ST. THOMAS, U.S. Virgin Islands (AP) — Kevin Puryear scored 17 points, and Missouri pulled ahead in the final two minutes to beat Kennesaw State 55-52 on Friday at the Paradise Jam tournament.

Jeremiah Tilmon added 12 points for the Tigers (2-1), who will face Oregon State in Sunday’s semifinals at the University of the Virgin Islands’ Sports and Fitness Center.

Missouri led by as many as 11 points in the first half, but the Owls (1-3) rallied to tie it at 50 on Kosta Jankovic’s jumper with 2:32 remaining. Jordan Geist hit a pair of free throws with 1:42 left to put the Tigers back in the lead.

Kennesaw State had two chances to tie it or take the lead, but Tyler Hooker missed a 3-pointer with 30 seconds left, and the Owls turned it over, leading to Mark Smith’s layup with 6.9 seconds left.

Hooker and Jankovic finished with 13 points each, and Kyle Clarke added 10 points for Kennesaw State, which plays Old Dominion in Saturday’s consolation game.

— Associated Press —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Women’s Basketball suffered its first loss of the season Friday to Green Bay, 56-49 at Mizzou Arena. Junior guard Amber Smith (Shreveport, La.) led the way for Mizzou by recording her fourth career double-double with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Smith shot 8-for-10 from the free throw line in the game and blocked two shots.

TURNING POINT

Mizzou led in the game for a majority of the first half thanks to 15 first-half points from Smith, but the pesky Green Bay team was able to take the lead by the end of the third quarter after edging the Tigers, 14-12, in the third period. The Phoenix were able to hold Mizzou to 3-for-11 shooting from the field in the period, while Green Bay shot 42.9 percent (6-for-14).

TOP TIGERS

• Smith scored the team’s first nine points, draining two jump shots and three free throws in the first four minutes of the game. Smith finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds to record her second double-double of the season and fourth of her career.
• Smith was successful on 8-for-10 trips to the free throw line in the game, and record two blocks, giving her nine total on the season.
• Smith scored a season-high 23 points, coming just short of surpassing her career high of 27 points against LSU on Jan. 4, 2018. Smith also brought in 10 rebounds.
• Senior guard Lauren Aldridge (Marshfield, Mo.) scored 7 points and dished out a season-high four assists.

NOTES

• Smith recorded two blocks in the game, giving her nine on the season after recording just 33 blocks in her first two seasons as a Tiger. Smith had eight blocks in 2016-17 as a freshman and 25 in 2017-18 as a sophomore.
• Mizzou pulled down 15 offensive rebounds in the game, the most since recording 15 against LSU on Jan. 4, 2018. The Tigers outrebounded Green Bay, 40-33 in the game, the second time in three games this season Mizzou has outrebounded its opponent.

UP NEXT

Mizzou will continue its three-game home stand Monday Nov. 19 at Mizzou Arena, as the Tigers host SIU Edwardsville. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Men’s Basketball signed a pair of future student-athletes to its 2019 recruiting class, head coach Cuonzo Martin announced Wednesday. Versatile forward Tray Jackson (Detroit, Mich.) and explosive guard Mario McKinney inked National Letters of Intent to attend and play at Mizzou.

Jackson is a 6-foot-8 four-star power forward ranked No. 56 in ESPN’s 2019 Top 100. The Detroit native averaged 13.3 points and 5.0 rebounds for the Meanstreets on the Nike EYBL circuit. He shot 38.7 percent from beyond the arc and poured in 218 points in 16 games. At the 2018 Peach Jam, Jackson chipped in 12.2 points per game over five contests and shot 73.1 percent from the free throw line.

“Tray has the potential to be an immediate impact player in the SEC,” Martin said. “He fits that positionless mold, with the ability to shoot, score at the rim and defend at a high level. The Detroit-to-Mizzou connection has a storied tradition here in Columbia and we’re excited for Tray to join the program and continue that legacy.”

Jackson was an Associated Press Michigan Class A all-state Honorable Mention after his senior campaign at Detroit Western International. He was the catalyst in Detroit Western’s upset win over Detroit East English in the 2018 state tournament opener, scoring 27 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Jackson opted to reclassify to the 2019 class and spend a prep school season this year at Sunrise Christian Academy in Wichita, Kan.

McKinney was tabbed the No. 1 player in the state of Missouri’s class of 2019 by both ESPN and 247Sports. A four-star recruit ranked No. 19 nationally at the point guard position and No. 125 overall, McKinney was a 2018 Class 4 all-state honoree and the Public High League’s player of the year.

“Mario is an incredible athlete, he’s tough, quick and his ability to attack the rim will help our program immensely,” Martin said. “I know he’s excited to represent his home state and his family legacy at Mizzou, and that’s important to our program. We’re looking forward to him joining the Mizzou Basketball Family next season.”

McKinney helped lead Vashon High School to back-to-back Missouri Class 4 state championships in 2016 and 2017. As a junior, he averaged 17 points, six rebounds and four assists on his way to second-team St. Louis All-Metro recognition.

McKinney is the cousin of former Mizzou guard Jimmy McKinney, who shined for the Tigers and scored 1,146 career points from 2002-06. Mario chose Mizzou over Louisville, Kansas State, Auburn, Oklahoma State, Iowa State and VCU.

— Northwest Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Women’s Basketball head coach Robin Pingeton announced the signings of two talented Missouri prep athletes Wednesday, as Aijha Blackwell and Hayley Frank each signed national letters of intent and will continue their athletic and academic careers at the University of Missouri. The class is ranked 11th overall in the nation by espnW, as both signees are five-star recruits and top-30 prospects in espnW’s 2019 HoopGurlz Recruiting Rankings.

“Words can’t describe how excited we are about this recruiting class,” said Pingeton. “They are elite level players and high character individuals who will help us continue to elevate our program. The fact that they are from the state of Missouri makes it even that much more special.”

Blackwell, from Whitfield School in Berkeley, Mo., who was recruited by just about every Division-I program in the country, is ranked No. 8 in the nation and No. 1 in the state of Missouri in espnW’s 2019 HoopGurlz Recruiting Rankings. She is a three-time Missouri Basketball Coaches Association (MBCA) Class 3 All-State selection (2016-18), and a USA Today first team Missouri selection in 2018. As a junior, Blackwell led Whitfield to the Class 3A state semifinals and a 22-7 record, as she averaged 24.2 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.0 steals per game. Entering her senior season, Blackwell is one of 50 high school seniors named to the watch list for the 2019 Naismith High School Trophy.

“I chose Mizzou because it is like home to me,” said Blackwell. “I have always dreamed about being a part of a winning atmosphere and culture. This is the best decision I have ever made. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”

Blackwell was selected to play for the USA U18 National Team this past summer, where she helped lead Team USA to a gold medal in Mexico City at the 2018 FIBA Americas U18 Championship. She averaged 9.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game over six games during USA’s championship run, including eight points, four rebounds and three steals in the gold medal game win over Canada.

Blackwell’s father, Ernest, was a four-year letterwinner for Mizzou Football who played running back from 1994-97 and was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in 1998.

Frank, from Strafford, Mo., is the No. 29-ranked player in the nation and the No. 2-ranked player in the state of Missouri. Coached by her dad, Steve, Frank has helped lead Strafford High School to three consecutive Missouri Class 3 state championships and 82 consecutive wins. She has been named to the MBCA Class 3A All-State team each of the last three seasons (2016-18), the MBCA Class 3 Player of the Year in 2016-17 and 2017-18, the 2017-18 Gatorade Missouri Girls Basketball Player of the Year and the 2018 Missouri Wendy’s High Heisman state winner. Entering her senior campaign, Frank has already racked up 2,293 points and 1,213 rebounds.

“I chose Mizzou because of the values the coaches and the team stand for,” said Frank. “I feel it is the best opportunity to grow, not only as a player, but as a person as well.”

As a junior, the 6-foot-2 guard led the Indians to a 33-0 record and third straight state title after averaging 24.9 points, 12.7 rebounds, 7.1 assists, 3.3 steals and 3.0 blocks per game. Frank led Strafford to a second consecutive state title as a sophomore in 2016-17, averaging 24.0 points, 13.0 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 3.0 steals and 2.2 blocks per game en route to a 33-0 season. She was named the Class 3 Player of the Year in both seasons.

Frank is an all-state infielder on the Strafford softball team and a state qualifier for the golf team. Away from the court, Frank has maintained a 4.05 GPA, is the vice president of the student body, and is a part of the National Honor Society.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Sophie Cunningham and Grace Berg each scored 12 points and No. 16 Missouri beat Missouri State 65-61 on Tuesday night.

Amber Smith made a jumper from the free-throw line to give Missouri a 55-51 lead with 1:34 to go and Cunningham made two free throws on its next possession for a six-point lead. Missouri State got it within three points on three different occasions after that, the last with two seconds left, but Cunningham sealed it at the line.

Akira Levy added 11 points for Missouri (2-0), which is coming off its third straight NCAA Tournament appearance — going 24-8 for its most wins since 1983-84. Cunningham, who scored 30-plus in her two previous games, was held to 4-of-10 shooting, missing all four of her 3-point attempts.

Missouri coach Robin Pingeton is one win away from 150 at Mizzou and 16 away from 500 career victories.

Danielle Gitzen scored 16 points and Sydney Manning 11 for Missouri State (0-2).

— Associated Press —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou freshman TE Daniel Parker, Jr. (Blue Springs, Mo.) is the SEC Freshman of the Week, announced Monday by the league office. Parker has earned the weekly distinction for the first time in his career and Monday marks the third time that a Mizzou freshman has taken home this award this season. WR Jalen Knox had the other two after his performances at Purdue and against Memphis.

A converted defensive end turned tight end, Parker’s team-first attitude has been welcomed and admired by Mizzou’s coaching staff and fans, and his work ethic paid dividends last Saturday against Vanderbilt. With Mizzou’s TE group depleted by injuries and much of Mizzou’s offense being dependent upon the TE position, Parker stepped up and made a huge impact in Mizzou’s 33-28 win over Vanderbilt, helping the Tigers gain bowl eligibility for the second straight season.

He earned the first start of his career and hauled in three catches for 42 yards and a big 20-yard TD strike, the first of his career, to help Mizzou pull within one score during its comeback from down 11 points. His first catch came on a second-and-six and went for a first down. His second catch was the 20-yard TD to cut Vanderbilt’s lead to 28-26 in the third quarter. His final catch came on a third-and-three on Mizzou’s eventual game-winning drive in the fourth quarter, taking a Drew Lock pass for 15 yards and first down.

In addition to what he did in the passing game, his contributions were equally noticeable in the ground game as his blocking helped pave the way for 253 yards on the ground. Mizzou’s offense was perfectly balanced Saturday, going for 253 yards through the air and 253 on the ground, marking just the ninth time in program history that Mizzou had at least 250 rushing yards and 250 passing yards in a league game. Parker’s contributions were a huge part of that.

Parker and the Tigers return to the road for the final time in 2018 as they head to Tennessee for a 2:30 p.m. (CT) game at Neyland Stadium this Saturday.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Women’s Basketball senior guard Sophie Cunningham (Columbia, Mo.) was named to the watch list for the Citizen Naismith Trophy, announced by the Atlanta Tipoff Club Monday. The Tiger senior was one of 50 players on the watch list for the Women’s Player of the Year award.

The watch list will be narrowed down to 30 players for a midseason team on Feb. 11, 2019, and then to 10 national semifinalists on March 4, 2019. Finally, four finalists will be named on March 22, 2019, with the winner being announced on April 6, 2019.

Cunningham has now been named to the watch list for three national awards for the 2018-19 season, as she was also named to the Cheryl Miller Small Forward of the Year Award (Oct. 24) and the Wooden Award (Nov. 7) watch lists. Cunningham was also tabbed Preseason All-SEC first team by the league’s coaches (Oct. 30) and media members (Oct. 16).

Cunningham scored 31 points, grabbed eight rebounds and dished out three assists in Mizzou’s season-opening road victory over Western Illinois on Nov. 6. The performance was Cunningham’s eighth career 30+ point game, and her second straight after scoring 35 points in Mizzou’s NCAA Tournament game against Florida Gulf Coast last season. All-time, Mizzou is 6-2 in games where Cunningham scores 30 or more points.

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 will be in action twice at Mizzou Arena this week, first hosting Missouri State on Tuesday, Nov. 13 at 7 p.m. CT, then Green Bay on Friday, Nov. 16 at 6 p.m. CT.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — When Missouri kicker Tucker McCann missed a 31-yard field goal to the left with 1:48 remaining in the game, the possibility opened up that Missouri could lose its third last-second contest of the season.

The Tigers were up 33-28. Quarterback Kyle Shurmur led Vanderbilt 55 yards down the field, setting up for a play on Missouri’s 25-yard line with five seconds remaining.

When the final pass came down untouched, Missouri had won its sixth game, becoming bowl-eligible for the second season in a row. The Tigers exhaled.

“I instantly just fell down on my knees and said `thank you God’,” Missouri running back Damarea Crockett said.

Missouri’s defense bent but didn’t break during Vanderbilt’s final drive.

“I was wishing it was over before then,” Missouri head coach Barry Odom said. “But I had trust in what was called. I’m proud that our team ended up winning it on that last play.”

In the end, the Tigers (6-4, 2-4 Southeastern Conference) are going bowling, and the Commodores (4-6, 1-5) will need to win both its remaining games to guarantee bowl eligibility.

Vanderbilt had led all game until Missouri running backs Crockett and Larry Rountree III fueled a 99-yard drive to start the fourth quarter. The drive started after Vanderbilt failed to convert a 4th-and-goal opportunity on Missouri’s 1-yard line.

“Not putting the ball in the end zone on fourth-and-1 was the most critical play in the ballgame for us,” Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason said. “Not getting that done cost us momentum.”

From there, the Tigers trekked down the field for a 14-play drive that lasted 5:38. Quarterback Drew Lock trotted three yards into the end zone to give Missouri its first lead of the game — 33-28 with 9:18 remaining.

Shurmur outplayed Lock for the majority of the game, with 249 yards and three touchdowns on 24-for-35 passing. Lock, a former Heisman hopeful, passed for 253 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions on 22-for-33 passing.

Crockett bolted for 122 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries and Rountree added 92 yards on 21 rushes.

“Those guys put the game on their back,” Lock said. “Our o-line blocked their butts off.”

Vanderbilt’s Ke’Shawn Vaughn ran for 182 yards and one touchdown on 15 carries, good for 12.1 yards per carry.

THE TAKEAWAY

Vanderbilt: The Commodores showed promise on offense in the first half and proved that they could compete on the road. The victory would have immensely helped the team’s bowl chances, but Vanderbilt can still clinch eligibility with wins in home games against Ole Miss and Tennessee.

Missouri: It wasn’t as pretty as the Tigers’ 38-17 victory over No. 13 Florida, but Missouri is officially going bowling. After a rough first half, the defense locked down and offense stepped up in the second half. Finally winning a close game should help the Tigers’ spirits.

FOURTH QUARTER FUTILITY

Beginning with the failed fourth-and-goal attempt from the 1-yard line, Vanderbilt missed out on multiple opportunities in the fourth quarter. Vanderbilt was flagged on an unsportsmanlike conduct, which turned a 3rd-and-1 to a 3rd-and-16, which it didn’t convert.

The Commodores picked off Lock on the ensuing drive, putting themselves on Missouri’s 35. They managed just one yard on four plays.

“It’s been the same story all season,” said Vanderbilt tight end Jared Pinkney, who had five catches for 88 yards. “We can’t finish, for whatever reason.”

ON THE RIGHT SIDE

Missouri has lost a pair of last-second contests this season, 37-35 to South Carolina and 15-14 against No. 12 Kentucky. After winning on a last-second play, Odom and his players acknowledged how much better it feels to be on the good side of thrillers.

“Down to the last play, I’m kind of tired of those,” Odom said. “Excited for our team to show the resolve, the toughness and the grit when it wasn’t very pretty early on.”

UP NEXT

Vanderbilt returns home to play Ole Miss.

Missouri goes on the road to face Tennessee.

— Associated Press —

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa State fans showed up to Hilton Coliseum on Friday night to the sight of star Lindell Wigginton in a cardinal-colored cast instead of a cardinal and gold jersey.

It was of somewhat small solace that the Cyclones played so well without their most talented player — whose timetable for a return to the court was described by coach Steve Prohm as a “week-to-week thing.”

Marial Shayok scored 20 points, Nick Weiler-Babb had 16 with six assists and Iowa State throttled Missouri 76-59 in a matchup of old Big 12 rivals.

Michael Jacobson scored 15 points for the Cyclones (2-0), who avenged a blowout loss in Columbia from last season with a surprisingly complete performance orchestrated by Weiler-Babb.

“He’s a high-level point guard. He’s the most cerebral player on our team,” Prohm said. “He’s a senior point guard and he played like it.”

Iowa State closed the first half on a 9-0 run and pushed its lead to 47-30 early in the second half. Missouri cut it to 10, but the undermanned Cyclones reeled off eight straight points to jump back on top 61-43. Weiler-Babb’s scoop with 4:52 to go made it 70-49, a bucket that put the Tigers out of their misery.

Mark Smith scored 15 points to lead Missouri (1-1), which committed 25 turnovers. Kevin Puryear had 10 points, but he only took five shots.

“At one point, it seemed like it was one after another. We need to have better focus at protecting the ball,” Puryear said.

Wigginton, a preseason All-Big 12 selection, showed up to Friday’s game against Missouri with a cast on his left foot that was put on Thursday.

Prohm called the injury a strain, adding that Wigginton will spend a week in a cast, a week in a boot and then, hopefully, go through and aggressive rehabilitation to try and get back onto the floor as soon as possible.

Wigginton averaged 16.7 points a game last season and nearly declared for the NBA Draft before returning to school. Wigginton had 13 points in Iowa State’s 79-53 win over Alabama State on Tuesday.

“I don’t have a timeframe,” Prohm said. “To get him back the quickest, we needed to immobilize his foot right away.”

BIG PICTURE

Missouri: The Tigers had a staggering 15 turnovers in the first half — four more than they had in a 68-55 win over Central Arkansas in the opener — and committed 26 fouls. This loss might’ve been the truest sign yet of how much Missouri is going to miss the injured Jontay Porter this season.

Iowa State: With Wigginton out and Cameron Lard and Zoran Talley suspended until at least December, Iowa State’s eight-man rotation currently has four true freshmen in it. It was a highly thought of class, to be sure, but being forced to play them all so soon certainly wasn’t in coach Steve Prohm’s master plan.

ON HALIBURTON

Haliburton, at 6-foot-5 and just 172 pounds, might be one of the skinniest players in America — and the release on his jumper is, shall we say, funky. But the kid plays like he’s been in Ames for years, rounding his teammates up on stoppages of play like a senior and displaying a well-rounded skill set through two games. Haliburton had eight points, four steals and three rebounds in 40 minutes, and he didn’t turn the ball over once. “Tyrese just has that kind of `It’ factor,” Prohm said.

MIZZ-ERABLE

Missouri outrebounded the smaller Cyclones 35-26. But that was about all the Tigers did right. All those turnovers killed them, as Iowa State had 19 more points off of turnovers in a game it won by 17. “I think it was more about us…we’ll get it corrected,” coach Cuonzo Martin said.

HE SAID IT

“He’s the key to what they do,” Martin said about Weiler-Babb. “Wigginton can score the ball. But I just feel like he’s the guy that can get guys where they need to get.”

UP NEXT

Missouri hosts Kennesaw State on Nov. 16

Iowa State hosts Texas Southern on Monday night.

— Associated Press —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Women’s Basketball senior guard Sophie Cunningham (Columbia, Mo.) is one of 30 candidates named to the preseason watch list for the 2019 Wooden Award, as announced by ESPN. The list is comprised of student-athletes who are the early front-runners for college basketball’s most prestigious honor.

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

The list is chosen by a preseason poll of women’s college basketball media members. Cunningham is one of six players from the Southeastern Conference on the list. 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.

Players not chosen to the preseason list are eligible for the Wooden Award midseason list, late season list and the National Ballot. The National Ballot consists of 15 top players who have proven to their universities that they are also making progress toward graduation and maintaining at least a cumulative 2.0 GPA. Voting will open prior to the start of the NCAA Tournament and will allow voters to take into consideration performance during early round games.

Last month, Cunningham was named to the Preseason Watch List for the Cheryl Miller Small Forward of the Year Award (Oct. 24), and was named Preseason All-SEC First team by both the league’s coaches (Oct. 30) and media members (Oct. 16).

Cunningham averaged 18.5 points and 4.7 rebounds per game in her junior campaign, and 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). She scored in double figures in 28 of 31 games she played in, and ranked fourth in the NCAA in three-point percentage as she earned AP All-America Honorable Mention and All-SEC First Team honors, each for the second consecutive season.

Cunningham helped lead Mizzou to its third straight NCAA Tournament berth and 24 wins in 2017-18, feats which have not been accomplished at Mizzou since the mid-1980s. The Tigers spent the entire season ranked in the AP Top 25, and ranked as high as No. 9 in the Coaches Poll, their highest ranking in that poll in program history.

— Mizzou Athletics —