Career turning point: “When I started knocking down my three’s, it just felt right”: How Sophie Cunningham’s 42-point night at Missouri changed the course of her career forever

Sophie Cunningham had already made plenty of noise before she ever played a college game. The Columbia, Missouri, native was a four-time state champion at Rock Bridge and one of the country's most respected high school recruits. She knew what it felt like to carry expectations. What she did not know yet was how quickly she could make the jump to college basketball. That answer came much sooner than anyone expected.Just four games into her freshman season at Missouri, Cunningham went off against Wake Forest for 42 points. She shot 13-of-18 from the floor, knocked down six threes and added eight rebounds, four assists and three steals. More importantly, she broke a Missouri scoring record that had stood since 1986. She did not even know she was closing in on the record. She was simply playing, finding her rhythm and taking the shots that were there. That night changed the way Missouri saw its freshman and became the first major step toward the career she would eventually build. Why was the Wake Forest game the turning point in Sophie Cunningham’s career?There was already plenty to like about Cunningham when she arrived at Missouri. She was not some overlooked recruit who suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Her high school career had made sure of that. At Rock Bridge High School, she helped win four consecutive Missouri Class 5 state championships and finished with 1,983 career points. She earned the 2014 USA Today Gatorade Missouri Girls Basketball Player of the Year award and later played in the McDonald's All-American Game.Still, none of that told Missouri exactly what it had in her. High school success can create expectations, but college basketball is where those expectations have to be tested. Cunningham had to adjust to bigger, stronger defenders and a faster game while learning how to play alongside experienced college players.She had only three games to begin that adjustment before Wake Forest came to town.The game quickly turned into Cunningham's night. She scored 25 points in the first half and went 9-of-10 from the field during those opening 20 minutes. Four of her five three-point attempts went in before halftime. She kept attacking after the break and finished with 42 points in Missouri's 94-81 victory.The number immediately stood out. Forty-two points meant Cunningham had broken Missouri's single-game scoring record. The previous mark was 41, set by Renee Kelly in 1986. Cunningham had surpassed it less than a month into her college career.What makes the moment more convincing as a turning point is what Cunningham said afterward. She was not talking about making history or trying to establish herself as Missouri's next star. She was talking about winning.“Honestly, when I’m playing out there on the court I don’t think about that kind of stuff. I’m just trying to do what it takes to win, and my teammates did a great job of getting me the ball when I needed it and setting me up for screens and stuff, so really props to them for getting me the ball last night,” Cunningham said.That was Cunningham's first major college statement, even if she did not treat it that way. She had shown she could take over a game without getting caught up in the moment. Missouri had a freshman who could score in bunches, handle pressure and still keep her attention on the team. That was a pretty important discovery.How did Sophie Cunningham’s breakout performance change her path at Missouri?The Wake Forest game would have been a fun story even if Cunningham had never reached the same level again. A freshman scoring 42 points and breaking a decades-old record is memorable on its own. But Cunningham made sure it was not a one-night thing.She finished her freshman season averaging 14.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. She shot 50.2% from the field and earned SEC Freshman of the Year honors. Suddenly, the expectations surrounding her were no longer based only on what she had done at Rock Bridge. Now there was college production to support them.The three-point shooting from the Wake Forest game also became an important part of her identity. Cunningham had found something that night, and she knew exactly when it started clicking.“When I started knocking down my three’s, it just felt right,” Cunningham said.She added that she did not realize how many points she had scored during the game and did not even know she was approaching the record. That detail says a lot about how naturally the night unfolded. She was not hunting for 42. She was simply playing with confidence, and once the shots started dropping, Wake Forest struggled to slow her down.There was another layer to the performance, too. Cunningham was dealing with an ankle issue, but she continued to compete through the physical game. Missouri coach Robin Pingeton praised her toughness and competitiveness afterward. For a freshman, that mattered. She was beginning to show that she could contribute even when everything was not comfortable.From there, Cunningham's role at Missouri only grew.She became a three-time All-SEC First Team selection and finished her college career with 2,187 points. That made her Missouri's all-time leading scorer. She also finished with 706 made field goals, 238 three-pointers, 537 free throws and 390 assists. Missouri reached the NCAA Tournament in all four of her seasons.Those achievements put the Wake Forest performance into a different context. It was not the best game of a player whose career eventually faded. It was the opening chapter of a much bigger rise.Her senior season showed just how much her game had expanded. Cunningham became the only player in the country that season to average at least 17 points, 200 rebounds, 80 three-pointers and 150 free throws. The player who had first turned heads with a scoring explosion had developed into a much more complete offensive weapon.The record against Wake Forest was still there, sitting at the start of it all. What did her early success eventually mean for her WNBA career?By the time Sophie Cunningham left Missouri, she had gone from highly rated recruit to program legend. The next question was whether that success could translate to the professional level.The Phoenix Mercury gave her that opportunity when they selected her 13th overall in the 2019 WNBA Draft. Her role changed almost immediately. At Missouri, Cunningham had been one of the team's primary scoring options. In the WNBA, she had to learn how to make an impact without needing the ball in her hands all the time.That adjustment became an important part of her professional development. Her shooting remained valuable, but she also brought physicality, energy and the willingness to do the less glamorous work. She spent her first six WNBA seasons with Phoenix and gradually became a dependable veteran presence.Her move to Indiana opened another chapter. Cunningham joined the Fever in January 2025 as part of a four-team trade and became a useful piece of the rotation. She helped Indiana win the 2025 Commissioner's Cup and scored 13 points in the championship game.The setting was very different from that night against Wake Forest, but some things had not changed. Cunningham was still the player who wanted to compete, take open shots and do whatever the team needed.That mindset was already visible after her record-breaking freshman performance. Instead of making the night about herself, Cunningham talked about what Missouri could accomplish together.“This year is going to be outstanding. We have very versatile players here. We have all the puzzle pieces we need and so if we can just put that puzzle together it’s going to be a huge year for Mizzou women’s basketball,” she said.The quote feels different when viewed with the benefit of hindsight. Cunningham was still only a freshman, but she was already thinking beyond one performance. She wanted the record to mean something for the team, not simply for herself.That is ultimately why the Wake Forest game stands out as the real turning point in her early career. It did not magically turn Cunningham into a WNBA player. Her later success came from years of development, consistency and adapting to different roles. But the 42-point night gave her the first undeniable proof that she could take her game to another level.She arrived at Missouri as a decorated high school player with a lot to prove. Four games later, she owned a school scoring record.The record eventually became just one line in a much longer resume. Cunningham went on to become Missouri's all-time leading scorer, a WNBA draft pick and a veteran capable of contributing in different roles.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.