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Editor's note: Charlie Creme, Graham Hays and Mechelle Voepel each vote to determine espnW's national player of the week, which is awarded every week of the women's college basketball season. COLUMBIA, Mo. -- In the aftermath of Missouri's 62-60 upset of No. 6 South Carolina on Sunday, the immediate and extended Cunningham family kept the celebration going with some postgame tailgating outside Mizzou Arena. There was a lot to celebrate, of course, including the Tigers already securing a winning record in the SEC with two regular-season games remaining. But there was also another reason why the Cunninghams were still hanging around long after the game was over: A lengthy line of autograph-seekers kept sophomore Sophie Cunningham busy for quite a while. That's nothing unusual for the hometown hero out of Columbia Rock Bridge High School. But it was even more the case Sunday. Cunningham got the winning basket with six-tenths of a second left, the last of her 26 points. She also had seven rebounds and five assists. And in the Tigers' 74-67 victory at Florida on Thursday, she had 28 points, six rebounds and two assists. It all added up to Cunningham, a 6-foot-1 guard, being named the espnW national player of the week. "Shout-out to this team, our program and our fans," Cunningham said of the 5,789 in attendance Sunday. "That's such an awesome environment. Just to have that feeling afterward was something I'll never forget." The Tigers are 19-9 overall and 9-5 in the SEC, the first time they are guaranteed a winning league mark since Missouri joined the conference in 2012-13. Cunningham, who was the SEC freshman of the year last season, grew up in Columbia, as did her sister, Tigers' senior Lindsey Cunningham. They've followed their parents, aunt, uncle and grandfather as Mizzou athletes. Lindsey Cunningham was limited to 15 minutes Sunday as she was injured during the game, but Sophie played 35 minutes. And she was especially energized in the second half, scoring 20 points after the break. Of the winning basket, she said, "I was supposed to get a screen, but I ended up with two or three people on me. I gave it to [Lianna] Doty, and Doty got it right back out to me. I drove, and I saw [South Carolina's A'ja] Wilson there, and I was like, 'Oh.' So then, pass-fake and laid it up at the rim. It was a cool play." Cunningham is averaging 17.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists for the Tigers. "She's mature beyond her years in regard to doing what she's doing as a sophomore," Mizzou coach Robin Pingeton said of Cunningham. "You've got to acknowledge what a special player Sophie is. She's such a hard guard because she's physical, she's strong, she can post up, she can create off the bounce, she can shoot the 3. "And probably the coolest trait about Sophie is she's one of the most unselfish players that you'd ever want to have on your team. She's got great court vision. She does a little bit of everything." If there was something Cunningham wanted to improve on this season, it was making sure that her emotions don't get the best of her. She competes with a great deal of passion, but knows the importance of not letting that overtake her. "I had to mature from last year, because I do play with a lot of emotion," Cunningham said. "I have to be that calm factor in certain situations, too. When that happens, I am just focused on what I need to do. I think I'm more dialed in this year." Also considered: Aliyah Gregory, UCF; Tori Jankoska, Michigan State Previous winners: Notre Dame's Ogunbowale (Nov. 21) | Virginia Tech's Hicks (Nov. 28) | Duke's Greenwell (Dec. 5) | UConn's Williams (Dec. 12) | Temple's Fitzgerald (Dec. 19) | Cal's Anigwe (Dec. 26) | South Dakota's Arens (Jan. 2) | Washington's Plum (Jan. 9) | Maryland's Jones (Jan. 16) | UConn's Samuelson (Jan. 23) | Washington's Plum (Jan. 30) | Georgia's Robinson (Feb. 6) | Texas' Holmes (Feb. 12)
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