COLUMBIA, Mo. – A new permanent trophy for the Battle Line Rivalry presented by Shelter Insurance® will be up for grabs when Southeastern Conference foes Missouri and Arkansas meet in Fayetteville, Ark. on Friday at 1:30 p.m. at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

The Battle Line Rivalry series pits the SEC’s Eastern Division against the Western Division and provides a natural rivalry between Missouri and Arkansas. Missouri won the inaugural meeting of the Battle Line Rivalry in Columbia, Mo. last season, in a 21-14 comeback win that clinched Mizzou’s second-straight SEC Eastern Division title.

The Battle Line Trophy is made of silver and stands more than four feet tall and weighs more than 180 pounds. The trophy depicts the outline of the two states with the border of the two states being divided by interchangeable silver inserts with the words Battle Line in either gold or cardinal. The color of the battle line within the trophy will be reflective of the winner of the most recent game in the series.

Former Razorback football student-athlete David Bazzel was the designer and project lead for the building of the Battle Line Trophy. Bazzel also created The Golden Boot, the annual trophy given to the winner of the Arkansas-LSU football series, the Broyles Award and numerous other trophies and awards. Supreme Fixture and Sissy’s Log Cabin of Little Rock were the primary companies involved in the construction of the trophy.

The Battle Line Rivalry clashes against both geographic and historical boundaries – from disputed demarcations of the border separating the two states to notable alumni and former personnel with ties to both storied athletic programs. The historic rivalry between the two states will take on even more meaning now, as every Thanksgiving weekend the Battle Line is drawn on the gridiron. The Razorbacks or Tigers will ultimately stake claim to the “Line” – until the next meeting.

“We are excited to unveil a new trophy as part of the Battle Line Rivalry,” said Mack Rhoades, University of Missouri Director of Athletics. “We appreciate Shelter Insurance’s investment in the series and believe the annual Missouri-Arkansas game has the opportunity to grow into one of college football’s great Thanksgiving weekend traditions.”

“Shelter started in Missouri and Arkansas and these two states are key to our business,” said Rick Means, President and CEO of Shelter Insurance®.  “We’re pleased to be part of this rivalry which helps support two of the major college football programs in both states.”

“We are proud that one of the nation’s newest rivalries now has one of the most stunning trophies in all of college football,” said Jeff Long, University of Arkansas Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics. “We are grateful to David for his vision and to all of those who worked to help create this beautiful silver work of art. With the support of Shelter Insurance®, we are quickly turning the Battle Line Rivalry into a budding college football tradition.”

The second annual Battle Line Rivalry presented by Shelter Insurance® kicks off Friday, Nov. 27, at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Ark.  The game is set for a nationally televised broadcast at 1:30 p.m. (central time) on CBS.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Freshman guard Sophie Cunningham (Columbia, Mo.) established a new single-game school record with 42 points as the Missouri women’s basketball team (4-0) defeated Wake Forest (3-1) 94-81 at Mizzou Arena on Sunday evening. Cunningham went 13-for-18 from the field and 6-for-8 from 3-point range in 33 minutes. She added eight rebounds, four assists and three steals in her fourth career game.

The Tigers shot 43 percent (26-for-61) from the floor, 42 percent (11-for-26) from beyond the arc and 78 percent (31-for-40) from the free throw line. Mizzou scored 20 points off of 18 forced turnovers.

“I think our girls did a great job,” head coach Robin Pingeton said. “I thought they came out with a ton of focus. Overall, just a great performance and gritty, great toughness. [There was] great energy from our team. I’m really happy for them and proud of them.

“Obviously, a special night for Sophie. It was just a tremendous night and she is a fierce competitor.”

Cunningham scored 25 points in the first half, going 9-for-10 from the field and 4-for-5 from long range during the first 20 minutes. In the second quarter alone, she scored 14 points. She broke the previous scoring record of 41 points by Renee Kelly that has stood since a Jan. 25, 1986 at Oklahoma.

The 42 points by Cunningham are the most in the SEC this season. She leads the conference in scoring with 21.5 points per game.

Junior guard Sierra Michaelis (Mercer, Mo.) added a season-high 18 points on 7-for-12 shooting and a 4-for-8 mark from 3-point range. She has drained seven triples over the last two contests. Michaelis scored 13 points in the first quarter, connecting three times from beyond the arc.

Freshman forward Cierra Porter (Columbia, Mo.) established new season-highs with 14 points and five assists to go along with three rebounds and a blocked in 22 reserve minutes. Junior forward Jordan Frericks (Quincy, Ill.) added nine points and 12 rebounds (six offensive) with three blocks, two steals and an assist.

Mizzou returns to play on Tuesday evening with a 7 p.m. CT tipoff vs. SIU Edwardsville at Mizzou Arena.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Jalen Hurd rushed for a career-best 151 yards on 34 carries and Tennessee dominated on defense, spoiling Gary Pinkel’s Missouri home finale with a 19-8 victory on Saturday night.

Joshua Dobbs had the only touchdown on an 8-yard run with 17 seconds to go in the first half and Aaron Medley had a career-best four field goals in a game begun in 28-degree chill. The Volunteers (7-4, 4-3 SEC) have won four in a row, three of them handily, and beat Missouri for the first time in four tries.

Tennessee held opponents scoreless for eight consecutive quarters before Drew Lock scored on a 1-yard keeper on fourth-and-goal with 9:49 to go and hit Jason Reese for a two-point conversion. The Volunteers had Missouri pinned down much of the game, with the Tigers beginning five possessions at their own 11 or worse.

Missouri (5-6, 1-6) needs a victory in the finale at Arkansas to avoid just the second losing record in the last 11 under Pinkel, who holds the school career record with 118 victories in 15 seasons. The 63-year-old Pinkel is resigning at the end of the season after revealing he has lymphoma.

Senior linemen Evan Boehm and Connor McGovern carried Pinkel off the field.

Attendance of 59,575, about 12,000 shy of a sellout, was no doubt held down by the coldest temperature at home under Pinkel — and fourth-coldest in Tennessee history. Perhaps half the crowd had left before the fourth quarter.

Hurd topped his previous career best of 125 yards against South Carolina last season and was the first opponent to gain 100 yards against Missouri by halftime when he had 108 yards on 16 carries. It’s his eighth career 100-yard game, four in each of his two seasons.

Lock was 13 of 30 for 135 yards.

Dobbs broke a few tackles on his touchdown run late in the half that put Tennessee up 16-0. Missouri was held to 62 yards and Lock was sacked twice.

Tennessee had excellent field position in the first quarter, starting no worse than its own 44, and had drives of just 35, 36 and 27 yards while taking a 9-0 lead early in the second quarter on Medley’s three field goals, including a 44-yarder that matched his career best.

Boehm made his 51st consecutive start, setting a school record.

— Associated Press —

WICHITA, Kan. – Mizzou Women’s Basketball (3-0) shot 51 percent (19-for-37) from the field and 84 percent (16-for-19) from the free throw line to earn a 57-37 win at Wichita State on Wednesday evening at Charles Koch Arena.

Sierra Michaelis (Mercer, Mo.) scored a game-high 13 points with four rebounds, two assists and two steals. Michaelis connected on three shots from beyond the 3-point arc. Jordan Frericks (Quincy, Ill.) added 12 points, six rebounds and two assists.

Mizzou limited the Shockers to 30 percent (14-for-46) shooting for the game and 27 percent (6-for-22) from 3-point range. The Tigers began the game on a 10-0 run over the first 7:07, forcing WSU to miss its initial 10 shots.

For the game, Mizzou outscored WSU 24-8 in the paint, 7-0 in second-chance points and 22-11 in bench scoring.

Cierra Porter (Columbia, Mo.) scored 11 points, grabbed four rebounds and made two blocks in 17 minutes of reserve action. Fellow freshman Sophie Cunningham (Columbia, Mo.) finished with 12 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals.

The Tigers return home for a 7 p.m. CT matchup vs. Wake Forest on Sunday evening at Mizzou Arena on SEC Network.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Missouri’s athletic director wouldn’t tip his hand about who might replace retiring football coach Gary Pinkel, but said Houston’s Tom Herman, Memphis’ Justin Fuente and Tigers defensive coordinator Barry Odom are quality candidates.

Mack Rhoades said Wednesday that the decision will come down to finding the right fit.

“I’m not into the hottest names out there,” Rhoades said. “(Herman and Fuente) are certainly two of them, but that doesn’t mean that they’ll automatically come here, be a great fit and win games here. I’m more about winning games, winning championships and finding the coach that can really do that over the long haul.”

Rhoades hired Herman last December at No. 13 Houston, which is 10-0. Memphis was 10-3 last year, won its first bowl game since 2005, and is 8-2 this year. Odom is in his first year as defensive coordinator at Missouri and spent three seasons in the same position at Memphis.

Odom also was on Pinkel’s staff in a variety of roles from 2003-11.

Pinkel will coach his final home game Saturday when Missouri (5-5, 1-1 Southeastern Conference) plays Tennessee (6-4, 3-3). The 63-year-old has been diagnosed with lymphoma and says he wants to get away from the grind of football.

The team is trying to focus on the next games, needing to get to six wins to be bowl eligible.

“I’m worried about these next two games,” wide receiver J’Mon Moore said. “Whatever happens, happens, and we’ll move forward from there.”

Offensive coordinator Josh Henson said he told the players that, “As a staff, we’re going to coach our tail off until the very end.”

Rhoades said he has discussed the future with players.

“The message was, ‘It’s going to be all right.” He plans to sit down individually with each member of the coaching staff, too.

“Certainly, we’re empathetic to what they’re going through,” Rhoades added. “This isn’t an easy time for them.”

Pinkel abruptly announced Friday that he will retire at the end of this season, ending a tenure in which he revived a program that had largely languished for more than a decade.

It was a stunning turn during a most unusual week in Columbia, Missouri, that started with Pinkel’s players on strike because of racial tensions on campus. Pinkel stood by his players and kept his team unified through a couple of difficult days, but his decision to step down had nothing to do with the team’s boycott.

Pinkel is the winningest coach in school history with a 117-71 record over 15 seasons. After winning two straight SEC East titles, Missouri is out of contention this season.

— Associated Press —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Women’s Basketball signed Jordan Roundtree to a National Letter of Intent, it was announced Wednesday. Roundtree is a 5-foot-9 guard from Kirkwood (Mo.) High School in suburban St. Louis.

“Jordan is an incredible athlete,” head coach Robin Pingeton said. “I don’t think she has even come close to reaching her potential. She also can score in a variety of ways and can create havoc on the defensive end.”

Roundtree is ranked a three-star prospect by ProspectsNation.com and is the No. 148 recruit nationally in the Blue Star Report Top 300 rankings for the class of 2016.

Following her junior season at Kirkwood, Roundtree was named first-team All-Suburban XII South Conference after averaging over 14 points per game. She helped led her team to a sectional title and an appearance in the state quarterfinals.

As a sophomore at Parkway West High School in Ballwin, Missouri, Roundtree averaged 16.9 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists.

Roundtree has received St. Louis Post-Dispatch and FOX 2/Arby’s Athlete of the Week recognition in each of the last two seasons.

Her father, Bill, played on the Mizzou Men’s Basketball team from 1982-86. Her mother, Teana, also graduated from Mizzou.

— Mizzou Athletics —

CINCINNATI (AP) — With Missouri clamping down on Xavier’s other forward, senior James Farr got an opening to have his best game.

Farr matched his career high with 15 points as part of his double-double, and Xavier pulled away in the second half to a 78-66 victory over Missouri on Tuesday night, the Tigers’ 16th consecutive loss on the road.

Farr also tied his career high with 14 rebounds as Xavier (2-0) dominated the boards.

“A night like this doesn’t get me hyped up,” Farr said. “I expect this out of myself. Tonight was my night.”

Trevon Bluiett scored 18 points as Xavier had five players in double figures. The Musketeers surged ahead by 15 points in the second half and were never threatened.

“I wanted to come out with a lot of energy,” Bluiett said. “I just going going early and my teammates knew it and they wanted me to fire up the ball.”

The Tigers (2-1) were hoping that their freshman-infused lineup could end that long road losing streak and pull one out in a tough place to win. Xavier is 201-30 at the Cintas Center. The Tigers were playing their third game in five days, coming off wins at home over Wofford and Maryland-Eastern Shore.

The Tigers came up with a plan to neutralize Xavier forward Jalen Reynolds, who went 0 for 2 and had only two rebounds in 15 minutes. They couldn’t handle Farr and Bluiett.

“We eliminated Jalen from scoring a lot of points, but the bad news is James Farr had a big night,” coach Kim Anderson said. “We had worked on some things to try to slow Jalen down. They worked. But obviously James came in and had a great game.”

Cullen VanLeer led the Tigers with 13 points, going 3 of 7 from beyond the arc.

“It wasn’t fatigue,” VanLeer said of the second-half fade. “We just made a couple mental mistakes that cost us points and we couldn’t come back. It was a lesson learned against a good team that will probably make the (NCAA) tournament.”

The Musketeers return three starters from the team that won at Missouri 74-58 last season. After a close, foul-filled first half, the Musketeers took charge and finished with a 40-28 edge in rebounds. They also went 24 of 29 on free throws.

Bluiett hit a pair of 3s, two free throws and a layup during a 16-7 spurt that opened the second half and built the lead to double digits for the first time.

Xavier pulled ahead 19-12 by hitting eight of its first 13 shots, most of them from the perimeter. The Musketeers then missed 13 consecutive shots and had three turnovers, going 7 minutes, 13 seconds without a field goal while the Tigers pulled ahead 25-22.

There were five lead changes in the closing minutes of the half, with Myles Davis’ driving layup helping Xavier hold a 37-36 lead at the break. Bluiett then led the surge that put the Musketeers in control the rest of the way.

—

TIP-INS

Missouri: The Tigers got to the line for only four free throws in the second half.

Xavier: J.P. Macura had 16 points. He tied his career high with 17 points in Xavier’s opening win over Miami (Ohio).

SLOW START

Missouri opened the second half by missing 10 of its first 14 shots and turning the ball over four times, giving Xavier a chance to pull away.

ZONED IN

Xavier played some 1-3-1 zone, a big switch from its customary man-to-man defense, and got the Tigers out of sync.

“The big key was the zone,” Anderson said. “Their zone really affected us. We were prepared, but really we only had a day to prepare. We became kind of individualistic, took some bad shots.”

UP NEXT

Missouri: The Tigers have six days off before facing Kansas State in the CBE Hall of Fame Classic.

Xavier: The Musketeers play their first road game at Michigan on Friday as part of The Gavitt Tipoff.

— Associated Press —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Women’s Basketball guard Sophie Cunningham has been named the Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week, it was announced Tuesday.

Cunningham had the top debut of a freshman during the Robin Pingeton era with 23 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, three steals and a block in the season-opening 71-55 win Friday at Missouri State, the Missouri Valley Conference preseason favorite.

In the second half alone, Cunningham scored 19 points and grabbed four rebounds. Her 3-pointer with 7:42 remaining in the fourth quarter gave Mizzou a 51-50 advantage and a lead that would not be relinquished. From that point, she went on a personal 7-0 run to put the game out of reach. She finished the game 7-for-11 from the field, 2-for-4 from 3-point range and 7-for-8 from the foul line.

Through two collegiate games, Cunningham is averaging 17.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 3.0 steals per game. She is shooting 60 percent (12-for-20) from the floor and 43 percent (3-for-7) from beyond the arc.

Cunningham is the first McDonald’s High School All-American to join the Mizzou Women’s Basketball program. She was ranked the No. 14 recruit in the nation by Blue Star Report and led Rock Bridge High School in Columbia, Missouri, to four state titles during her prep career. She played in the 2015 Jordan Brand Classic and was the 2015 Co-Miss Show-Me Basketball. Cunningham was the Missouri Class 5 Player of the Year as a junior and senior, and also was named the 2014 USA Today Gatorade Missouri Player of the Year.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Women’s Basketball inked Amber Smith to a National Letter of Intent, it was announced Tuesday. Smith is a 5-11 guard from Loyola High School in Shreveport, Louisiana.

“Amber is a very versatile and explosive athlete,” head coach Robin Pingeton said. “She has a scorer’s mentality and the ability to take over games on both the offensive and defensive end.”

Smith enters her senior season as a three-time all-state selection, including first-team honors as a sophomore and junior. She was the district MVP in 2013-14 and is a four-year team captain.

As a junior last season, Smith averaged 20.6 points, 12.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 3.2 blocks per game for a team that advanced to the state playoffs. She broke the school’s scoring record with 41 points in a game and was a Shreveport Times first-team all-city selection. Smith also garnered KSLA News 12 Athlete of the Week honors.

Smith competes in AAU competition for the Louisiana Lightning, one of the top programs in the state.

— MU Sports Information —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Women’s Basketball (2-0) dominated Arkansas-Pine Bluff (0-2) by allowing the least points from an opponent since 2010 in an 85-34 victory Monday evening at Mizzou Arena. Bri Porter (Columbia, Mo.) scored 16 points and grabbed a career-high eight rebounds in 15 minutes of reserve action as five Tigers scored in double figures. Mizzou held a 49-27 rebounding advantage.

“I’m proud of our effort on the boards and really proud of our unselfish play,” head coach Robin Pingeton said. “I thought we had some really good passing and possessions. I am very pleased with what we saw, and we know that the competition is just going to get tougher and tougher.”

Following a back-and-forth first quarter, Mizzou outscored UAPB 31-10 in the second quarter to take a 47-21 lead into halftime. The Tigers continued the stifling defense after the break, recording 19-4 and 19-9 scoring advantages in the third and fourth quarters, respectively.

The 34 points allowed were the least by a Mizzou opponent since a 53-30 defeat over UT Martin on Dec. 7, 2010. The Tigers outscored UAPB 44-10 in the paint, 21-2 off of turnovers, 17-0 in second chance points and 56-4 in bench points. Mizzou grabbed 14 steals, which is two more than any game last season.

Cierra Porter (Columbia, Mo.) finished with 12 points, six rebounds, three assists and two blocks. Sophie Cunningham (Columbia, Mo.) and Jordan Frericks (Quincy, Ill.) both scored 11 points and grabbed six rebounds. Cunningham added three assists and three steals. Kayla McDowell (Cincinnati, Ohio) scored 10 points in 15 minutes of reserve action.

For the game, Mizzou shot 48 percent (32-for-67) from the floor and 74 percent (14-for-19) from the foul line.

The Tigers limited UAPB to 29 percent shooting (15-for-52) from the field and 20 percent (3-for-15) from beyond the arc. Over the final two quarters, the Lady Lions shot only 24 percent (6-for-24) from the floor.

Destiny Brewer led UAPB with 13 points on 5-for-13 shooting from the field and a 2-for-4 mark from 3-point range.

Mizzou travels to Wichita State for a 7:05 p.m. CT tipoff on Wednesday evening. The game can be seen on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app. The Tigers then return home for a 7 p.m. CT matchup vs. Wake Forest on Sunday evening at Mizzou Arena on SEC Network.

— Mizzou Athletics —