COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Women’s Basketball (10-3) extended its season-high winning streak to four games on Monday, defeating visiting UC-Riverside, 68-62. The Tigers claimed their 10th victory of the year, marking their sixth consecutive season with 10-plus wins in nonconference action.

Sophomore Cierra Porter (Columbia, Mo.) and senior Sierra Michaelis (Mercer, Mo.) paced the Tigers’ offense Monday with respective double-doubles. Porter finished with a career-high 26 points and 12 rebounds and Michaelis posted 10 points and a season-high 11 rebounds. It marked the second time this season that a Tiger duo posted double-doubles in the same game, joining Lindsey Cunningham (Columbia, Mo.) and Porter’s strong performances against SIU-Edwardsville (Dec. 7).

Mizzou was sensational in the opening quarter, shooting 9-of-12 (75-percent) from the field. The Tigers jumped out to a 16-0 lead early. In the quarter, they hit both shots from behind the arc and went 7-of-7 from the charity stripe to key their strong opening 10 minutes of play. Mizzou’s defense also played well in the first quarter, limiting UC-Riverside to 4-of-18 (22-percent) shooting.

Sophomore Sophie Cunningham (Columbia, Mo.) delivered a perfect shooting performance in the first quarter, hitting all three shots from the field and all five attempts from the free throw line. Cunningham’s 12 quick points marked her 10th double-digit scoring outing of the season. She finished with 14 points.

Early in the second quarter, Porter surpassed double-digit points with a contested layup. Porter has tallied 10-plus points in each of Mizzou’s 13 games so far this season. Her consistent dominance in the post allowed Mizzou to take a 41-29 lead into halftime.

The Tigers’ offense struggled to open the second half, allowing the Highlanders to pull within single digits on multiple occasions. Porter continued to pace Mizzou in the third quarter with 10 points in the frame. She had 20 points through 30 minutes of game clock.

Porter continued her standout evening in the fourth quarter, as she clinched her team-leading sixth double-double this season. She notched six of Mizzou’s last 10 points to close the game. UC Riverside managed to cut the deficit to as low as four with less than three minutes remaining, but Porter earned another trip to the free throw line and made both foul shots to push the Tigers back up by six. Mizzou clamped down and got the stops it needed to hold off the Highlanders.

Mizzou concludes its 2016 non-conference schedule on Wednesday, Dec. 21, with a game at Saint Louis. The Tigers and Billikens are set for a 7 p.m. (CT) tip inside Chaifetz Arena.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — What was supposed to be a four-hour bus ride for Eastern Illinois coach Jay Spoonhour and his team turned into a 12-hour interstate fiasco as a winter storm made I-70 a standstill for many weekend travelers.

An impromptu taco run and a monumental road victory made the journey more than worthwhile, as the Panthers defeated Missouri 67-64 Saturday.

Montell Goodwin scored 22 points, including 15 in the second half, to help Eastern Illinois beat Missouri for the first time in four attempts.

“It’s a really big win for us,” Spoonhour said. “There was a long stretch in there where I didn’t know if guys thought they could win the game. We were kind of looking around for somebody else to do it, and eventually, we made a few shots, and that was kind of it.”

Spoonhour described being stuck on the interstate for nearly seven hours with thousands of other travelers and a bus full of athletes, which happened to be yards away from a Mexican restaurant.

“About three hours in, the guys said `hey coach, man, can we get some tacos?” Spoonhour recalled. “We’re on the interstate, and I said “no, it’s illegal.”… I thought it was really wise to not do that. About six and half hours into the trip, I said, “hey who wants to go get 50 tacos?”

Demetrius McReynolds added 16 points and six rebounds, and Ray Crossland added eight points and six rebounds. McReynolds scored 10 of his points in the first half after starting 3-for-4 from the field, but from there made only 2 of 13 attempts.

The Panthers (7-4) took a 4-0 lead in the first two minutes before the Tigers mustered an 18-4 run, giving them a 10-point lead, the largest lead of the game. Despite shooting 26.5 percent in the first half, including 1-for-15 from 3-point range, Eastern Illinois battled back and cut Missouri’s lead to only two by halftime, 32-30.

In the second half, Eastern Illinois caught fire, led by Goodwin, who shot 6-for-9 from the field, including 3-for-4 from 3-point range.

“I thought they outplayed us,” Missouri coach Kim Anderson said. “Especially in the second half, I thought we really, really struggled to keep them off the boards. You’ve got to give them credit. I’m not sure why we didn’t have the energy that we needed to play this game, but we’re certainly going to try to find it by Wednesday.”

Every time Missouri attempted a run, Eastern Illinois would answer with an even bigger play. With 3:14 remaining, Frankie Hughes gave Missouri a 63-61 lead with a fast-break dunk, but the Panthers immediately answered with a 3-pointer from McReynolds. The next shot to fall was a 3-pointer from Goodwin with 1:39 remaining. Hughes finished with five points on 2-for-6 shooting.

The Tigers (5-5) did not make a field goal for the final 3:31, while the Panthers closed the game on a 6-1 run. Terrence Phillips was fouled with under a minute left, but made only 1 of 2 free-throw attempts. Phillips finished with eight points, seven assists and three rebounds.

K.J. Walton and Willie Jackson each scored nine points for the Tigers, and Kevin Puryear added eight points and six rebounds.

BARNETT’S BACK

St. Louis native Jordan Barnett made his Missouri debut, having sat out for the last year after transferring from Texas. He finished with three points and five rebounds, including a two-handed breakaway dunk to give the Tigers a 55-54 lead with 7:31 remaining. His last collegiate game was Dec. 8, 2015 against University of Texas-San Antonio. He had 12 points and five rebounds in that game.

COMMON CONNECTIONS

Spoonhour was an assistant coach at Missouri from 2004-06. Missouri assistant coach Emanuel Dildy played at Eastern Illinois from 2004-05, and was also an assistant coach for the Panthers in 2011-12, Spoonhour’s first season.

BIG PICTURE

Eastern Illinois: This is a signature win for the Panthers, who have no other Power-5 opponents on their schedule. Missouri had won the previous three contests between the schools, including the most recent meeting, which Missouri won 68-56 on Dec. 28, 2005.

Missouri: The Tigers shot 16.7 percent from 3-point range, a season low. Missouri’s previous 3-point shooting low was 18.8 percent on Nov. 18 in a 70-55 loss to Davidson.

UP NEXT

Eastern Illinois: Hosts Fontbonne University Monday.

Missouri: Travels to St. Louis Wednesday for the 36th annual Bud Light Braggin’ Rights game against Illinois in the Scottrade Center. The Tigers lost last year’s meeting 68-63.

— Associated Press —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Women’s Basketball used a well-balanced offensive attack to run past Tennessee-Martin, 80-69, on an icy Saturday afternoon in Mid-Missouri. Four players scored in double-figures, marking the sixth time Mizzou has accomplished that this season, as the Tigers shot 27-for-56 from the floor and held off a comeback attempt from the Skyhawks in the fourth quarter for the win. Mizzou improves to 9-3 on the season.

Senior guard Sierra Michaelis (Mercer, Mo.) poured in a game-high 23 points to lead Mizzou. The reigning SEC Co-Player of the Week has reached the 20-point plateau in two of the last three games. She drained five three-pointers Saturday and moved to third all-time in program history for career three-pointers made with 143 triples.

Sophomore guard Sophie Cunningham (Columbia, Mo.) tallied 21 points, six rebounds and three assists and sophomore Cierra Porter (Columbia, Mo.) posted 19 points and 14 rebounds to secure her fifth double-double of the season. The 14 boards for Porter were one shy of a career-high. Senior Lindsey Cunningham (Columbia, Mo.) added 13 points, five rebounds and two assists in the win.

Mizzou dominated the first half of play thanks to Sophie Cunningham and Porter. Together, they were responsible for Mizzou’s first 14 points. The Tigers raced out to a 25-17 lead after a bucket down low from Cunningham.

Mizzou went on to outscore UT-Martin, 26-4, in the opening half of action. The dominance in the paint allowed the Tigers to string together a 13-3 second-quarter run and build a 16-point advantage. The Cunningham-Porter duo combined for 28 points on 10-of-17 shooting with 11 rebounds and two assists in the first half as Mizzou entered halftime up 43-27.

Coming out in the second half, Michaelis caught fire, connecting on back-to-back triples to get Mizzou’s offense going. She stayed hot, finishing with five 3-pointers in the third quarter alone.

UT-Martin cut the lead to just nine points midway through the fourth quarter, but Mizzou was able to hang on behind efficient free throw shooting and stout defense, limiting UT-Martin to just 2-for-9 shooting down the stretch. The Tigers finished 18-of-23 from the foul line.

Mizzou will be back in action Monday against UC-Riverside at 7 p.m. inside Mizzou Arena.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou senior guard Sierra Michaelis (Mercer, Mo.) was named Southeastern Conference Co-Player of the Week, announced Tuesday by the league office. It is Michaelis’ first career SEC weekly honor and the first received by any Mizzou player this season.

Michaelis piloted Mizzou to two victories last week averaging 19.0 points, 6.0 steals and 5.0 rebounds per game. She poured in a season-high 24 points to lead all scorers in a 72-60 win over SIU-Edwardsville. Michaelis made a career-high six three-pointers in the process, connecting from distance on Mizzou’s first three possessions to begin the game. She is now tied for fifth in program history for career three-pointers made with 138 triples.

The senior shot 50 percent from the floor to fuel the Tigers offensively in the win. She added five rebounds and three steals to complete an all-around effort.

On Friday, Michaelis captained Mizzou to a gritty 64-57 win over Wichita State. After exploding for 24 points against SIUE, she sparked the Tigers’ victory on the defensive end vs. the Shockers. Most notably, Michaelis recorded a career-high nine steals, which is the most by any SEC player in a single game this season. She’s one of four Division I players to accomplish that feat in a game thus far and the first Mizzou player to do so since Tracy Franklin in 2001.

Michaelis finished with 14 points, five rebounds and three assists in the win. She’s now scored in double figures six times this season. Mizzou is 5-1 in those contests. Michaelis shared Tuesday’s honor with Texas A&M’s Anriel Howard.

Mizzou returns to the court on Saturday for an 11 a.m. tilt with Tennessee-Martin at Mizzou Arena. The Tigers then wrap up the nonconference slate with a home matchup vs. UC-Riverside and a road trip to Saint Louis.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — It’s an old cliché; winning on the road in college basketball is no easy task.

As a visiting opponent, having only seven players on scholarship doesn’t make it any easier.

It didn’t seem to faze No. 20 Arizona, which looked polished and poised as it defeated Missouri for the third consecutive season, cruising to a 79-60 victory Saturday in its first true road game of the season.

Rawle Alkins led the way for the Wildcats with 19 points and nine rebounds. Kobi Simmons had 19 points on 8-of-15 shooting, and Kadeem Allen added 17 points, seven rebounds and four assists.

“We’re going through a lot right now,” Arizona coach Sean Miller said. “How we practice and every game, it’s just really crucial for us. I think that in short time, I’m hopeful we can get some guys back, but in the meantime, this was a meaningful game. … I’m proud of our guys’ effort and approach tonight.”

The Wildcats (8-2) jumped out to an 8-0 lead in the first 3:12, eventually taking a 25-8 lead with 10:29 remaining in the first half. From that point, Missouri outscored Arizona 28-16 in the half, including a 7-0 run to end the opening 20 minutes.

The Tigers (5-4) continued to chip away at Arizona’s lead, eventually cutting the deficit to 45-41 early in the second half. However, the Wildcats responded with a 26-4 run that included a Missouri scoring drought of 6:59, halting any momentum the Tigers had mustered.

“I thought we did great job of coming back,” Missouri coach Kim Anderson said. “I was really proud of our guys and the way they competed. In the second half early, we had some chances, and then they went on a great run and for all practical purposes, put the game out of reach.”

Kevin Puryear had a team-best 11 points and seven rebounds. Leading scorer Frankie Hughes was held in check by the Wildcats’ backcourt, scoring 10 points on 2-of-13 shooting. Russell Woods had eight points and six rebounds, and Cullen VanLeer added eight points, all in the first half.

A reported crowd of over 10,000 was on hand for the only currently ranked opponent on Missouri’s home schedule.

VanLeer attributed the Tigers’ comeback efforts to the home crowd energy.

“The magnitude of the crowd was really nice to have. We appreciated everyone that came out. We were upset we couldn’t get the win today, but hopefully we can continue to get bigger crowds and it’ll help us get rhythm and flow in the game,” VanLeer said.

Arizona dominated the glass, outrebounding Missouri 46-28, its worst rebounding margin of the season.

The Wildcats led wire-to-wire despite nearly doubling Missouri’s turnovers, 15-8, and committing 22 fouls to the Tigers’ 11. Missouri shot 66.7 percent from the free throw line, including 9 of 17 in the second half.

BIG PICTURE

Arizona: The Wildcats entered the game shooting 36.6 percent from 3-point range, but caught fire early against the Tigers, shooting 54.2 percent. Missouri made just 1 of 8 3-point attempts in the second half while the Wildcats made 6 of 10. Missouri was coming off a season-high 3-point output against Miami (Ohio).

Missouri: A tenacious on-ball defender, Missouri point guard Terrence Phillips has struggled with foul trouble in recent games. In Monday’s 81-55 win over Miami (Ohio) Phillips played only 10 minutes in the second half, finishing with four fouls. He picked up his third foul 3:56 into the second half, limiting him to just 16 minutes against the Wildcats.

PIVOTAL MOMENT

Woods received a bounce pass in the lane on a fast break and gathered for a two-handed slam in front of the Missouri student section that would have cut the deficit to 45-43, but missed the dunk. On the ensuing Arizona possession, Woods was whistled for a foul, leading to two free throws by Arizona forward Dusan Ristic, who finished with 12 points and six rebounds.

LET DOWN

Freshman 7-footer Lauri Markkanen entered the game as Arizona’s leading scorer and rebounder, averaging 17.8 points and 7.2 rebounds. Against Missouri, the native of Finland had a season-low eight points to go with six rebounds, and fouled out with 2:53 remaining.

Puryear discussed his approach to defending Markkanen.

“Just being physical with him,” Puryear said. “Not letting him get comfortable with where he was on the floor with the ball. He likes to operate in the mid-post area, so I tried to eliminate that.”

UP NEXT

Arizona: hosts Grand Canyon on Wednesday.

Missouri: hosts Eastern Illinois next Saturday.

— Associated Press —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Women’s Basketball held on to beat Wichita State, 64-57, behind a strong second half and clutch outings from its seniors on Friday night. Mizzou improved to 8-3 on the season as the Tigers secured their 30th consecutive nonconference victory at home.

The Tigers were led by senior guards Lianna Doty (St. Louis, Mo.) and Sierra Michaelis (Mercer, Mo.), who both turned in excellent second-half performances to help the Tigers secure the victory.  Doty posted a season-high 15 points, getting six of them at the foul line, which tied a career-high.

Michaelis racked up a career high nine steals while leading a stingy Tiger defense. The nine swipes are the most by any Southeastern Conference player in a single game this season. She’s one of four players in all of Division I to record that many in one contest. Michaelis added 14 points, five rebounds and three assists to fuel Mizzou.

Mizzou started the game with stout defense. Head coach Robin Pingeton’s squad held the Shockers scoreless over the first 4:33 of the game, forcing five straight misses out of the gate. However, Wichita State closed the quarter on a 14-5 run, and led 17-10 at the end of the opening frame.

Mizzou continued to clamp down defensively to weather the storm and held the Shockers to just four points in the entire second quarter. The Tigers forced 17 total turnovers on Friday. Michaelis closed the opening half with a steal and a layup to beat the buzzer. The momentum-changing play cut Mizzou’s deficit to one as the Tigers entered halftime trailing 21-20.

Pingeton’s squad came out of the break on fire as Mizzou made its first six shots of the second half, four of which were layups.  The Tigers started the half on an 11-0 run, capped by a corner three from Lindsey Cunningham, to take a 31-21 lead.  In the period, the Tigers stretched their lead to as much as 11 behind strong contributions from both sophomore forward Cierra Porter (Columbia, Mo.) and Michaelis, who combined for 13 of Mizzou’s 26 points in the frame.

The Shockers battled back down the stretch and tied the game with 5:19 to go in the final quarter.  Mizzou responded though, and regained the lead at the 4:42 mark on a big-time three-pointer from freshman guard Jordan Chavis (Lexington, N.C.).

The Tigers and Shockers traded defensive stops until Michaelis nabbed her ninth steal of the night and found Doty on the break, who was fouled, and proceeded to knock down two clutch free throws.  After the Shockers tied the game at 50, Mizzou rattled off seven straight points without allowing a single Wichita State basket.

Pingeton’s squad closed the game on a 14-7 run, using clutch free throws from Doty, Michaelis, and Cunningham, and buckets from Porter to ice the game.

With the win, the Tigers remain perfect against the Shockers, holding a 7-0 advantage in the all-time series.
Mizzou turns to a home matchup against UT-Martin on December 17. Tip off at Mizzou Arena is set for 11 a.m. CT.

— Mizzou Athletics —

MINNEAPOLIS – No. 15 Mizzou Volleyball saw its season come to a close with a Sweet 16 loss at No. 2 Minnesota, 3-1 (15-25, 25-21, 19-25, 14-25), on Friday evening at the Sports Pavilion, the home court of the second-seeded Gophers. Mizzou was led by 20 kills and a double-double from senior OH Carly Kan (Honolulu, Hawaii) who finishes her career with 1,677 kills and 1,445 digs, ranking second and fourth, respectively, in school history. Mizzou finishes the season 27-6 while Minnesota goes to 28-4.

Kan and the Mizzou senior class – MB Emily Thater (Springfield, Mo.), RS Julia Towler (Blue Springs, Mo.) and L Alexa Ethridge (Blue Springs, Mo.) – finish their careers as the winningest four-year class in school history with 105 wins. They won a pair of SEC Championships and went to three NCAA Tournaments. The 27 wins on the year are the fifth-most in school history and the senior class has three of the top five win totals in school history.

Junior OH Melanie Crow (Wildwood, Mo.) added 12 kills, seven digs and two blocks and Thater pitched in seven kills on .278 hitting with two blocks and a pair of aces. Ethridge posted 19 digs, just missing her third 20-dig outing of the year, but it was her best four-set total of the season. Junior setter Courtney Eckenrode (The Woodlands, Texas) posted her seventh double-double of the season with 36 assists and 11 digs.

The second-seeded Gophers ran out to an 8-4 lead early in the first set despite Mizzou getting a pair of early blocks. The Tigers made three uncharacteristic attack errors in the stretch, forcing Coach Kreklow to call timeout. Minnesota kept the foot on the gas to go up 15-7, but Mizzou cut the lead to 15-12 using back row attacks from Kan. But as quick as Mizzou got back into it, Minnesota ran off a 5-0 run and that put the set away with the Gophers taking the first frame, 25-15.

Mizzou played better to open the second frame behind the attack of Kan and opened a 13-10 lead after a pair of strong serves from Kira Larson (Fargo, N.D.). Mizzou grew the lead to 14-10 out of the timeout following a kill by Emily Thater (Springfield, Mo.), but Minnesota scored the next five points and wound up on top 17-16. Mizzou then got back-to-back kills from Kan and Crow and an ace from Thater to open a 19-17 lead.

The trading of runs continued as Minnesota tied the set at 19-all after a pair of kills, but Mizzou answered right back and that stole momentum, taking set two, 25-21.

Following the break, Minnesota raced out to an 8-3 lead as it connected for kills on its first six swings. Mizzou fought to get back into the set and got as close as 14-10, but the Gophers sided out from there and won the third, 25-19. Minnesota kept it going in the fourth set and ran away with a 25-14 set win to close out the match.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Head Football Coach Barry Odom has added longtime defensive line coach and Southeastern Conference veteran Brick Haley to his coaching staff, as announced today, pending completion of campus human resources procedures.  Haley will serve as Mizzou’s defensive line coach, a position he has coached with great success for 19 years overall, including the last 13 straight.  In all, Haley – an outstanding recruiter and developer of talent – has logged 26 years as a full-time defensive coach, including three as defensive coordinator, and two as an assistant in the National Football League.  Details of Haley’s contract will be released once fully executed.

Haley comes to Mizzou after spending the past two seasons at Texas, where he coached the Longhorn defensive line.  This past season, Texas’ defense led the Big 12 Conference in both quarterback sacks (3.42 per game) and tackles for loss (7.6 per game), while ranking 5th and 16th nationally in those categories, respectively.  In 2015, Texas ranked fifth in the NCAA in sacks.  Prior to his time in Austin, Haley was at LSU for six seasons (2009-14), where he perennially directed one of the nation’s most disruptive defensive fronts.  At LSU, he coached 10 defensive linemen who were selected in the NFL Draft, including a pair of first-round picks in DT Michael Brockers (No. 12 overall in 2012) and DE Barkevious Mingo (No. 6 overall in 2013).  Haley’s line was key reason why the Tigers went 13-0 in the 2011 regular season and reached the 2012 BCS Championship Game.

“I’m very excited to have the opportunity to work with Brick Haley, I have had tremendous respect for him over the years,” said Odom.  “He will be a great mentor and teacher for our student-athletes and will bring leadership and coaching qualities that will make Mizzou Football better in every way.  I’m excited to welcome Brick, Tina and the kids to the Mizzou Family!!” said Odom.

“I’m very pleased and really excited to be joining Coach Odom’s program,” said Haley.  “We haven’t worked together, but I’m very aware of him and the reputation he has in the coaching profession.  I look at this as an unbelievable opportunity to work with someone who has such an impressive passion and work ethic.  It didn’t take me long in our conversations to know that Coach Odom is the right guy and someone you want to work with.  I believe that Mizzou is a place where the sky is the limit, and I’m looking forward to being part of the program,” he said.

Haley joined LSU in the spring of 2009 after spending two years as defensive line coach with the NFL’s Chicago Bears.  In Chicago, Haley coached a line that helped the Bears rank fifth in the league in fewest rushing yards allowed in 2008.  The Bears finished sixth in the NFL in sacks in 2007, with DE Tommie Harris earning a spot in the Pro Bowl.

Prior to his stop in the NFL, Haley spent three years (2004-06) as the defensive line coach at Mississippi State. He helped improve a Bulldogs defense that finished 41st in the nation in 2006 after finishing 113th a year before his arrival. Defensive end Titus Brown developed into a second-team All-SEC selection after leading the team and ranking fifth in the conference in sacks in 2006.

In 2005, Haley coached the SEC leader in sacks (third in NCAA) and tackles for loss (fourth in NCAA) in Willie Evans, who went on to spend four years in the NFL.

Before arriving at Mississippi State, Haley coached linebackers for two years (2002-2003) at Georgia Tech, where he helped the Yellow Jackets to a pair of bowl games. In 2003, he coached a first-team All-ACC performer after Tech’s trio of starting linebackers finished the 2002 season as the team’s top three tacklers.

Previously, Haley was the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Baylor (1999-2001) after coaching outside linebackers for one season each at Clemson (1998) and Houston (1997). The defensive line coach at Troy State from 1994-96, he was promoted to defensive coordinator following the 1996 campaign before leaving for Houston. Haley coached the defensive line at Austin Peay from 1991-93 after starting his college coaching career as a graduate assistant at Arkansas in 1990. His first coaching job was at Enterprise (Ala.) High School in 1989.

A native of Gadsden, Ala., Haley attended Alabama A&M, where he was a standout linebacker from 1984-88.  He received Alabama A&M’s Inspiration Award in 1987 and was named the team’s Most Valuable Player in 1988.  In 2005, Haley was inducted into A&M’s Athletic Hall of Fame.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Missouri Sophomore guard Sophie Cunningham was named to the Naismith Trophy Women’s Preseason Watch List, as announced by the Atlanta Tipoff Club.

Cunningham is one of just 50 players from around the country and one of 11 players from the SEC on the list for the women’s college basketball’s player of the year honor. Named in honor of Dr. James Naismith, the creator of the game of basketball, the first Naismith trophy was awarded in 1969 to UCLA’s Lew Alcindor, later known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The trophy was sculpted by Marty C. Dawe of Atlanta and has become among the most prestigious national honors awarded each year to top basketball players in the nation. The Women’s Player of the Year Award was first given to Anne Donovan of Old Dominion University in 1983.

Each year the club’s board publishes the “Naismith Watch List” that is made up of the top 50 players to watch in men’s and women’s college basketball. The organization also releases a list of 30 mid-season Naismith candidates. At the end of the season the Naismith Trophy is awarded to the player of the year in men’s and women’s college basketball. A national voting academy of leading basketball coaches, administrators and journalists narrows the group down to four finalists based on player performance throughout the season. The final four Naismith finalists will make up the ballot and the player of the year is voted on by the group.

After earning SEC Freshman of the Year honors in 2015-16, Cunningham has picked up right where she left off to begin her sophomore campaign. She is averaging a team-high 15.2 points to go along with 5.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game. Cunningham has reached double-digits in eight of nine games, highlighted by a 22-point outburst in a win over Missouri State.

Cunningham was named second-team All-SEC a season ago after starting all 32 games as a freshman. She notched 20-plus points on 10 different occasions, including a school-record 42-point outing against Wake Forest. She received a conference-record six SEC Freshman of the Week awards.

Cunningham and Mizzou take on Wichita State on Friday at Mizzou Arena. Tip off is slated for 7 p.m.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Women’s Basketball topped SIU-Edwardsville, 72-60, on Wednesday night to kick-off a four-game homestand. Mizzou (7-3) capitalized on a strong second half and a dominant presence from the free throw line to down SIUE (2-6). The Tigers made at least 20 free throws for the fourth time this season.

Senior guard Sierra Michaelis (Mercer, Mo.) led the Mizzou offense, setting a new career high for 3-pointers in a game with six treys. She moved up to sixth place in program history for career 3-point field goals made with 136 trifectas. She posted a season-high 24 points to lead all scorers on Wednesday.

Sophomore Cierra Porter (Columbia, Mo.) tallied 18 points and 13 rebounds for her fifth career double-double. She has recorded at least 10 points in 10 consecutive games to begin the season. Michaelis and Porter combined for a total of 42 points, the most by any Mizzou duo this season.

Michaelis set the tone early from the beyond the arc, draining three consecutive three-pointers to open the scoring for the Tigers. Mizzou jumped out to a quick 13-2 lead but SIUE put together a 7-0 run to close out the opening quarter and pull within four. The game remained tight as Mizzou sustained a 30-25 edge heading into halftime.

Mizzou clamped down defensively midway through the third quarter to pull away. During a stretch that lasted nearly six minutes of game clock, the Tigers held SIUE to just one field goal. Meanwhile, Mizzou shot 46 percent (6-for-13) in the quarter to grab a 53-40 lead going into the final frame.

The momentum kept rolling for Mizzou as it maintained at least a nine-point advantage for the remainder of the game.  Redshirt senior Lindsey Cunningham (Columbia, Mo.) scored seven fourth-quarter points to cap a solid all-around performance. She pulled down her 10th rebound of the game in the final minute to seal her first career double-double as she chipped in 11 points in 36 minutes.

Redshirt freshman Hannah Schuchts (Tallahassee, Fla.) earned her first career start as a Tiger, posting three points and five rebounds on Wednesday. Redshirt senior Lianna Doty (St. Louis, Mo.) added nine points, six assists and four rebounds in a season-high 37 minutes.

Mizzou continues its homestand on Friday when the Tigers host Wichita State. Tip is set for 7 p.m.

— Mizzou Athletics —