Poor Second Quarter Dooms Women's Basketball to Loss Against Missouri State

Lady Bears Fall to 0-2 in MVC Play, MSU Improves to 2-0 in Conference

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A cold start from the Lady Bears' offense proved too costly to overcome as they fell to the Missouri State Lady Bears, 97-70, inside JQH Arena on Thursday night. Missouri State (12-7, 2-0 MVC) came out firing on all cylinders offensively, racing out to a 26-11 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Lady Bears (7-12, 0-2 MVC) shot just 5-of-22 (22.7 percent) from the field in the opening frame. Junior guard Brice Calip registered a team-high 26 points for Missouri State, while senior guard Emily Gartner added 18 points and eight assists. Junior guard Jasmine Franklin led the way for Missouri State with 21 points, followed by junior forward Abby Hipp with 16 points and sophomore guard Sydney Wilson with 13 points. Missouri State pushed their lead to 46-24 at the break, holding Missouri State to just 27 percent shooting from the field and forcing the Lady Bears into 13 turnovers. The Lady Bears did improve their shooting in the second half, shooting 42.9 percent from the field in the third and fourth quarters, but it wasn't enough to overcome the large deficit. Missouri State also won the battle on the boards, outrebounding the Lady Bears 42-29. The loss drops Missouri State to 0-2 in MVC play, while MSU improves to 2-0 in conference. The Lady Bears will return to action on Sunday, January 8th, when they travel to Carbondale, Illinois, to take on the Southern Illinois Salukis. Tip-off is set for 2 pm CT.