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Phoenix Mercury star Sophie Cunningham was hyped after her alma mater Missouri Tigers stunned the No. 10 Kansas Jayhawks on Sunday night. The Tigers outlasted their Border War rivals 76-67 at the Mizzou Arena in Colombia to improve to 8-1 for the season.
In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Cunningham expressed her joy after Tamar Bates led the Tigers to victory. Bates finished with 29 points as Missouri prevented a Kansas comeback. Mark Mitchell contributed 17 points, while Anthony Robinson II added 11 points and four rebounds.
"WE ARE BACK BABY! SO BACK! MIZ🐯🐯🐯🐯," Cunningham tweeted.
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The Border War has historic roots from the Civil War and began play in 1891 in football. It has become a rivalry in all sports programs under the Missouri and Kansas banner. The Jayhawks have historically dominated the Tigers and are ahead 176-96.
Sophie Cunningham was born and raised in Missouri
Sophie Cunningham was born and raised in Missouri. Cunningham is from Columbia and went to Rock Bridge High School. She then played four seasons for the Tigers from 2015 to 2019.
Cunningham was phenomenal for the Tigers, averaging 17.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.0 steals per game in her college career. Missouri made the NCAA tournament in her four seasons there, reaching the second round three times.
At the end of her collegiate career, Cunningham was the Tigers' all-time leader in points and free throws made. She was also second in 3-point shots made, 3-point percentage, second in free throw percentage and fourth in assists. She went down as one of the greatest women's basketball players in the program's history.
The Phoenix Mercury selected her in the second round of the 2019 WNBA Draft. She had her best season in 2022 and has remained an integral part of the Mercury either as a starter or as a player off the bench.
Sophie Cunningham grew up on a farm
Speaking to CBS News before the 2019 WNBA Draft, Cunningham explained what it was like to grow up on a farm and how her family supported her love for basketball.
"I have a mammoth donkey and a lot of people think that's kind of weird," Cunningham said. "I'm blessed to be here and I gotta thank God for that. My sister has been such a huge inspiration to me. My mom and my dad and my extended family have been a great support system as well."
Cunningham has not revealed her offseason plans although she has not played overseas since 2020. She's also not part of the upcoming Unrivaled league that is set to start in January.
