COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Sophie Cunningham had a career-high seven 3-pointers and a season-high 35 points and No. 17 Missouri rolled to a 78-48 win over Southern Illinois-Edwardsville on Sunday for the Tigers’ ninth-straight win.

Cunningham was 11-of-16 shooting with all five of her misses coming behind the arc to reach 30 points for the fifth time in her career.

Cunningham had 11 in the first quarter as the Tigers (9-1) opened a 19-9 lead and 18 at the break when the lead was 37-28.

Missouri made 10 of 14 shots, including 6 of 8 behind the arc, to break the game open, outscoring the Cougars (3-5) 28-14. Cunningham had three 3s to help the Tigers to a season-high 15 on 31 attempts. Jordan Chavis, Jordan Roundtree and Cunningham scored from distance to cap a 13-0 run that made it 59-34.

Gwen Adams led the Cougars, who shot 26 percent (16 of 62), with 12 points.

— Associated Press —

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — When new Missouri coach Cuonzo Martin overhauled the roster in the offseason with a top-five recruiting class, it appeared from the outside that feisty but offensively challenged junior guard Jordan Geist could be an odd man out.

As it turned out, Geist was just Martin’s type. And in Saturday night’s 100-77 victory over Green Bay, he was an offensive machine.

Geist, a reserve guard who entered the game averaging 5.2 points, scored 28, exceeding his previous career high by 10. He made 11 of 14 shots from the field and 5 of 8 from 3-point range.

“He embraces challenges,” Martin said. “He’s battle-tested. He likes to compete. . He likes to wrestle out there now and then. I’d rather have that than not.”

Geist shot 29 percent from 3-point range last year. This year, he’s making 48 percent of his 3-pointers. He credits a summer of shooting for the improvement.

“That was one of my main focuses, just so people couldn’t just back off me,” Geist said. “I prided myself on that this summer.”

But 3-point shooting was only part of his big night. He regularly blew past his defenders and got to the rim. He even dunked — sort of, as the ball got a bit of the rim — on a breakaway after a steal.

Geist declared it was indeed a dunk.

“I’ll give it to him,” said teammate Jordan Barnett, who scored 19 points. “It’s arguable, but I’ll give it to him.”

Green Bay (3-5), led by the hot outside shooting of forward David Jesperson, hit five of its first seven shots and opened a 13-4 lead.

Missouri’s Kevin Puryear tied it at 21 with a driving layup with 11:30 left in the first half, and Barnett’s 3-pointer gave the Tigers a 29-21 lead a few minutes later. It only got worse for the Phoenix, who couldn’t stop penetration by Missouri’s guards. Missouri led 60-40 at halftime.

Turnovers have been a problem for the Tigers (8-2) early in the season — they averaged 15.3 through the first nine games — but they only had eight against Green Bay. Missouri’s Jeremiah Tilmon finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds, and Jontay Porter added 12 points and eight rebounds. Walk-on Adam Wolf, a fan favorite, got the Tigers to the 100-point mark with a 3-pointer in the final minute.

Jesperson made 5 of 6 3-pointers and led the Phoenix with 17 points. Khalil Small added 12, Will Chevalier scored 11 and Hunter Crist finished with 10.

BIG PICTURE

Green Bay: Saturday’s game was a reunion for Phoenix coach Linc Darner. He was a teammate of Missouri coach Cuonzo Martin at Purdue from 1992-95. Darner scored 437 career points for the Boilermakers, while Martin racked up 1,666 career points.

Missouri: Coach Martin announced Friday that freshman C.J. Roberts plans to transfer. Roberts, 6-foot point guard from Irving, Texas, was expected to redshirt this season. The Tigers usually play three point guards, and none of them are seniors, so prospects for future playing time were cloudy. “We wish him nothing but the best, and we will assist him in any way possible,” Martin said.

FIERCE FRESHMAN

Tilmon, a 6-10, 252-pound freshman, has been a force inside except when foul trouble limits his minutes. Against Green Bay, he played physically but didn’t commit the silly fouls that have been a problem early in the year.

“He was what we needed him to be, unstoppable on the glass,” Barnett said. “He had seven offensive rebounds. That says a lot. He did his job. He’s getting better, especially at staying out of foul trouble. We need that from him.”

DOUBLE TECHNICAL

With less than nine minutes left in the game, some bumping between Green Bay’s Trevian Bell and Puryear on one end of the floor escalated into shoving on the other. Both players were assessed technical fouls. Puryear, who did not appear to be the instigator, was disqualified because he already had four personal fouls. He finished with just four points.

UP NEXT

Green Bay: The Phoenix will visit Indiana State (4-5) on Tuesday.

Missouri: The Tigers have the week off for final exams and return to court Saturday with a home game against North Florida (3-7).

— Associated Press —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Head Football Coach Barry Odom has promoted Assistant Coach Ryan Walters to the position of defensive coordinator, as announced today. Walters is in his third year with the Mizzou defensive staff, and he’s spent the past two seasons as co-defensive coordinator for the Tigers. In 2017, Walters assumed control of the entire secondary, after focusing on the safeties in his first two years with the program.

Walters oversaw a secondary that developed nicely during the stretch run of the 2017 season, as his group played a key role in Mizzou’s defensive resurgence that helped lead to its current six-game winning streak heading into the Dec. 27 Academy Sports + Outdoor Texas Bowl against Texas.

Eight of Mizzou’s 12 interceptions gained in 2017 came during the final five games of the year, with six of those going to Walters’ secondary. Senior safety Anthony Sherrils had a pair of pick-offs during that stretch, as did true freshman corner Adam Sparks, who emerged late in the year as a solid contributor despite his youth.

“I’m really excited for Ryan and the stability that he will bring to our program, he’s been a tremendous leader and mentor for our players,” said Odom. “He’s one of the best recruiters I’ve been around and his football IQ is top of the line. He’s been a great addition to our staff, we’ve been able to work together now for some time, and he’s had an opportunity every year to go somewhere. He’s a loyal guy who loves Mizzou, he cares about our student-athletes and he cares about having a great defense. He’s done a great job down the stretch here helping us get better every day on that side of the ball,” Odom said.

“This is definitely very humbling, I’m excited and grateful for the opportunity,” said Walters. “Any time you get a chance to work for a great man in Coach Odom and a great school like the University of Missouri, it’s very exciting. I’m looking forward to working with our staff; it’s been a collective effort from the beginning. We’ve got great chemistry in that room, and I’m looking forward to continue building relationships and getting our student-athletes to succeed on and off the field. I’m excited for the future and can’t wait to get to the bowl game and do everything we can to end this season the right way,” he said.

Walters came to MU from Memphis along with Odom in February of 2015 when Odom took over as Mizzou’s defensive coordinator, and he was retained when Odom was named head coach in December of that year.

Walters was a key factor in Mizzou’s 2015 defense that finished in the top 10 nationally in total defense, scoring defense and pass defense. He came to Mizzou after spending the 2014 season as cornerbacks coach at Memphis, where he worked with Odom. At Memphis, the pair oversaw a defense that was among the most improved in the nation. Memphis went 10-3 in 2014, thanks in large part to its defense that ranked fifth nationally in points allowed (17.1 avg.) and 22nd in total defense (343.3 avg.) in the regular season.

Walters, a Los Angeles, Calif., native, played collegiately at Colorado, where he was a standout safety for the Buffaloes (2004-08). He began his coaching career as a student assistant at Colorado working with the secondary in 2009, and then spent two years on staff at Arizona, where he was a graduate assistant in 2010, before being promoted to defensive backs coach for the 2011 season.

From there, Walters moved to the Oklahoma staff as a graduate assistant cornerbacks coach in 2012, as the Sooners went 10-3 and played in the 2013 Cotton Bowl. He moved to North Texas for the 2013 season, where he coached corners and helped lead UNT to a 9-4 record in its first year in Conference USA and a win in the 2013 Heart of Dallas Bowl. The Mean Green defense that season ranked fourth nationally in turnovers gained (34), eighth in points allowed (17.8 ppg), 13th in interceptions (18) and 17th in total defense (348.3 ypg).

As a player, Walters had a standout career at Colorado as a safety. He started in 33 games and played in 46 contests for the Buffaloes. He earned honorable mention All-Big 12 honors from the Associated Press and first-team All-Colorado honors from the state’s National Football Foundation his senior year.

A team captain for the Buffaloes in 2008, Walters was also picked by his teammates as the team’s MVP. He had 87 tackles, two sacks, seven pass deflections, three fumble recoveries and two interceptions his senior year. His 20 career passes defended rate No. 15 in Colorado history and his 223 career tackles were No. 45 all-time.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Four Mizzou Football standouts earned Freshman All-SEC honors, as voted on by the league’s 14 coaches, announced Thursday by the SEC office. Earning a spot on the team were C Trystan Castillo (Webb City, Mo.), TE Albert Okwuegbunam (Springfield, Ill.), AP/KR Larry Rountree III (Raleigh, N.C.) and DE Tre Williams (Columbia, Mo.).

Castillo made an immediate impact in his freshman season, starting all 12 games at center, the first Mizzou freshman to accomplish that since current Arizona Cardinal Evan Boehm in 2012. He was part of a Mizzou offensive line group that leads the nation in tackles for loss allowed (2.83 per game), a mark that is on pace to be the best ever in college football since the NCAA began archiving the state; Mizzou set the mark a year ago (2.90). Castillo’s O-Line also allows just 1.00 sack per game, the SEC’s top mark and the nation’s seventh-best. He also consistently graded as one of Mizzou’s top pass protectors and run blockers, helping the Tigers average 511.5 yards of total offense per game, the seventh-best mark nationally.

Okwuegbunam, who was on both the coaches and Associated Press All-SEC Second Team, led all tight ends and all freshmen nationally in touchdown grabs (11) and finished the season as the top graded TE in the SEC, according to Pro Football Focus. His 11 TDs ranked ninth nationally among all players and led the SEC while resetting Mizzou’s freshman record, which was nine originally held by Jeremy Maclin. A native of Springfield, Ill, he had five games with multiple receiving touchdowns as he emerged as one of the nation’s top red zone threats midway through the season – he had 20 of his 25 catches and 10 of his 11 touchdowns over the final eight games of the season.

Rountree was named Freshman All-SEC at all-purpose and kick returner. He led Mizzou in all-purpose yards with 1,106, averaging 92.2 per game and 8.2 yards per play. He ran for the third-most rushing yards by a freshman in Mizzou history, accumulating 629 yards on 112 carries, averaging 5.62 yards per attempt, while scoring six times. He also had 21 kickoff returns for 457 yards, averaging 21.76 per return.

Williams emerged as a key part of Mizzou’s third down defense package and posted 16 tackles in his first year as a contributor along the defensive line. He tallied 4.0 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks, including a career-high 2.0 vs. Tennessee.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Kevin Puryear scored season-high 20 points and Jordan Barnett tied his career high with five 3-pointers and finished with 15 points and eight rebounds as Missouri ran past Miami (Ohio) 71-50 on Tuesday night.

The Tigers (7-2) struggled out of the gate, but eventually found a stroke from three, shooting 53 percent from the field, including 10 of 23 from beyond the arc.

Kassius Robertson added 17 points, including three 3s, and Jeremiah Tilmon finished with 12 points and six rebounds for Missouri.

The Tigers limited Miami to just 32-percent shooting from the field, including 5 for 24 from 3-point range. Missouri’s defense swarmed the RedHawks in the first half, holding them to just 24 points on 28-percent shooting.

Missouri committed 17 turnovers. The Tigers turned the ball over nine times against UCF in their last outing, but committed 20 turnovers against West Virginia and 16 versus St. John’s in their prior two contests.

BIG PICTURE

Missouri: The turnover issue contributed to Missouri’s rough start. But its offense picked up a steady flow, capping the half with a slew of transition buckets and open threes. The Tigers’ hot-shooting night should give them momentum heading into their final four nonconference games, but their high turnover mark is definitely concerning.

Miami (Ohio): The Redhawks stifled Missouri early on defense, but couldn’t put together anything offensively. Miami has struggled to score in all but one game this season. The Redhawks need to pick up offensive production if they want a chance to finish strongly in their tough nonconference schedule.

UP NEXT:

Missouri stays home and takes on Green Bay (2-4) on Saturday before a week-long break.

Miami will return home to face Fort Wayne, which is 6-3 and has won three in a row.

— Associated Press —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Four Mizzou Football standouts earned Associated Press All-SEC honors, announced Monday. Junior QB Drew Lock (Lee’s Summit, Mo.) was named All-SEC First Team Quarterback while DE Marcell Frazier (Portland, Ore.), WR J’Mon Moore (Missouri City, Texas) and TE Albert Okwuegbunam (Springfield, Ill.) each earned All-SEC Second Team honors.

Lock is the first Mizzou player to earn First Team All-SEC distinction since 2015 when LB Kentrell Brothers earned the same honor. He is the first Mizzou QB to earn First Team All-SEC and the first Mizzou QB to earn a first team all-conference nod since Chase Daniel did so in 2007. The junior QB reset the SEC’s single season passing touchdown record with 43 this season, also passing Daniel’s previous school record of 39 in 2008. Lock leads the nation in passing touchdowns heading into bowl season.

Lock’s five-touchdown performance in the regular season-finale at Arkansas gives him six such games in his career and a national-best four this season. He has more five-touchdown games than any SEC quarterback in the last 20 seasons (Tim Couch is second with five from 1996-98). Only four Power 5 QBs have ever thrown for more TD passes in a single season (BJ Symons, Sam Bradford, Graham Harrell (twice), Kliff Kingsbury) than Lock’s 43. All five did so in 13 or more games. His 43 TDs this season rank 23rd in NCAA history. Lock’s 448 yards at Arkansas also give him five career 400-yard games, also a school record.

On the year, Lock leads the SEC in nine major categories while leading the nation in passing TDs (43), points responsible for (264) and passing yards per completion (16.5). He completed 224-of-358 passes (58.2 percent) for 3,695 yards, the third-most ever for a Mizzou QB. He closed his season by throwing at least three TD passes in eight straight games, becoming the first Power 5 quarterback this century to accomplish that feat.

Frazier’s All-SEC Second Team nod gives Mizzou a defensive lineman on the All-SEC team in every year since joining the conference (dating back to 2012). Frazier had a monster senior season, emerging as one of the leaders and top playmakers along #DLineZOU, leading the SEC in total tackles for loss (13.5) while ranking second in TFLs per game (1.12). He also added 36 tackles (20 solo) with 13.5 for loss and 7.0 sacks with eight QB hurries and five pass break-ups. He closed his season in a flurry, tallying 11.0 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks over his final eight games, registering at least 0.5 TFLs in all eight of those games. Frazier was named SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week following his dominant performance against Tennessee (11/11) during which he tallied 2.0 sacks and two more QB hurries with three tackles. He was equally as impressive at Arkansas, tallying a career-high eight tackles, a career-high 3.5 tackles for loss, 1.0 sack, one QB hurry and a career-high three pass deflections.

Moore is just the second Mizzou pass catcher to post two 1,000-yard seasons after hauling in 60 catches for 1,017 yards and 10 touchdowns, earning All-SEC Second Team honors for the second consecutive year. He finished the regular season ranked second in the SEC in total yards (1,017) and yards per game (84.8) while his 10 receiving TDs ranked third in the SEC and 15th nationally. Moore now ranks fourth in school history in career receiving yards (2,412) and in career TD grabs (21). He needs two in the Texas Bowl to move into sole possession second all-time at Mizzou Has nine career 100-yard games, the fourth-most in school history, trailing only Justin Gage (11), Danario Alexander (10) and Jeremy Maclin (10).

Moore had one of the best games in his career to close the 2017 regular season at Arkansas (11/24), posting 10 catches for 160 yards, including a 19-yard fourth-quarter TD that gave Mizzou the lead. He made a diving, sprawling and spinning catch inside the pylon in double coverage to haul in the go-ahead TD.

Okwuegbunam is Mizzou’s first All-Conference TE since Michael Egnew in 2011. He led all tight ends and all freshmen nationally in touchdown grabs (11) and finished the season as the top graded TE in the SEC, according to Pro Football Focus. His 11 TDs ranked ninth nationally among all players and led the SEC while resetting Mizzou’s freshman record, which was nine originally held by Jeremy Maclin. A native of Springfield, Ill, he had five games with multiple receiving touchdowns as he emerged as one of the nation’s top red zone threats midway through the season – he had 20 of his 25 catches and 10 of his 11 touchdowns over the final eight games of the season.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, MO. – The University of Missouri has accepted an invitation to play Texas in the 2017 Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl, Wednesday, Dec. 27, at 8 p.m. (Central) inside NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas.

“On behalf of the University of Missouri, Chancellor Cartwright, Coach Odom and our student-athletes, we are honored to accept an invitation to participate in the 2017 Texas Bowl,” said Mizzou Director of Athletics Jim Sterk. “We are excited about playing in Houston, an area which we recruit, and look forward to Mizzou fans turning out to cheer on the Tigers against Texas.”

Mizzou, 7-5 on the season and winners of six-straight, will face former Big 12 Conference opponent Texas (6-6) when the nationally televised (ESPN) Texas Bowl kicks off. Both teams will be playing in the Texas Bowl for the second time in their respective histories, with Mizzou dropping a 35-13 decision to Navy in the 2009 game and Texas losing to Arkansas, 31-7, in 2014.

“I am so proud of our players and coaches for staying together and closing the 2017 season with six-straight wins to become bowl-eligible, and we look forward to playing Texas in Houston,” said Mizzou Head Coach Barry Odom. “We’re fortunate to have the opportunity to play a Big 12 opponent in a great NFL stadium like NRG Field.”

A win over the Longhorns would be historic for Mizzou, as the 2017 Tigers would become just the second team in college football history (Rutgers, 2008) to register eight victories after starting the season 1-5. Since its 1-5 start Mizzou has ran off six-straight wins by an average margin of 30.0 points while scoring 45 or more points in each game for the first time in program history.

Mizzou and Texas will be meeting on the gridiron for the 24th time, with Texas holding a 17-6 advantage in the series. The Tigers won the last meeting between the programs, 17-5, at Columbia in 2011, which was Mizzou’s final Big 12 season before joining the SEC.

Entering its 12th year, the Texas Bowl is owned and operated by ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, and managed locally by Lone Star Sports & Entertainment, an event management company founded in 2003 that is closely related with the NFL’s Houston Texans. The Texas Bowl has ranked fourth in bowl game attendance since 2014, averaging over 70,000 fans and trailing only the Rose, Cotton and Peach Bowls in that span. The Bowl’s official charitable beneficiary is DePelchin Children’s Center.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Sophie Cunningham scored 16 of her 18 points in the first half and No. 19 Missouri defeated New Orleans 81-45 on Saturday for its seventh straight win.

Cunningham made all six of her field goals, including two 3-pointers, and both of her free throws in the first half when the Tigers (7-1) shot 52 percent and took a 43-19 lead. She missed her only shot in the second half.

Cunningham had nine points in the first quarter when the Tigers turned 13 straight points into a 24-2 run after the Privateers (1-6) scored the first basket of the game. After that first basket, New Orleans missed 11 straight shots before Shania Woods scored again. Then they missed seven straight until Mariah Wright hit a 3-pointer at 9:08 of the second quarter.

Wright hit 4 of 5 from distance for 12 points.

Missouri forced 20 turnovers and turned those into 27 points. New Orleans won the rebounding battle 45-36 with 25 on the offensive end.

Jordan Chavis added 11 points for Missouri.

— Associated Press —

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Kassius Robertson and Jordan Barnett combined to make 14 of 23 from the field and scored 19 points apiece to help Missouri hold on for a 62-59 win over UCF on Thursday night.

Robertson, a graduate transfer from Canisius, made 7 of 11 from the field, including 5 of 7 from 3-point range. Jeremiah Tilmon had 12 points, seven rebounds and three blocks, including one that preserved a four-point lead with nine seconds remaining.

Robertson hit three 3s and Barnett added four points during a 16-2 run that gave Missouri (6-2) the lead for good, 27-21, and Tilmon’s dunk with seven minutes to go made it 52-41. Terrell Allen hit a 3-pointer to pull UCF within two with 37 seconds left, but Barnett hit two free throws and, after Tilmon’s block, made one more to give the Tigers a 62-57 lead with nine seconds to go.

A.J. Davis led UCF (4-3) with 14 points and nine rebounds. Tacko Fall added 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting.

— Associated Press —