COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Sophie Cunningham scored 18 of her 22 points in the final 15 minutes and No. 24 Missouri held off No. 7 Mississippi State 66-54 on Thursday night.
Missouri (15-2, 2-2 Southeastern Conference) scored on 11 of 14 first-quarter possessions to take a 23-11 lead en route to its first victory over a ranked opponent this season.
The Tigers made 10 of 15 field-goal attempts in the first quarter, and three of those misses were collected for offensive rebounds and turned into second-chance points.
Victoria Vivians led Mississippi State (16-2, 3-1) with 19 points.