Robin Pingeton was clear throughout the season. She didn’t want to think about senior night. She wasn’t ready to talk about the emotions surrounding the end of this season. She wouldn't discuss life after Sophie Cunningham, Cierra Porter and Lauren Aldridge.
Sunday will be the end of an era in Missouri women’s basketball, and there was no time to reflect on the past four years during a hectic season.
Like every coach, Pingeton has been locked into navigating through a tough SEC schedule, with the goal of improving every day. The next opponent is always at the forefront of her mind.
However, time waits for no one. That was the sentiment in Pingeton’s words at Missouri’s media day early Saturday afternoon. The Tigers will honor three of her most important players in less than 24 hours.
“Emotions are high,” Pingeton said. “We haven’t really talked about it as a team. But I know for me personally senior days are always really hard.”
Pingeton remembers recruiting Cunningham and Porter when they were in eighth grade. That relationship grew over their four years at Rock Bridge and then expanded over four years with the Tigers.
“Those two kids got recruited by everyone in the country,” Pingeton said. “They said they wanted to stay home, help build Mizzou women’s basketball and they’ve done exactly that. They’ve put us on the map on a national level.”
Now, the foundation has been laid for Missouri to consistently compete in the SEC. A win on Sunday would be the third straight season with 10 or more SEC victories. Also, the Tigers have won 20 or more games in four straight years for the first time since 1983-1987.
The Columbia duo, with the help of Aldridge after she transferred back from Kansas, has set the tone and records for this program since arriving on campus. Cunningham is the third player in school history to reach 2,000 points and currently third in Missouri history in scoring. Porter is one of nine players in program history to have more than 1,000 points and 700 rebounds. Aldridge set the single-season record for a assist-to-turnover ratio in the 2017-18 season.
Senior Day is always special. This one's probably going to be a little more so.
“When you’ve been with them for this long it’s almost like they grow up in front of your eyes,” Pingeton said. “It’s hard. But, it’s also really exciting. They’ve all three done some incredible things here”
Missouri returned home around 12:45 a.m. Friday morning after a hard-fought victory over Arkansas. Due to the late arrival, Pingeton decided to let the team have Friday off before preparing for Alabama on Saturday.
It was the Tigers' first game without freshman guard Akira Levy, who tore her ACL and meniscus in her right knee on Sunday.
Missouri took advantage of the Razorbacks lack of size in the fourth quarter. Porter had 13 points in the fourth and finished with a season-high 21 points and nine rebounds.
As a team, the Tigers rattled off 36 points in the fourth, the most in a single quarter in school history, and secured the 73-67 win over the Razorbacks.
Missouri takes that momentum into Mizzou Arena against Alabama (13-15, 5-10) looks to build on that for the SEC Tournament. The Tigers are currently fifth in the SEC and one game behind Kentucky for fourth.
Beyond the pre-game ceremonies, Missouri's senior class will have plenty to play for.
