No. 4 Gamecocks Fall To No. 15 Missouri 83-74 Sunday
Jan. 07, 2018
#15/15 Missouri 83, #4/5 South Carolina 74
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) – Sophie Cunningham was too much for South Carolina to handle for the second straight year, scoring 27 points to lead No. 15 Missouri to an 83-74 victory over the fourth-ranked Gamecocks on Sunday.
Cunningham, who suffered a right knee sprain last week and sat out Missouri’s loss to LSU on Thursday, returned with a knee brace but showed no ill effects. She made 9 of 10 shots from the field and had seven assists and six rebounds.
Last year, Cunningham scored 26 points and hit the winning shot in Missouri’s home victory over the eventual national champions.
The Tigers (14-2, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) shot 56.3 percent from the field and 61.5 percent from 3-point range. Amber Smith had 20 points and 12 rebounds.
Bianca Jackson and Tyasha Harris led the Gamecocks (13-2, 2-1) with 14 points each.
South Carolina was hit with four offensive fouls in the first four minutes, with star forward A’ja Wilson drawing two of them. Missouri led 35-29 at halftime.
Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley was ejected with 2:56 remaining in the game after being hit with her second technical foul. The ejection followed Wilson’s fifth foul, with Missouri leading 69-60. Staley waved to the cheering Missouri crowd as she left the court.
NOTABLE
- The Gamecocks were outscored in the paint (34-28) for just the second time this season in the loss to Missouri.
- Redshirt junior forward Alexis Jennings has reached double figures in four of Carolina’s five contests against ranked foes this season. She netted 11 points against the No. 15/15 Tigers on 4-of-6 shooting.
- Gamecock sophomore forward Mikiah Herbert Harrigan registered 11 points to post a double-digit scoring effort for the fifth time this season.
- Carolina sophomore guard Tyasha Harris boasted team highs in points (14) and assists (10) en route to a double-double against the Tigers. She has led the Gamecocks in assists in 12 of the team’s 15 games this season.
GAMECHANGER
Missouri built its largest lead of the game midway through the fourth quarter, pushing the advantage to 14 following a jumper by sophomore guard Jordan Chavis. The Tigers remained in front by double-digits for most of the final stretch of the contest.
KEY STAT
The Tigers were efficient from beyond the arc in Sunday’s win, shooting 61.5 percent (8-of-13) from the 3-point line. Missouri’s eight 3-pointers equaled the most for a Gamecock opponent this season.
UP NEXT
The Gamecocks open a two-game homestand on Thu., Jan. 11, when they host Auburn at Colonial Life Arena. Tipoff against the Tigers is set for 7 p.m. ET, and the contest can be seen on SEC Network+.
