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| Missouri State Lady Bears (18-7, 12-4 MVC) vs. Bradley Braves (6-21, 2-14 MVC) | |
| Date and Time | Thursday, February 29 | 6:30 p.m. |
| Location | Great Southern Bank Arena | Springfield, Mo. |
| Tickets | Tickets |
| TV | ESPN+ (Don West, Carly Stubblefield) | Watch |
| Radio | KWTO 93.3 FM (Tom Ladd, Lynne Miller) | Listen Live | Varsity Network |
| Live Stats | Live Stats |
| Promotions | Black History Month Celebration | 2023-24 Promo Calendar |
| Missouri State | Game Notes | Women’s Basketball Home Page |
| Bradley | Women’s Basketball Home Page |
| Bears Mobile App | App Store (Apple Devices) | Google Play Store (Android Devices) |
| Up Next | Saturday, March 2 vs. Illinois State | 2:00 p.m. | Tickets |
Accessibility
Missouri State University is committed to providing an accessible and supportive environment for those with disabilities. To request reasonable disability accommodations, contact the Deputy Compliance Officer at (417) 836-6755 or DeputyComplianceOfficer@MissouriState.edu.
The Lady Bear Necessities
- Missouri State women’s basketball continues its final home stand with a visit from Bradley for a Thursday night (6:30 p.m.) Missouri Valley Conference matchup. MSU leads the all-time series against Bradley 66-25 and the Lady Bears have won the last 15 games in the series.
- The Lady Bears are coming off a dominant defense performance in a 77-42 win over Southern Illinois. In the 35-point victory, Missouri State held SIU to .277 (13-47) from the field, owned a 41-20 rebounding advantage and limited the Salukis to their lowest point total of the season.
- MSU is 12-1 at home this season and ranks 3rd in The Valley in average home attendance (2,295). At Great Southern Bank Arena, the Lady Bears are scoring 71.6 points/game and are holding opponents to just 60.0 points/game. MSU is also limiting its foes to 9.5 assists/game while forcing 18.2 turnovers/ game in front of its home crowd.
- In the Beth Cunningham era, the Lady Bears are 24-3 when scoring 70+ points. Under Cunningham, Missouri State is 28-0 when allowing 65 points or less and 35-4 when holding opponents to 70 points or less.
- Defense and rebounding have been vital to the Lady Bears’ success this season. Missouri State ranks second in The Valley in scoring defense, holding opponents to 63.8 points/game. The Lady Bears rank first in the MVC in rebounding defense (30.2) and second in rebounding margin (+6.1), which trails only first-place Drake.
- Point guard Lacy Stokes has been named MVC Newcomer of the Week seven times this season.
- MSU is 15-1 this season when winning the battle on the boards, 16-2 when owning more assists than its opponents and is undefeated at 8-0 when knocking down more free throws than its competition.
- After finishing last season ranked 251st nationally in three-point percentage (.292), the Lady Bears have found success from behind the arc this season. Missouri State currently ranks 51st nationally and second in The Valley, shooting at a .348 (129-371) clip from three-point range.
- Three Lady Bears average double-figure points this season for MSU – Lacy Stokes (11.0), Kennedy Taylor (10.7) and Indya Green (10.0). Stokes also leads MSU with 112 assists and 50 steals on the year, while Taylor leads the team in double-figure point games (16), double-figure rebound games (6) and double-doubles (6) this season. In MVC games, Taylor is 3rd in the MVC in FG% (.542). Green is tied for the team lead with 104 def. rebounds and is one of two Lady Bears to start every game this season.
The Series
Missouri State leads the all-time series against Bradley, 66-25, including a 37-10 record at home. The Lady Bears have won the last 15 meetings against the Braves, with their last loss in the series coming on Feb. 17, 2017 on the road.
MSU and Bradley faced off three times last season with Missouri State winning all three contests. In last year’s meeting in Springfield, MSU won 87-54 behind career days from mulitple Lady Bears. Kennedy Taylor paced MSU after tying her career high with 23 points and and setting a then-personal best with 10 made field goals, while Paige Rocca and Jade Masogayo dished out career highs in assists with six and five, respectively.
In their previous meeting this season in Peoria, 12 different Lady Bears scored points in a dominating 28-point victory. Indya Green led the way with 21 points on 9-for-12 shooting as three other Lady Bears joined her in double figures in Kyrah Daniels (15), Rocca (13) and Louis Volker (12). The MSU freshman shined with Volker setting a career high in scoring, Daniels tying her then-career high in points and Kaemyn Bekemeier contributing a career high in steals (4) and assists (3).
A Lady Bear Win Would…
- Mark MSU’s 16th consecutive win in the series.
- Keep Missouri State inside the top three of the MVC standings.
- Move the Lady Bears to 13-1 at home this season.
