Former Missouri women’s basketball star Sophie Cunningham shined in her return to Phoenix, but the Indiana Fever lost to the Mercury.
Former Missouri women’s basketball star Sophie Cunningham was a bright spot in her return to her former home, but the Indiana Fever couldn’t use her team-leading 18 points to knock off the Phoenix Mercury in a 95-60 loss Thursday night in Phoenix.
Cunningham, who was traded to the Fever from Phoenix over the offseason, was 6-of-9 from the field and scored on her only free throw attempt as she scored her season-high points total.
She fell just one 3-pointer shy of her career-high of six triples in a game with a 5-of-8 mark from 3-point range. Other than Cunningham, the Fever shot 2-of-22 (9%) from 3-point range in the loss.
Cunningham spent the first six seasons of her WNBA career with Phoenix.
The Mercury were led by an 18-point, 11-rebound, 10-assist triple-double from All-Star Alyssa Thomas.
five triples and a new season-high 18 points and counting for Sophie Cunningham 😤 pic.twitter.com/cEYrISOS0s
— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) August 8, 2025
Sophie Cunningham: 3-for-3 from three in Q2 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/AsY8KjXTbw
— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) August 8, 2025
Cunningham, a Columbia local and Rock Bridge grad, also had two assists, two rebounds and four turnovers in the loss. She recorded an -14 plus/minus during her 26 minutes on the floor.
The Fever, who again were playing without an injured Caitlin Clark, have now lost two straight games. Indiana had previously been on a five-game winning streak.
Indiana point guard Sydney Colson left the game with a leg injury in the first quarter of the loss. No other Fever players scored in double-digits. Kelsey Mitchell had nine points, Natasha Howard put up seven and both Aliyah Boston and Aari McDonald scored four points.
The Fever are fifth place in the WNBA standings and 8.5 games behind the league-leading Minnesota Lynx. Indiana is currently third in the Eastern Conference standings, three games back of the New York Liberty.
Entering the matchup, Cunningham was averaging 8.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.0 steal per game this season.
Earlier this year, Cunningham was announced as a member of Missouri athletics’ 2025 Hall of Fame Class. The Rock Bridge High grad is the all-time leading scorer for Mizzou women’s basketball with 2,187 points. The Tigers have not been to the NCAA Tournament since Cunningham graduated in 2019.
Indiana and Cunningham next face the Chicago Sky at 7 p.m. Saturday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Missouri alum Sophie Cunningham stats in Indiana Fever loss to Mercury
Category: General Sports
