Mizzou Women’s Basketball (17-5, 5-4) loss to No. 2 Mississippi State (23-0, 9-0) on Thursday night, 57-53.
Junior guard Sophie Cunningham scored 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the field in 33 minutes of play. Redshirt senior forward Jordan Frericks and sophomore guard Amber Smith grabbed nine boards each, while redshirt junior guard Lauren Aldridge had nine points on a season-high three triples.
Mizzou led by as many as 11 in the first half, but Mississippi State’s defense ramped up in the second half holding the Tigers to six points.
With Mizzou trailing 53-50, Cunningham hit a deep, clutch three-pointer to tie the game with nine seconds left, but Mississippi State’s Victoria Vivians hit jump shot to give the Bulldogs a 55-53 advantage off a timeout with less than three seconds to play. Frericks was called for a charge on the ensuing possession and a pair of Mississippi State free throws put the game out of reach.
The turning point came when Mizzou coach Robin Pingeton was called for a technical foul with 2:38 to play. The Bulldogs hit both free throws to increase their lead to four.
