Sophie Cunningham (photo/Mizzou Athletics)
Freshman guard Sophie Cunningham (Columbia, Mo.) was named Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week for the third time in four weeks, it was announced Tuesday. Cunningham averaged 19.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.0 block per game in victories over Loyola Marymount on Dec. 7 and Southeast Missouri on Dec. 2. For the week, she shot 71 percent (15-for-21) from the floor, 67 percent (4-for-6) from 3-point range and was a perfect 4-for-4 from the foul line.
In Monday’s 80-48 win over LMU, Cunningham scored a game-high 23 points, grabbed five rebounds, tied a career-high with three steals and dished out two assists in 22 minutes. She was 9-of-11 (82 percent) from the floor and a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the 3-point arc to record the highest single-game shooting percentage of her young career. She did not play in the fourth quarter as the game was out of reach. The 23 points tied the second-highest point total of her freshman season.
During the 74-32 win over SEMO on Wednesday, Cunningham scored 15 points, pulled down six rebounds and notched three assists in 22 minutes played. She added a block and steal against the Redhawks.
Through nine career games, Cunningham leads the team with 16.0 points, 3.4 assists and 1.7 steals per game in addition to averaging 5.6 rebounds each contest. In a 94-81 victory vs. Wake Forest on Nov. 22, she set a new school record with 42 points, topping the previous mark of 41 by Renee Kelly that stood for nearly 30 years.