Missouri State Bears

No. 23 Missouri women hold off Missouri State 69-59 (Nov 19, 2017)

Published Nov. 19, 2017 6:08 p.m. ET

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) Sophie Cunningham scored 26 points with 10-for-14 shooting to lead No. 23 Missouri to a 69-59 win over Missouri State on Sunday.

Amber Smith added 17 points, tying a career best, and Cierra Porter hauled in 12 rebounds for Missouri (3-1), which shot 53 percent from the field to win its third straight.

Missouri pulled away with an 8-0 burst in the fourth quarter to make it 66-56 with just over two minutes to play. Cunningham had a pair of free throws to spark the run and capped it with a jumper.

Liza Fruendt quickly trimmed the gap to 66-59 with a 3-pointer but Missouri State (1-2) was held scoreless over the final 2:05.

Fruendt led Missouri State with 29 points, including five 3-pointers.

The win marked Missouri's fourth in the last five meetings against Missouri State and extended the series advantage to 20-8.

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