ST. LOUIS (AP) — Sophie Cunningham had 18 points and eight assists, Amber Smith had her third consecutive double-double, and No. 23 Missouri held off Saint Louis for a 74-62 win on Sunday night.
Smith, who has six double-doubles this season, finished with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Emmanuelle Tahane had 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting and Akira Levy scored 11 for Missouri (8-2). The Tigers have won five in a row.
Tahane scored the final five points in the third quarter, Smith hit a 3 to open the fourth and Cunningham scored the final six points in a 14-3 spurt that gave Missouri a 58-47 lead with 7½ minutes to play. Myia Clark’s 3-pointer less than a minute later pulled Saint Louis within six points but the Billikens got no closer.
Jordan Chavis, Smith and Hannah Schuchts each hit a 3-pointer in a 71-second span to make it 17-5 midway through the first quarter, an 8-0 spurt pushed Missouri’s lead to 17 points a couple minutes later and the Tigers led 40-28 at halftime. They missed their first six field-goal attempts, and eight of their first nine, in the third quarter and Saint Louis opened the second half with a 16-4 run to make it 44-all.
