BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Mizzou Women’s Basketball freshman guard Sophie Cunningham (Columbia, Mo.) was named Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week for the fifth time this season, it was announced Tuesday. Cunningham recorded the third double-double of her freshman season with 24 points and 10 rebounds in Sunday’s 69-55 victory at Auburn.

Cunningham became only the second Mizzou freshman over the last 18 years to record a 24-point, 10-rebound performance and only the third Tiger to finish with 24 points, 10 rebounds and 10 made free throws during that span. She tied a career-high with 10 made foul shots in 12 attempts. For the game, Cunningham finished 6-for-9 from the field and 2-for-2 from 3-point range.

Through 27 games, Cunningham averages a team-leading 13.3 points per game, ranks second on the squad in assists (2.9) and is tied for second in rebounding (5.6). She ranks 11th in the SEC in points and is the only freshman in the league’s top 23 in scoring. Cunningham ranks second in points (360) and made free throws (82), fourth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.3) and ninth in rebounds (152) by a freshman in Mizzou Women’s Basketball history.

Cunningham ranks fifth in the SEC in free throw percentage (79.6) and 12th in assists (2.9). Cunningham was also named SEC Freshman of the Week on Nov. 17, Nov. 24 and Dec. 8 and Jan. 19.

The No. 24 Tigers (21-6, 8-6) return to action Thursday with a 6 p.m. CT tipoff at No. 15 Kentucky (19-6, 8-6).

— Mizzou Athletics —

AUBURN, Ala. – Mizzou Women’s Basketball (21-6, 8-6) never trailed in a balanced 69-55 victory at Auburn (18-9, 8-6) Sunday afternoon. Junior forward Jordan Frericks (Quincy, Ill.) became the 33rd member of the Mizzou Women’s Basketball 1,000-Point Club while head coach Robin Pingeton earned her 100th victory on the Mizzou sideline.

Sophie Cunningham (Columbia, Mo.) recorded the third double-double of her freshman season with a game-high 24 points and 10 rebounds. Frericks added 18 points, eight rebounds and a career-high six assists. Morgan Stock (Town & Country, Mo.) drained four 3-pointers and finished with 14 points as she tied a career-high with 36 minutes played.

Mizzou got out to an early lead and led 16-12 at the end of the first quarter. Frericks scored eight points in the game’s first 6:04.

In the second quarter, Mizzou increased the lead behind four 3-pointers, including three in a span of four possessions en route to a 36-27 halftime lead. Frericks notched 10 points in the first half while Cunningham added nine.

During the third period, Mizzou outscored Auburn 20-12. Frericks scored her 1,000th career point on a layup with 5:49 remaining in the quarter off of a pass from Lindsey Cunningham (Columbia, Mo.), leading to the uncontested lay-in. Mizzou held a 56-39 advantage heading into the fourth quarter.

Mizzou never trailed throughout the contest and led by as many as 21 points at 69-48 with 2:57 left in the fourth quarter.

For the game, Mizzou shot 52 percent (23-for-44) from the field, 47 percent (8-for-17) from 3-point range and 83 percent (15-for-18) from the free throw line.

Auburn was limited to 31 percent (19-for-60) shooting from the floor, including an 0-for-9 mark from beyond the 3-point arc.

The Tigers return to action at No. 16 Kentucky on Thursday for a 7 p.m. CT tipoff.

— Mizzou Athletics —

FORT MYERS, Fla. – Mizzou Baseball dropped its series finale with Seton Hall, 9-1, on Sunday afternoon at City of Palms Park, splitting the four-game series with the Pirates after taking the first two games. Seton Hall got a single run in each of the first three innings off of starter Ryan Lee (Gandview, Mo.) and another in the fifth. The Pirates then broke the game open with a four-run seventh to put the game out of reach.

SS Ryan Howard (St. Charles, Mo.), CF Jake Ring (Ingleside, Ill.) and C Brett Bond (St. Louis, Mo.) each tallied doubles for the offense and senior Zach Lavy (Auxvasse, Mo.) added three hits with a double as well, his first multiple-hit game of the season. Seton Hall’s Zach Pendergast earned the win after going 7.0 innings, allowing just six hits and a run while striking out eight against just one walk. Lee took the loss.

Lee gave up a run in the first inning as the first two Seton Hall batters tallied hits. Leadoff man Derek Jenkins singled up the middle and promptly stole second. He was then doubled in by SS Chris Chiaradio to give the Pirates a 1-0 lead. Howard made a good defensive play at short, snaring a liner at short and doubling off the runner at second to end the inning.

After Mizzou went in order in the first, Lee was snake-bitten a bit. After a pair of strikeouts, he appeared to get the final out of the frame on a fly ball to shallow left, but LF Trey Harris (Powder Springs, Ga.) lost it in the sun allowing a run to score from first, giving the Pirates a 2-0 lead.

Seton Hall added another run in the third and another in the fourth as Mizzou’s bats stayed quiet. The Tigers got leadoff singles in the fourth and fifth innings from Ring and Lavy, respectively, but failed to score in each inning as Seton Hall took a 4-0 lead through five.

Reliever Cole Bartlett (Williamsburg, Ind.) pitched a stellar sixth inning, retiring the side on nine pitches and Mizzou then got a one-out double from Howard in the bottom half but could not bring him home.

Bartlett came back out for the seventh inning and wound up loading the bases and walking in another Seton Hall run, giving the Pirates a 5-0 lead. Liam Carter (Highland Park, Ill.) came on in relief and surrendered a double to clear the bases as Seton Hall extended the lead to 8-0.

Mizzou got a run back in the seventh inning after back-to-back hits from Brett Bond (St. Louis, Mo.) and Connor Brumfield (Columbia, Mo.) and a wild pitch, cutting the lead to 8-1. But that was all Mizzou could scratch across that frame. The Tigers then got a walk from Kirby McGuire (Round Rock, Texas) and a ground rule double from Ring in the eighth, but again couldn’t find a timely hit with runners in scoring position. Seton Hall added its final run in the top of the ninth on a bases-loaded walk.

Mizzou will stay in Florida next week and play Florida International in Miami on Wednesday (Feb. 24) before playing another four-game series vs. Hofstra at City of Palms Park next weekend.

— Mizzou Athletics —

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Jabril Durham claimed the bulk of the responsibility for Arkansas’ disheartening loss to Auburn on Wednesday, a game in which his defensive gamble led to a crushing late 3-pointer.

The Razorbacks point guard channeled any leftover frustration from that loss into a career-best effort on Saturday night, an 84-72 victory over Missouri.

Durham scored a career-high 17 points in the second victory over the Tigers this season for Arkansas (13-14, 6-8 Southeastern Conference), but it was his early energy and otherwise all-around performance that set the tone more than his scoring outburst.

The senior added six assists and two steals, and he hit a pair of early 3-pointers while scoring nine of the Razorbacks’ first 14 points as they built a 17-point first-half lead and never trailed in ending a three-game losing streak.

“It feels great, just coming back and that my teammates still had confidence in me from the get-go” Durham said. “As a point guard, you put a lot of pressure on yourself when you lose and you take that to heart, so it was a great feeling to come out here today and get this (win).”

While Durham set the tone, he had plenty of help in the form of 22 points from Dusty Hannahs and a 15-point, 12-rebound effort from Moses Kingsley — the 13th double-double for the center this season.

Arkansas struggled defensively in its loss to Auburn on Wednesday, allowing the Tigers to shoot a season-high 61.1 percent and hit 15 3-pointers.

The Razorbacks were back to their usual harassing defensive ways on Saturday, with Durham — who was distraught after the Auburn loss — leading the way while diving on the floor for loose balls, crashing into opposing players and leaping out of bounds in attempts to keep possession.

It was exactly the kind of effort Arkansas coach Mike Anderson was looking for after the poor showing against Auburn.

“I thought (Durham) was big,” Anderson said. “He’s a senior, and obviously, these are his last days … He set the tone for us.”

Kevin Puryear scored 23 points to lead Missouri (10-17, 3-11), which had its two-game winning streak snapped. Ryan Rosburg added 11 points for the Tigers, while Namon Wright had 12 points and 12 rebounds.

The Tigers have now lost 24 straight road games, with their last victory away from home coming two years ago in Fayetteville.

Missouri trailed by as many as 17 points in the first half, but it opened the second on a 9-2 run and cut the Arkansas lead to 45-39 after a 3-pointer by Puryear.

However, Kingsley started a 9-2 Razorbacks’ run with a basket inside and Arkansas never led by fewer than eight points the rest of the game.

“Physically, we couldn’t match up with Kingsley,” Missouri coach Kim Anderson said. “Certainly, he was a monster on the inside … I thought we fought until the end.”

Arkansas shot 62.7 percent from the field while handing Missouri the worst loss in the 11-year history of Mizzou Arena on Jan. 12, a 33-point victory for the Razorbacks.

They continued their one-sided domination of the Tigers throughout the first half on Saturday, leading by as many as 17 points before settling for a 43-30 halftime lead and keeping control in the second half of the much-needed victory.

TIP INS

Missouri: Puryear’s 23 points were a career high, topping the freshman’s 22 in a loss at Alabama on Feb. 6. Wright’s 12-rebound effort was also a career best, with his previous best of nine coming against Mississippi State earlier this season.

Arkansas: Former Razorbacks coach Eddie Sutton was at Saturday’s game and had a banner unveiled in his name in Bud Walton Arena at halftime. Sutton, 79, coached at Arkansas for 11 seasons from 1974-85, leading the school to 260 wins and the 1978 Final Four.

KING MOSES

Kingsley’s now has 13 double-doubles on the season, joining LSU’s Ben Simmons as the only two players in the SEC with more than 12 such efforts on the season. The junior, who backed up SEC Player of the Year Bobby Portis a season ago, only had one double-double in his career entering the season.

UP NEXT

Missouri is at Mississippi on Tuesday.

Arkansas hosts LSU on Tuesday.

— Associated Press —

FORT MYERS, Fla. – No. 15 Mizzou Baseball got a sensational start from senior righty Reggie McClain (Duluth, Ga.) and scored its most runs in a season-opener since 2011 as it defeated Seton Hall, 7-0, on opening day at City of Palms Park in Fort Myers, Fla. McClain went 8.0 innings and allowed just four hits with zero walks and four strikeouts. In neutral site outings in his career, McClain is now 4-0 with a 0.00 ERA in 32.0 innings with just 17 hits and zero walks in four outings in his Mizzou career.

The offense was led by five players with multiple hits as Mizzou scored its most runs in a season-opener since 2011. Sophomore catcher Brett Bond (St. Louis, Mo.) led the way with three RBI, including a big two-out, full count, bases-loaded single to score two in the fifth inning, giving McClain some much-needed run support. Sophomore third baseman Shane Benes (Town & Country, Mo.) tallied the first Mizzou run on a solo homer in his first at-bat of the season in the second inning. He finished the day with two hits and two RBI. Juniors Ryan Howard (St. Charles, Mo.) and Jake Ring (Ingleside, Ill.) each tallied two-hit games as well.

McClain had a tremendous first inning, throwing just 10 pitches to retire the side. After Mizzou then went 1-2-3 in the first, McClain then worked around a two-out double and a wild pitch to strand a runner on third.

Mizzou got on the board in the second on the solo shot to left field by Benes, his first of the season in his first at-bat of 2016. It was the third of his career. It came off of Preseason All- Big-East pick Shane McCarthy.

McClain continued to baffle Seton Hall hitters, needing just 52 pitches to get through five innings, allowing just one Pirate hit. Mizzou finally got McClain some more offense in the fifth inning, sparked by a one-out hit from freshman Ian Nelson (Lake St. Louis, Mo.). With two outs then, the rally began as Howard and Jake Ring each tallied a pair of two-out hits to load the bases. Bond then bounced a roller up the middle on a full count to extend Mizzou’s lead to 3-0.

McClain then retired the side in order in the sixth inning, needing just 63 pitches to get through six innings. He had a streak of 14 consecutive batters snapped in the seventh, but he got a double-play to send it to the bottom half of the frame. Mizzou then tacked on four runs in the seventh to break the game open, coming on RBI singles from Bond, Benes and Harris and an RBI triple from Ring.

Mizzou and Seton Hall will resume the four-game series with a doubleheader Saturday (Feb. 20) as Tanner Houck (Collinsville, Mo.) and Michael Plassmeyer (St. Louis, Mo.) will make the starts.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Ryan Rosburg scored 18 points to lead Missouri to a 72-67 victory over South Carolina on Tuesday night.

Missouri (10-16, 3-10 Southeastern Conference) has won two straight while South Carolina (21-5, 8-5), which lost to No. 22 Kentucky on Saturday, has lost back-to-back games for the first time this season.

Terrence Phillips added 15 points for Missouri.

Duane Notice had 21 points on 8-of-14 shooting to lead South Carolina. Michael Carrera chipped in 14 for the Gamecocks.

Carrera scored seven points as part of a 16-4 run to give South Carolina a 65-64 lead with two minutes left. Phillips converted a 3-point play, and South Carolina’s PJ Dozier made a jumper to tie it at 67-all with 1:48 left. Rosburg then split a pair of free throws and the Tigers closed on a 5-0 spurt to seal it.

Missouri took advantage of South Carolina’s early shooting woes, building a 33-25 halftime lead as the Gamecocks shot 9 of 37 from the field in the first half. With 9:40 left in the first half, Namon Wright hit a 3-pointer in transition to give Missouri a 23-8 lead, its largest lead of the game.

Rosburg fouled South Carolina’s Chris Silva, who sank two free throws, capping a 16-7 run for the Gamecocks to end the first half.

Wright, who finished with 11 points and seven rebounds, was just 2 of 7 from the field, but made all five free-throw attempts.

Tramaine Isabell and K.J. Walton added 10 points apiece for the Tigers. Isabell scored all of his points in the first half, while Walton added eight second-half points.

—

TIP-INS

South Carolina: The Gamecocks ranked first in the SEC in offensive rebounding heading into the game, averaging 14.4 offensive rebounds per game. … In all 12 of the Gamecocks’ conference wins, either Carrera or Thornwell has led the team in scoring. … Guard John Ragin has missed the last three games with an undisclosed illness.

Missouri: In an 80-71 loss at Alabama on Feb. 6, Kevin Puryear became the 12th freshman in school history to record at least 200 points and 100 rebounds in a debut season. … Phillips had a career-high seven rebounds in a 75-64 win over Tennessee Feb. 13. …The Tigers are now 10-0 when leading at halftime.

UP NEXT

Missouri: Visits Arkansas Saturday.

South Carolina: Hosts Florida Saturday.

— Associated Press —

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Missouri announced Tuesday that junior guard Wes Clark has been dismissed from the men’s basketball team.

According to a release, “Wes Clark has failed to meet the academic expectations of the Mizzou Athletics Department and is no longer a member of the men’s basketball program. Due to this issue relating to academics, Mizzou Athletics will have no further comment.”

Clark started all 25 games this season for Missouri, averaging 9.8 points per game and three rebounds. He has four 20-point games this season, including a career-high 26 points in an 81-72 loss at South Carolina Jan. 16.

Clark missed the final eight games of the 2014-15 season with a dislocated elbow. He was also suspended one game last season for a prior violation of team policy.

Clark, Missouri’s second-leading scorer, has one year of NCAA eligibility remaining.

— Associated Press —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – The preseason honors continue to come in for 15th-ranked Mizzou Baseball as both SP Tanner Houck (Collinsville, Ill.) and SS Ryan Howard (St. Charles, Mo.) were named to USA Baseball’s Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List, as announced Tuesday (Feb. 16). This is the first time that Mizzou has had a player on the preseason watch list since Kyle Gibson in 2009. This is the second time that Houck has been named to the Golden Spikes Watch List, after earning midseason distinction a year ago.

Houck put together one of the best freshman seasons in Mizzou baseball history. His eight wins are the most by a Tiger freshman since Kyle Gibson (a former first-round draft pick) in 2007 and his 100.2 innings are the most ever by a Tiger freshman under Tim Jamieson. At the end of the regular season, he had thrown more innings than any other freshman in the country. He compiled a 3.49 ERA on the season, striking out 91 batters over 100.2 innings while walking just 12 in 15 starts as a freshman.

Houck was named to the Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List and was an All-SEC Freshman Team honoree as well. He helped Mizzou defeat three top-five teams – No. 6 South Carolina, No. 4 Florida and No. 1 Texas A&M – earning wins in two of those three starts. Houck spent his summer with USA Baseball’s Collegiate National Team, where he led the team in innings pitched, strikeouts and starts while boasting an 11-1 strikeout-walk ratio and a .159 opponent batting average. He threw 4.0 perfect innings in a combined no-hitter against Cuba as well.

In 2015, Howard led the team in batting, at-bats and total bases while committing just seven errors in the field at short. He is coming off of an incredible summer as he was the starting SS for USA Baseball’s Collegiate National Team. He hit .310 with six runs and three RBI in 17 games while slugging four doubles and a homer.

Howard was drafted in the 31st round of the MLB Draft by the San Francisco Giants last summer, but elected to come back to Mizzou for his junior season and play with Team USA over the summer. This is another honor for Howard in the preseason. He was selected as the best infield arm in the SEC by Baseball America and was a top-100 prospect for the 2016 MLB Draft by D1Baseball.com.

Howard, Houck and the Tigers open the season this weekend in Fort Myers, Fla., where they will play a four-game series against Seton Hall beginning Friday at 2 p.m. (CT).

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Baseball shortstop Ryan Howard (St. Charles, Mo.) was named as one of 10 players to watch across the nation in college baseball by USA Today on Friday (Feb. 12). Howard, who hit .308 with five homers and 39 RBI last season, was one of three SEC players named to the list, joining LSU’s Alex Lange and Florida’s AJ Puk.

In 2015, Howard led the team in batting, at-bats and total bases while committing just seven errors in the field at short. He is coming off of an incredible summer as he was the starting SS for USA Baseball’s Collegiate National Team. He hit .310 with six runs and three RBI in 17 games while slugging four doubles and a homer.

Howard was drafted in the 31st round of the MLB Draft by the San Francisco Giants last summer, but elected to come back to Mizzou for his junior season and play with Team USA over the summer. This is another honor for Howard in the preseason. He was selected as the best infield arm in the SEC by Baseball America and was a top-100 prospect for the 2016 MLB Draft by D1Baseball.com.

Howard and the Tigers open the season this weekend in Fort Myers, Fla., where they will play a four-game series against Seton Hall beginning Friday at 2 p.m.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) – Mizzou Women’s Basketball (20-6, 7-6) topped Arkansas (10-15, 5-7) 69-48 Sunday afternoon at Mizzou Arena. The resounding win gives the Tigers 20 victories on the season, the most for the program since the 2005-06 campaign.

Senior guard Morgan Stock (Town & Country, Mo.) led the way for Mizzou, pouring in a game-high 17 points. She tied a career-high with five made 3-pointers. Stock was joined in double digits by junior forward Jordan Frericks (Quincy, Ill.), who finished with 15 points, and Juanita Robinson (Chicago, Ill.), who scored 11 in 20 reserve minutes.

Freshman guard Sophie Cunningham (Columbia, Mo.) dished out a career-high eight assists and pulled down a team-high five rebounds. Frericks and Cierra Porter (Columbia, Mo.) also grabbed five boards.

The beginning of the first quarter saw the lead change hands five times, and both teams were shooting the ball well. The Tigers 12-2 run, sparked by a sliding steal made by redshirt junior guard Lianna Doty (St. Louis, Mo.), who tied a season-high with five assists.

Mizzou led 19-10 at the end of the first period and used a 23-7 second quarter to pull away for good. The Tigers dished an assist on all 16 made baskets in the first half, while only turning the ball over twice, which was a season low.

The lead grew as large as 31 points midway through the third quarter. Mizzou finished with 20 assists, which tied the high mark during SEC play.

The Tigers shot 44 percent (22-for-50) from the floor, 33 percent (8-for-24) from beyond the 3-point arc and 90 percent (17-for-19) at the free throw line. Arkansas was limited to 33 percent shooting (20-for-60) and a 1-for-12 mark from long range.

Mizzou has a bye on Thursday and will return to action at Auburn for a 2 p.m. CT tipoff Sunday, Feb. 21.

— Mizzou Athletics —