The door to the interview room was closed, but inside the continuous cheering for Mizzou head coach Robin Pingeton was clearly audible. Then seniors Sophie Cunningham and Cierra Porter walked in with smiles on their faces.
Pingeton followed calmly covered in multicolored silly string. The team’s locker room celebration left it everywhere, completely covering her left shoulder and much of her hair.
However, neither the silly string nor the moment fazed Pingeton. She began the press conference like she always does, by thanking Missouri’s fans for an amazing turnout. Then Pingeton transitioned to the importance of the team keeping momentum after defeating No. 18 Texas A&M on Thursday.
It didn’t matter that Missouri just blew out Vanderbilt 69-46 or that she just got her 500th career victory. Pingeton, now one of two active coaches in the SEC to reach the milestone, was as composed as ever after the game.
It was business as usual, a symbol for how humble Pingeton is and how her focus is always on the team instead of personal accolades.
“This is about a lot of people,” Pingeton said. “This isn’t just about me. I mean, are you kidding me? I’ve coached some great players. I’ve had some great assistant coaches. I’ve had some great administrations, great fan bases. This is so much bigger than one person.”
There was obvious emotion behind her words about the win and about the players sitting next to her. Cunningham and Porter were the stars of the game and it was fitting. The two recruits that helped push Missouri women’s basketball to new heights were dominant in the victory.
Cunningham jogged back to Missouri’s bench with a swagger in her step with 5:21 left in the first quarter. Both of her arms were up and three fingers were raised on each hand. They were on fire. The Tigers leading scorer was off to another hot start against Vanderbilt. She was 4-4 from deep and Missouri led 12-2.
That start helped set the tone against the Commodores, but it also meant much more. Cunningham’s shooting made it clear: there was no way Pingeton was leaving Mizzou Arena without the milestone victory. She finished with 27 points and made a season-high seven threes in route to securing the victory.
“We were all focused on getting it for Coach P today,” Cunningham said. “For us to start out strong was huge, but we maintained it. Everyone stepped up… Today was her day.”
Missouri finished the first quarter up by 10 points and didn’t look back. The Tigers never trailed, outscored Vanderbilt in every quarter, and eliminated any chance of a comeback early.
Missouri’s defense held Vanderbilt to 29 percent from the field, 3-11 from three and forced 14 turnovers. However, the most impressive part of the Tigers defense was how well they matched up against redshirt-junior Mariella Fasoula. The 6-foot-5 center was eight in the SEC in scoring and averaged 16.2 points a game before Sunday’s matchup. However, she held to two points against Missouri.
“I felt like she was getting a lot of good looks,” Vanderbilt head coach Stephanie White said. “More looks than I thought she would get based on how Missouri has been playing defensively… She just didn’t knock them down. Her challenge, I think, for the next level for her is to not let it affect everything else."
Fasoula went 1-9 from the field with five rebounds. Also, the Tigers also held starters sophomore Autumn Newby and junior Cierra Walker scoreless. Together, they averaged 19.5 points a game before the loss.
One of the reasons for Fasoula’s struggles was the play of Porter. She was solid defensively and finished with 15 points and 7 rebounds. It was her best offensive game since returning to the team in late December.
“There was a period of time when [Vanderbilt] went small ball and we just exploited that,” Porter said. “Even our guards are bigger. It was a mixture of multiple things, mostly my teammates giving me the ball in good spots.”
Missouri finished with 26 points in the paint, shot 46 percent from the field and 42 percent from three. The Tigers also got a big boost from the bench. The second unit finished with 18 points and was led by junior Jordan Chavis and sophomore Emmanuelle Tahane.
Ultimately the victory over Vanderbilt is small compared to what Pingeton has meant to this team and the program. Five hundred is nice. However, Pingeton values the connections with her players and building athletes for more than just the final scores.
Cunningham and Porter spoke at length about the impact that Pingeton had on their lives outside of basketball, about the emphasis on doing things the right way.
Missouri (18-7, 7-4) travels to No. 6 Mississippi State (22-1, 10-0) on Thursday, Feb 14. The Bulldogs will be the most complete team the Tigers have faced all season and their test against the SEC’s best.
“As soon as this is done and we talk to the alumni, I guarantee we are moving on,” Pingeton said after the game. “We’ve got a big game in front of us. Again, this is just a number. You know, what’s 450 or 510? I get how we can look at it as a milestone, but really, it’s about the journey. There’s a lot of really special relationships and experiences along the way.”
Mississippi State defeated Tennessee 91-63 on Sunday to stay unbeaten in league play. Missouri is fourth, a half game behind Texas A&M at 7-4.
