Former Missouri women’s basketball star Sophie Cunningham pitched in three points and three rebounds, but the Indiana Fever dropped back below .500 on the season with an 80-61 loss to the Golden State Valkyries on Wednesday in Indianapolis.
It was a historically poor shooting performance for the Fever, who returned All-Star Caitlin Clark after a five-game spell on the sidelines with a groin injury.
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Indianapolis was 30.9% from the field, including a 6-of-27 (22.2%) mark from 3-point range. Cunningham was 1-of-3 on her attempts from behind the arc.
The Mizzou alum played 21 minutes off the bench and had a -18 plus/minus mark — her first game in the negative in her past four games. Cunningham had two turnovers and no assists in the matchup.
Veronica Burton led Golden State with 21 points, eight rebounds, and six assists.
Clark had 10 points, six assists and four turnovers in her return for the Fever, and Kelsey Mitchell led the team with 12 points.
Indiana, which recently won the in-season WNBA Commissioner’s Cup, is now 9-10 on the season. That is good for seventh in the WNBA standings and third in the Eastern Conference, where the Fever are four games back of the New York Liberty.
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Through 15 games at her new team, Cunningham is averaging 5.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 1.0 steals per game. She has shot 32.8% from the field and 30.0% from 3-point range this season.
Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham (8) attempts a basket against Golden State Valkyries guard Kaitlyn Chen (2) on Wednesday, July 9, 2025, during a game between the Indiana Fever and the Golden State Valkyries at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
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.
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Indiana and Cunningham next play the Atlanta Dream at 6:30 p.m. Friday in Indianapolis.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Mizzou alum Sophie Cunningham stats in Fever’s loss to Valkyrie
