GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — Anriel Howard had 19 points as Texas A&M took control in the third quarter on the way to a 62-48 victory over No. 23 Missouri in the Southeastern Conference Tournament on Friday night.

The Aggies (21-10) will face No. 6 Mississippi State — and coach Gary Blair’s former longtime assistant in the Bulldogs coach Vic Schaefer — for a spot in the SEC finals on Saturday.

Texas A&M reached the semifinals for the first time since winning the SEC Tournament in its debut league season four years ago.

Taylor Cooper added 16 points for the Aggies, who used a 15-4 run right after halftime to move in front for good.

For Missouri and SEC coach of the year Robin Pingeton, it was another SEC Tournament disappointment. The Tigers dropped to 0-5 in the event. All SEC first-team forward Sophie Cunningham had 13 points before fouling out. Sierra Michaelis led Missouri with 15 points.

— Associated Press —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Women’s Basketball head coach Robin Pingeton was named a 2017 Werner Ladder Naismith Women’s College Coach of the Year National Semifinalist, as announced by the Atlanta Tipoff Club on Friday.

Pingeton is one of 10 head coaches across the nation to be named a national semifinalist for the award. She is joined on the list by Texas’ Karen Aston, Connecticut’s Geno Auriemma, Maryland’s Brenda Frese, North Carolina State’s Brenda Frese, Washington’s Mike Neighbors, Oregon State’s Scott Rueck, Mississippi State’s Vic Schaefer, Florida State’s Sue Semrau and Stanford’s Tara VanDerveer.

The award’s national voting academy will submit ballots and narrow the list from 10 coaches to four national finalists on March 15. The Naismith College Coach of the Year will be officially decided on March 31.

Pingeton was recently named Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year after leading Mizzou (21-9, 11-5) to an incredible regular season. It was the first SEC Coach of the Year honor for Pingeton and the third conference coach of the year award of her career (2004 and 2010 Missouri Valley Coach of the Year at Illinois State).

Despite losing All-SEC forward Jordan Frericks and key reserve Bri Porter in the frontcourt to preseason injuries, Pingeton has guided Mizzou to a historic campaign in 2016-17, leading the Tigers to back-to-back 21-win seasons for the first time since 1983-84 and 1984-85. Picked to place seventh in the SEC in the preseason poll, Mizzou finished third in the league with an 11-5 mark in conference play, its best conference finish since 1990. Mizzou’s 11 conference wins are also its most since 1990.

Under Pingeton, Mizzou now has five consecutive winning seasons for the first time since 1985-1990. The Tigers, who owned an 11-7 overall record four games into league action, won 10 of their final 12 games to clinch a double bye in the SEC Tournament and catapult into the Associated Press Top 25. During the home stretch, Mizzou put together a pair of five-game win streaks, MU’s longest streaks in conference play since 1990. It marked the first time in program history that Mizzou rattled off two separate win streaks of five or more in league play.

Pingeton and company won 15 home games during the 2016-17 season, knocking off three ranked opponents, No. 25 Kentucky, No. 25 Texas A&M and No. 6 South Carolina, along the way. Dating back to last season, the Tigers have won five consecutive games over ranked opponents at Mizzou Arena.

Pingeton’s emphasis on the importance of rebounding and free throw shooting has paid big dividends this season. Despite the loss of two forwards, Mizzou outrebounded opponents in 22 of 30 games and held opponents to a league-low 31.0 rebounds per contest in conference play. The Tigers, who rank second in the nation in free throw percentage shooting 80.1 percent, are also on pace to shatter single-season program and SEC records at the charity stripe. Mizzou has shot above 70 percent in 27 of 30 games.

The Tigers begin play at the 2017 SEC Tournament in Greenville, S.C., on Friday evening. No. 3 seed Mizzou advanced to the quarterfinals after locking up a double bye. The Tigers will face No. 6-seed Texas A&M on Friday with tip off set for approximately 7:30 p.m.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Women’s Basketball head coach Robin Pingeton has been named the 2017 Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year, as announced by the league Tuesday. The award was voted on and selected by the conference’s coaches.

Pingeton is Mizzou Women’s Basketball’s first head coach to receive Coach of the Year honors since 1990 and the second coach to do so in program history, joining Joann Rutherford (1984, 1985 and 1990). Pingeton has now earned conference Coach of the Year recognition three times in her career after being named Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year in 2004 and 2010 at Illinois State.

Despite losing All-SEC forward Jordan Frericks and key reserve Bri Porter in the frontcourt to preseason injuries, Pingeton has guided Mizzou to a historic campaign in 2016-17, leading the Tigers to back-to-back 21-win seasons for the first time since 1983-84 and 1984-85. Picked to place seventh in the SEC in the preseason poll, Mizzou finished third in the league with an 11-5 mark in conference play. Mizzou’s 11 conference wins are its most since 1990.

Under Pingeton, Mizzou now has five consecutive winning seasons for the first time since 1985-1990. The Tigers, who owned an 11-7 record four games into league action, won 10 of their final 12 games to clinch a double bye in the SEC Tournament and catapult into the Associated Press Top 25. During the home stretch, Mizzou put together a pair of five-game win streaks, MU’s longest streaks in conference play since 1990. It marked the first time in program history that Mizzou rattled off two separate win streaks of five or more in league play.

Pingeton and company won 15 home games during the 2016-17 season, knocking off three ranked opponents, No. 25 Kentucky, No. 25 Texas A&M and No. 6 South Carolina, along the way. Dating back to last season, the Tigers have won five consecutive games over ranked opponents at Mizzou Arena.

Pingeton’s emphasis on the importance of rebounding and free throw shooting has paid big dividends this season. Despite the loss of two forwards, Mizzou outrebounded opponents in 22 of 30 games and held opponents to a league-low 31.0 rebounds per contest in conference play. The Tigers, who rank second in the nation in free throw percentage shooting 80.1 percent, are also on pace to shatter single-season program and SEC records at the charity stripe. Mizzou has shot above 70 percent in 27 of 30 games.

Pingeton has racked up 457 career victories, including 122 and counting in seven seasons at Mizzou. With an unforgettable regular season in the books, she and the Tigers now turn to the postseason, which begins with the 2017 SEC Tournament in Greenville, S.C. With a double bye locked up, Mizzou rests until the quarterfinals on Friday. Tip off is set for approximately 7:30 p.m. CT.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Women’s Basketball sophomore guard Sophie Cunningham (Columbia, Mo.) and freshman Amber Smith (Shreveport, La.) received All-SEC recognition, as announced by the league Tuesday. Cunningham was named First Team All-SEC while Smith earned SEC Co-Freshman of the Year and All-Freshman Team honors.

Cunningham is the first Tiger to receive a First Team All-Conference nod since Bri Kulas in 2014. Cunningham averaged a team-best 17.8 points per game, which ranks second in the SEC entering postseason play. The sensational sophomore ended the regular season with four consecutive 20-point performances, averaging 26.5 points per game in the span while racking up a pair of National Player of the Week awards. During that stretch, she became the first Tiger since Sandie Prophete in 1989 to score 26 points in three straight games.

Cunningham finished with 10 20-point performances this season and has 20 such outings in just 60 career games. She scored at least 30 points on three different occasions during the current campaign, one of just two players in the SEC to do so in league play.

Cunningham ranks second in the SEC in free throw shooting, making 84.4 percent of her attempts. She also boasts a 48.4 field goal percentage and is the only player in the league shooting above 80 percent from the free throw line and 45 percent from the field.

Cunningham dished out at least three assists in 18 games. She leads Mizzou in assists and ranks 11th in the league with 3.5 per game.

Smith is the fourth Tiger in program history to earn conference Freshman of the Year honors. She gives Mizzou back-to-back Freshman of the Year honorees for the second time in program history (Kesha Bonds – 1996, Julie Helm-1997). Smith put together an outstanding freshman campaign, averaging 5.8 points and 2.9 rebounds while shooting 48.5 percent from three-point range, 47.0 percent from the field and 75 percent from the free throw line. Her current three-point field goal percentage is on pace to set a single-season program record (min. 30 attempts).

Smith reached double figures five times with Mizzou going 5-0 in those contests. She leads the team in field goal percentage and finished the regular season ranked second among freshmen in the SEC in 3-point field goal percentage.

Smith scored at least eight points nine times during the regular season, with seven of those occasions coming in league play. Since Jan. 23, she’s averaged 7.8 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. Mizzou is 8-2 in that span.

Cunningham, Smith and the rest of the Tigers now turn to the postseason, which begins with the 2017 SEC Tournament in Greenville, S.C. With a double bye locked up, Mizzou rests until the quarterfinals on Friday. Tip off is set for approximately 7:30 p.m. CT.

— Mizzou Athletics —

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Sierra Michaelis scored 22 points and Sophie Cunningham had 20, combing for 18 of Missouri’s 23 fourth-quarter points to rally the No. 24 Tigers to a 65-56 win over Alabama in the regular-season finale on Sunday.

Michaelis hit a 3-pointer and Cunningham scored the next five to close out the third quarter, cutting Missouri’s deficit to 44-42. Amber Smith tied the game eight seconds into the fourth quarter and Cunningham put the Tigers ahead for good with a 3 to cap the 13-0 run.

Lindsey Cunningham had a free throw and Smith another bucket but in the final five minutes, Michaelis had two 3s and eight points and Sophie Cunningham a 3 and a pair of free throws.

Missouri (21-9, 11-5 SEC), won its fifth straight and 10 of 12, and reached 11 league wins for the first time since 1990 with back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time 30 years.

Quanetria Bolton had 13 points and Jordan Lewis 12 for Alabama (17-12, 5-11).

— Associated Press —

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Mizzou Baseball won the Kleberg Bank College Classic after defeating Illinois, 7-6, on Sunday at Whataburger Field, extending the team’s winning streak to seven games. Mizzou has now won the Kleberg Bank Classic twice, doing so this year and in 2015, allowing just nine runs in six all-time games played at the event.

Freshman LHP T.J. Sikkema (DeWitt, Iowa) was tremendous on Sunday and in both appearances during the tournament. He earned his first career win after tossing the final 4.1 innings, allowing just three hits and no runs while matching his career high with eight strikeouts. Combined with his save Friday against No. 25 Houston, Sikkema tossed 7.0 shutout innings while striking out 11 and allowing just three hits and a walk on the tournament. He owns a 12.0-inning shutout streak and has struck out 19 batters in those 12.0 innings of work, allowing just seven hits.

Mizzou pounded out 11 hits, breaking the 10-hit mark for the sixth time in eight games this season. Mizzou also slugged five doubles Sunday and has at least three doubles in five straight games. CF Connor Brumfield (Columbia, Mo.) led Mizzou with three hits on Sunday, scoring two runs, and he has hit safely in every game this season.

Mizzou hit three doubles in the first inning and go a big, two-out, bases-loaded hit from junior C Nelson Mompierre (Miami, Fla.) to explode for four runs in the top of the first inning. Mompierre’s two-run single proved to be huge as Illinois took advantage of a fielding error and hit a three-run homer in its half of the first to cut the lead to 4-3.

Mizzou starter Liam Carter (Highland Park, Ill.) again got into trouble in the second inning, despite striking out the first batter he faced. He allowed a walk and a single as the lineup turned over and three-hole hitter Pat McInerney launched a three-run homer to give Illinois a 6-4 lead.

After Carter walked the first batter he faced in the third, Mizzou brought in RS sophomore Cameron Dulle (St. Louis, Mo.) who threw up a zero in the third. Kameron Misner (Poplar Bluff, Mo.) nearly tied the game with a double in the fourth inning, but it was hauled in on a running catch in the gap by LF Jack Yalowitz to strand a pair. Dulle settled things down for Mizzou, pitching a shutout fourth inning.

Mizzou got a run in the fifth on a bases-loaded balk by reliever Zack Jones to cut the lead to 6-5. Dulle then ran into a little bit of trouble as he allowed back-to-back singles after getting the first out in the fifth. Bren Spillane tried to go from first to third on the second single of the inning, but Trey Harris (Powder Springs, Ga.) gunned him down at third with a perfect throw.

The Tigers finally broke through in the top of the sixth to regain the lead, scoring on a wild pitch and an error. Sikkema, who relieved Dulle, then pitched out of a tough spot in the sixth inning, stranding a pair with two strikeouts, leaving the tying run on second.

Sikkema was then sharp again in the eight, getting three quick outs and shut the door in the ninth, pitching around a leadoff single thanks to a huge, strike-out, throw-out double play, to seal the win.

Mizzou will return to Columbia for its home opener this Friday (March 3) at 6:30 p.m.

— Mizzou Athletics —

OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi’s fighting for an outside chance to make the NCAA Tournament. Missouri is just trying to stay out of the Southeastern Conference basement.

But a mismatch on paper proved to be a close game in real life.

Deandre Burnett scored 28 points and freshman Breein Tyree added 15 as Ole Miss slipped past Missouri 80-77 on Saturday. The outcome was in doubt until the final seconds: The Tigers missed two 3-point shots in their final possession that would have forced overtime.

It’s the second straight close win for the Rebels, who beat rival Mississippi State in overtime on Tuesday. Ole Miss has won six of its past eight games and several of the victories have been close.

“I’m used to them,” Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy said. “Our margin for error is just too small. Typically, if it’s a blowout it’s not going to be good for us. So, I want them close. We’ve lived in this world all year and if we’re going to have success, we’re going to have to live there the remainder of the regular season and going into the (SEC) tournament.”

The Rebels (18-11, 9-7 SEC) had chances to pull away from Missouri, but the Tigers (7-21, 2-14) managed to hang around, shooting 20 of 35 (57.1 percent) from the floor in the second half. Missouri, who is one of the nation’s worst teams from 3-point range, shot a respectable 10 of 30 (33.3 percent) from beyond the arc on Saturday.

Freshman guard Frankie Hughes led Missouri with 22 points off the bench while junior forward Jordan Barnett added 14. It was the Tigers’ 34th straight loss on the road.

“I was real proud of our guys for fighting back,” Missouri coach Kim Anderson said. “There were a couple times we were down double digits and we got some great, great play off our bench. All year we kind of struggled being consistent and tonight was no exception. . We had a chance to win and things just didn’t go our way at the end.”

Ole Miss forward Sebastian Saiz — who leads the SEC with 18 double-doubles this season — had no points or rebounds in the first half. But the 6-foot-9 senior bounced back in the second half with 10 points and seven boards. Three of those points came at a crucial time as he hit his second 3-pointer of the game with 2:42 left to put the Rebels back in front, 74-72.
“(Saiz) hits a huge 3 and we all know how he’s struggled from 3 in the SEC, so I thought it was a huge 3 for him,” Kennedy said.

BIG PICTURE

Mississippi: It was a must-win for the Rebels, who are fighting for a postseason berth. The NCAA Tournament is a long shot, but Ole Miss has a chance to help its case during the final week of the regular season with upcoming games against Alabama and South Carolina.

Missouri: The Tigers continued to show signs of improvement after losing by only 10 points to No. 11 Kentucky on Tuesday but still lost their fourth straight game.

UP NEXT

Mississippi: The Rebels travel to Alabama on Wednesday.

Missouri: The Tigers host Texas A&M on Tuesday.

— Associated Press —

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Sophomore RF Connor Brumfield (Columbia, Mo.) hit a two-out, two-run, bases-loaded single in the bottom of the sixth inning and junior RHP Andy Toelken (Green Cove Springs, Fla.) out-dueled an All-American as Mizzou Baseball upset No. 25 Houston, 4-2, Friday afternoon in game one of the Kleberg Bank College Classic at Whataburger Field. The win for Mizzou is its first over a ranked opponent since defeating Arkansas, 8-5, on April 2 of last season and extends the team’s winning streak to five games. Mizzou goes to 5-1 on the year while Houston falls to 3-2.

Toelken was fantastic in his second Mizzou start, out-dueling preseason All-American Seth Romero, who took the loss. Toelken went a career-high 6.1 innings, scattering seven hits with no walks and four strikeouts while allowing a pair of solo homers for Houston’s only scoring. Toelken also got great defense behind him as Mizzou turned two double plays behind him during the righties first Division I win. Freshman LHP T.J. Sikkema (DeWitt, Iowa) earned the save after tossing 2.2 perfect innings to shut the door, tallying three strikeouts in the process.

At the plate, Robbie Glendinning (Scarborough, Australia) and Matt Berler (Hoover, Ala.) tallied multi-hit games to lead the offense. Brumfield tallied his second multi-RBI game of the year and leads the team with five two-out RBI this season.

Toelken worked around a hit batter and a double in the first inning thanks to several good defensive plays by the Mizzou infield. Romero, a projected top-10 draft pick, struck out the first five batters but Mizzou nearly got to him for a two-out rally in the second. Glendinning roped his first double of the season and Trey Harris (Powder Springs, Ga.) nearly knocked him in, but Cougar RF Lael Lockhart made a great running catch in the corner to save a run and extra bases.

Mizzou loaded the bases in the bottom of the third inning after Berler led off the frame with a double. Kirby McGuire (Round Rock, Texas) followed with a bunt single and Brumfield reached on a wild pitch after striking out. A passed ball then scored a run and Alex Samples (Bridgeport, Texas), who made a tremendous diving catch into the stands earlier in the game, hit a sacrifice fly to give Mizzou a 2-0 lead after three.

Houston cut the lead in half in the top of the fourth with one swing as 2B Jake Scheiner hit a solo shot to RF, the first homer hit off Mizzou pitching this season (184 at-bats). Mizzou threatened to blow the game open in the bottom of the fifth, loading the bases with no outs, but Romero worked out of it with a pair of Ks and a pop up.

The Cougars used that momentum and got a leadoff homer from Connor Wong to tie the game at 2-2 in the top of the sixth inning. Toelken continued to cruise following the homer as he got Mizzou through six with just five hits against and two runs.

Brumfield delivered a huge two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the sixth to give Mizzou the lead back at 4-2. The two RBIs give him five two-out RBI through six games this season. Toelken then put the first two men on in the seventh inning, but got his fourth strikeout before exiting the game after a career-high 6.1 innings. He gave way to Sikkema, who induced a pair of pop ups to preserve the lead at 4-2.

Sikkema then picked up a pair of strikeouts and a slick play from Berler at first in the eighth to hold the lead. He then tossed a perfect ninth inning to earn the save.

Mizzou will be back in action tomorrow at 6 p.m. against host Texas A&M Corpus Christi.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Sophie Cunningham made 5 of 7 from 3-point range, 11 of 13 overall, and finished with 32 points to help No. 24 Missouri beat Ole Miss 100-65 on Thursday night.

The Tigers (20-9, 10-5 Southeastern) have won 20 games in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1985-87.

Sierra Michaelis added 12 points, eight rebounds and eight assists and Lindsey Cunningham scored 21 points for the Tigers, who had 21 assists on 30 field goals. Kayla McDowell made her first 3-pointer of the season and Missouri hit 14 of 23 (60.9 percent) from distance. The Tigers also made 60 percent of their field goals and hit 26 of 31 free throws.

Freshman guard Jordan Chavis ended the third quarter with a 3 from just inside the half court.

Madinah Muhammad scored a career-high 26 points and grabbed seven rebounds for the Rebels (16-12, 5-10), who were held to 35 percent and were outrebounded 36-28.

It was Missouri’s most points scored in a conference game since Feb. 25, 1989.

— Associated Press —

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Bam Adebayo’s fourth double-double of the season helped No. 11 Kentucky avoid a late-season upset, as the freshman scored 22 points and grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds in the Wildcats’ 72-62 victory over Missouri on Tuesday night.

Terrence Phillips led Missouri with a career-high 22 points, shooting 4 for 8 from 3-point range while the rest of the Tigers shot a combined 0 for 14.

Neither team led by more than two possessions in a low-scoring first half. Missouri (7-20, 2-13 Southeastern Conference) took a 28-24 lead with 4:27 remaining in the half following a 7-0 run. John Calipari called a time out after a layup by Jordan Barnett capped the Tigers’ run, and the Wildcats held a 31-30 halftime lead despite shooting 1 for 8 from the field to close the half. Barnett finished with 13 points and seven rebounds.

Kentucky (23-5, 13-2) dominated the glass in the second half, outrebounding the Tigers 26-12 led by Adebayo, who had 10 second-half rebounds.

Missouri was in foul trouble all game as its frontcourt struggled with Kentucky’s size and athleticism. The Wildcats made 19 of 28 free throws, while Missouri converted on 14 of 23 attempts. Missouri forwards Reed Nikko and Russell Woods had both fouled out with 4:30 remaining, forcing the Tigers to go small. Woods and Nikko were limited to 24 combined minutes due to foul trouble.

De’Aaron Fox scored 13 points and Malik Monk added 11 despite shooting 4 for 12 from the field. Monk entered the game averaging a team-high 21.4 points per game.

BIG PICTURE

Kentucky: The Wildcats remain tied with No. 13 Florida for first place in the SEC. The Gators defeated South Carolina 81-66 Wednesday in Gainesville. Kentucky improves to 6-2 on the road, tying the Gators for the most conference road victories.

Missouri: The Tigers have never beaten the Wildcats in 10 attempts. Missouri has not beaten a ranked opponent since an 80-71 home win against then-No. 18 UCLA on Dec. 7, 2013.

UP NEXT

Kentucky: Hosts Florida on Saturday. The Gators defeated the Wildcats 88-66 on Feb. 4 in Gainesville.

Missouri: Visits Ole Miss on Saturday. The Rebels defeated Missouri 75-71 Jan. 21 in Columbia.

— Associated Press —