In front of 11,092 fans, a new record attendance. Final score was 77-73, and man was it a game. Tigers went up early in the first half, suffered way too many turnovers, but came out on top in the end. Make no mistake: this was a HUGE win, not only for rankings, but for seeding in the SEC Tournament and a double-bye. Missouri should feel very good about this win, even with the mistakes.
Sophie Cunningham should feel great, too: 32 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists. Jordan Frericks added 16 points and 7 rebounds of her own. She's now 5 boards away from 1,000.
I will have post-game quotes here, from both Tennessee and Missouri.
UT's Jaime Nared on Cunningham: "She hit threes and made free throws. That's what you have to do, and she did it."
Nared said Vols didn't run their offense well all game. Says fatigue is just an excuse.
Nared: "It's easy to get down on yourself if you don't play well as a team. But we just have to get back to work. We know we're a good team. We just have to clean up the little things."
Nared on the Mizzou Arena crowd: "I love that people are supporting women's basketball like this. It's hard to call plays, and it definitely plays to the home team advantage."
I think Tennessee will figure it out. They'll be a tough team to play come the postseason.
UT head coach Holly Warlick: "What a wonderful atmosphere. I hate it for our kids, but we're going to learn from it."
Warlick on Cunningham: "She's a competitor. She plays every possession all out. She loves the game, and you can tell. Someone who stands, they're easy to guard. But she never stops moving. The team looks for her, and she responds, so hats off to her."
Warlick: "We just need a little consistency with our game, and we just need to play hard. Your talent does do anything if you don't play hard."
Warlick on SEC play: "This is a hard league. You cannot rest anybody; it's a grind. That's what you love about it. It's a grind. That's why we should have every team go to the NCAA Tournament."
Warlick on Pingeton: "A couple of years ago, they were having a tough time, and I was like, 'You're going to be ok.' Now she has players who go to battle for her. The women's game is fun to watch. People here have recognized that this team is something special, and you need to come watch it. They're 22-5. Why wouldn't you come watch?"
Robin Pingeton, Cierra Porter and Sophie Cunningham now talking.
RP: "I found myself really emotional coming out of that tunnel and seeing all those people cheering for us."
Cunningham: "This is why (Cierra Porter) and I came here, to get this environment. This was my dream to come running out of the tunnel to all those fans."
RP on Frericks' foul with .7 seconds: "Worst-case scenario was that we were going to OT. I just felt good about our team the entire game. We played to win, not to lose."
Cunningham said she had no idea it was the fourth quarter when it was. "I was like, 'Oh my gosh, we have 10 minutes left, we have to get it together!' I just wanted to win for the seniors, who have never beat Tennessee. If I need to get to the rim, I would get to the rim."
Sophie Cunningham should feel great, too: 32 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists. Jordan Frericks added 16 points and 7 rebounds of her own. She's now 5 boards away from 1,000.
I will have post-game quotes here, from both Tennessee and Missouri.
UT's Jaime Nared on Cunningham: "She hit threes and made free throws. That's what you have to do, and she did it."
Nared said Vols didn't run their offense well all game. Says fatigue is just an excuse.
Nared: "It's easy to get down on yourself if you don't play well as a team. But we just have to get back to work. We know we're a good team. We just have to clean up the little things."
Nared on the Mizzou Arena crowd: "I love that people are supporting women's basketball like this. It's hard to call plays, and it definitely plays to the home team advantage."
I think Tennessee will figure it out. They'll be a tough team to play come the postseason.
UT head coach Holly Warlick: "What a wonderful atmosphere. I hate it for our kids, but we're going to learn from it."
Warlick on Cunningham: "She's a competitor. She plays every possession all out. She loves the game, and you can tell. Someone who stands, they're easy to guard. But she never stops moving. The team looks for her, and she responds, so hats off to her."
Warlick: "We just need a little consistency with our game, and we just need to play hard. Your talent does do anything if you don't play hard."
Warlick on SEC play: "This is a hard league. You cannot rest anybody; it's a grind. That's what you love about it. It's a grind. That's why we should have every team go to the NCAA Tournament."
Warlick on Pingeton: "A couple of years ago, they were having a tough time, and I was like, 'You're going to be ok.' Now she has players who go to battle for her. The women's game is fun to watch. People here have recognized that this team is something special, and you need to come watch it. They're 22-5. Why wouldn't you come watch?"
Robin Pingeton, Cierra Porter and Sophie Cunningham now talking.
RP: "I found myself really emotional coming out of that tunnel and seeing all those people cheering for us."
Cunningham: "This is why (Cierra Porter) and I came here, to get this environment. This was my dream to come running out of the tunnel to all those fans."
RP on Frericks' foul with .7 seconds: "Worst-case scenario was that we were going to OT. I just felt good about our team the entire game. We played to win, not to lose."
Cunningham said she had no idea it was the fourth quarter when it was. "I was like, 'Oh my gosh, we have 10 minutes left, we have to get it together!' I just wanted to win for the seniors, who have never beat Tennessee. If I need to get to the rim, I would get to the rim."
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