No. 17 Missouri women hold off Saint Louis 70-58

Dec 9, 2017, 03:53 am

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Cierra Porter and Sophie Cunningham posted double-doubles and No. 17 Missouri made 9 of 10 free throws in the final 63 seconds to hold off Saint Louis 70-58 on Friday night.

Porter hit 11 of 13 free throws and scored 23 with 18 rebounds, while Cunningham chipped in 15 points and 10 boards for the Tigers (8-1). Amber Smith added 13 points for Missouri, which trailed 41-39 heading into the final quarter.

Jackie Kemph paced the Billikens (4-7) with 18 points and seven assists, while Maddison Gits hit 6 of 7 shots and scored 15 before fouling out. Tara Dusharm contributed 12 points and six rebounds.

Both teams struggled on offense. Missouri hit 20 of 51 shots (39.2 percent) from the floor, but made just two of 22 shots (9.1 percent) from beyond the 3-point arc. Saint Louis made 23 of 61 shots (37.7 percent), but only 2 of 16 (12.5 percent) from long range.

The game was tied at 22 at halftime and it took two Porter free throws with six seconds left in the third quarter to pull the Tigers within 41-39. Missouri took the lead for good on a layup by Smith with 5:05 left in the game. The Tigers outscored Saint Louis 31-17 in the fourth quarter, making 15 of 16 free throws.