC record holder is Aaron Murray, who compiled 13,166 career passing yards for Georgia from 2010-13.

Ty Chandler had two touchdown runs for Tennessee (5-6, 2-5), which lost starting quarterback Jarrett Guarantano to an injury after he was sacked twice in the first quarter . Keller Chryst replaced Guarantano early in the second period and went 7 of 19 for 173 yards with two interceptions.

“Missouri outcoached us, outplayed us today,” Tennessee coach Jeremy Pruitt said.

Pruitt had no postgame update on the status of Guarantano or wide receiver Marquez Callaway, who also was knocked out of the game after catching two passes for 98 yards.

Missouri outgained Tennessee 117-(minus-17) in the first quarter but only had a 6-0 lead to show for it after two drives stalled in the red zone, forcing the Tigers to settle for field goals.

The momentum briefly changed after Chryst entered the game. Chryst’s 41-yard completion to Jauan Jennings on a third-and-6 play set up a 5-yard touchdown run from Ty Chandler that put Tennessee ahead 7-6.

Missouri went back ahead for good with a touchdown on its next drive, beginning a stretch of four straight possessions in which it reached the end zone.

With Tennessee trailing 19-10, the Vols reached Missouri’s 28-yard line in the final minute of the half before DeMarkus Acy picked off a Chryst pass and delivered a 76-yard interception return. That turnover put Missouri at Tennessee’s 11 to set up Lock’s 3-yard touchdown pass to Johnathon Johnson, which gave the Tigers a 26-10 advantage.

“We had a chance to put some points on the board and we make a bad throw and they run it (most) of the way back, at least a 10-point swing there,” Pruitt said.

After both teams reached the end zone on their opening possessions of the second half, another Tennessee turnover put the game out of reach.

Tennessee’s Carlin Fils-aime fumbled on his only carry of the night, and Joshuah Bledsoe picked it up and ran 39 yards for a Missouri touchdown that made it 40-17.

“I didn’t think we’d be in position in the third quarter to milk the clock,” Missouri coach Barry Odom said, “but that is the way the game unfolded.”

TAKEAWAYS

Missouri: Don’t bet against the Tigers in November. Missouri improved its November record to 9-2 under Odom, who’s in his third year on the job. The Tigers won easily Saturday even though an ankle injury limited Damarea Crockett to three carries for 10 yards after he rushed for over 100 yards each of the last two weeks. Missouri has won its last eight November games. Last year, the Tigers won their final six regular-season games before falling to Texas in the Texas Bowl.

Tennessee: The Vols still can become bowl eligible by winning at Vanderbilt, which would represent a giant step forward for a program that finished 4-8 and went winless in SEC competition last year.

“We want to go to a bowl game, we’ve got to go get it,” Chandler said. “It’s not going to be handed to us.”

FAMILIAR SCORE

This is the second straight year that Missouri has beaten Tennessee 50-17. Tennessee fired Butch Jones as coach the day after last season’s Missouri-Tennessee game, which featured Missouri scoring 33 unanswered points to break a 17-all tie.

TARGETING CALLS

Missouri linebacker Tavon Ross got a targeting penalty in the first half. Tennessee linebacker Shanon Reid and Missouri defensive end Nate Anderson drew targeting penalties in the second half, which means the two of them won’t be able to play in the first half of their regular-season finales.

UP NEXT

Missouri hosts Arkansas on Friday.

Tennessee visits Vanderbilt on Saturday.

— Associated Press —