Mizzou’s Sophie Cunningham makes All-America third team one week before WNBA Draft
Even though her career has been over for almost two weeks, Sophie Cunningham is still making history for Missouri’s women’s basketball program.
On Monday, Cunningham became the first Missouri women’s player to make an All-American team, as she was chosen to third team by the Associated Press along with Baylor’s Lauren Cox, Connecticut’s Katie Lou Samuelson and Notre Dame’s Jessica Shepard and Jackie Young.
Cunningham received All-America honorable mention after her sophomore and junior years, but didn’t land on one of three five-player teams until her senior season. For the year, Cunningham averaged 17.8 points, a career-high 5.9 rebounds per game as she became the program’s career leading scorer and led MU to its fourth straight NCAA Tournament appearance. Missouri lost to Iowa in the round of 32, making the Sweet 16 the lone accomplishment Cunningham failed to achieve during her decorated four-year career.
During the Final Four in Minneapolis this weekend, Cunningham will participate in the three-point contest alongside Kentucky’s Maci Morris among others. Cunningham shot 40% from three-point territory for her career.
The 6-foot-1 guard then turns her attention to the WNBA Draft, which will be held on Wednesday April 10, in New York. Cunningham is on the line of being a first-round pick and might need prospects like Young, a junior who is draft eligible, to stay in school another year to be considered a lock for the first round.
Should she go in the first two rounds, Cunningham would be the highest MU player ever taken in the WNBA Draft.
2018 WOMEN’S AP ALL-AMERICA TEAM
Statistics through March 11
First Team
Napheesa Collier, UConn, 6-1, senior, O’Fallon, Mo., 20.9 ppg, 10.5 rpg, 3.5 apg, 61.4 fg pct (27 of 28 first-place votes, 138 points)
Megan Gustafson, Iowa, 6-3, senior, Port Wing, Wis., 28.0 ppg, 13.3 rpg, 69.6 fg pct, 1.8 blocks (26, 136)
Sabrina Ionescu, Oregon, 5-11, junior, Walnut Creek, Calif., 19.6 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 8.1 apg, 42.3 3-pt fg pct, (26, 136)
Asia Durr, Louisville, 5-10, senior, Douglasville, Ga., 21.3 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 3.2 apg, 1.6 steals (25, 134)
Teaira McCowan, Mississippi State, 6-7, senior, Brenham, Texas, 17.8 ppg, 13.5 rpg, 65.5 fg pct, 2.4 blocks (20, 124)
Second Team
Arike Ogunbowale, Notre Dame, 5-8, senior, Milwaukee, 21.0 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 3.9 apg, 1.9 steals (4, 87)
Kalani Brown, Baylor, 6-7, senior, Slidell, La., 15.7 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 62.3 fg pct, 1.5 blocks (3, 81)
Kristine Anigwe, California, 6-4, senior, Phoenix, 22.9 ppg, 16.3 rpg, 51.9 fg pct, 1.8 blocks (5, 76)
Alanna Smith, Stanford, 6-3, senior, Melbourne, Australia, 19.6 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 2.4 blocks (0, 68)
Bridget Carleton, Iowa State, 6-1, senior, Chatham, Ontario, 21.4 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 4.1 apg, 84.8 ft pct (0, 60)
Third Team
Katie Lou Samuelson, UConn, 6-3, senior, Huntington Beach, Calif., 18.9 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 88.1 ft pct (0, 58)
Jessica Shepard, Notre Dame, 6-4, senior, Fremont, Neb., 16.5 ppg, 9.9 rpg, 60.8 fg pct (2, 29)
Lauren Cox, Baylor, 6-4, junior, Flower Mound, Texas, 12.6 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 50.5 fg pct, 2.5 blocks (1, 29)
Sophie Cunningham, Missouri, 6-1, senior, Columbia, Mo. 18.0 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 2.8 apg (0, 21)
Jackie Young, Notre Dame, 6-0, junior, Princeton, Ind., 14.8 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 5.3 apg, 55.4 fg pct (1, 15)
Honorable Mention (alphabetical order): Bella Alarie, Princeton; Chastadie Barrs, Lamar; Kenisha Bell, Minnesota; Chennedy Carter, Texas A&M; Kaila Charles, Maryland; Crystal Dangerfield, UConn; Cierra Dillard, Buffalo; Reyna Frost, Central Michigan; Ae’rianna Harris, Purdue; Ruthy Hebard, Oregon; Natisha Hiedeman, Marquette; Jazzmun Holmes, Mississippi State; Anriel Howard, Mississippi State; Kiara Leslie, N.C. State; Tiana Mangakahia, Syracuse; Aari McDonald, Arizona; Beatrice Mompremier, Miami; Destiny Slocum, Oregon State.
This story was originally published April 1, 2019 at 1:58 PM with the headline "Mizzou’s Sophie Cunningham makes All-America third team one week before WNBA Draft."