Lady Bears Unveil Non-Conference Schedule

SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State women’s basketball head coach Beth Cunningham announced today the Lady Bears’ 11-game non-conference slate, which features seven postseason teams from a season ago.
 
“This season’s non-conference schedule presents an exciting challenge for our team that will get us prepared for our final year in The Valley,” said Cunningham. “It’s been a priority for us to maintain regional rivalries and to compete against programs with postseason experience. Additionally, we’re thrilled for the opportunity to participate in such an elite MTE as the Paradise Jam.”
 
The Lady Bears will open the 2024-25 season at home against Tulsa on Sunday, Nov. 10. The Golden Hurricane went 25-10 overall last season, including a 13-5 ledger in the American Athletic Conference. Tulsa earned a spot in the inaugural Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament, collecting wins over Arkansas and Georgetown before falling to the eventual champion Illinois in the quarterfinals, 69-61. The two teams will meet for the 16^th time as MSU owns the series advantage, 8-7, including a 7-2 record in Springfield.
 
Missouri State hits the road for the first time with a trip to Wichita State on Wednesday, Nov. 13. The Shockers owned a 10-22 record last year (5-13 AAC), missing out on the postseason after falling to South Florida, 69-62, in the second round of the AAC Championship. The Lady Bears lead the all-time series against their former conference foe, 52-37, and have won the last two games in the series, including a 72-65 victory last season in Springfield.
 
MSU stays on the road as the Lady Bears head to UT Martin on Tuesday, Nov. 19. The Skyhawks went 16-17 last season and 11-7 in the Ohio Valley Conference. UTM represented the OVC in the NCAA Tournament as the automatic bid despite falling 81-53 to Southern Indiana in the conference tournament title game, as USI was ineligible for NCAA operated events due to its reclassification status. The Skyhawks fell to Holy Cross, 72-45, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Lady Bears and UTM have met just once in the programs’ histories with Missouri State winning 68-59 in Springfield on Dec. 17, 2022.
 
The Lady Bears stay in state for their next road matchup at Saint Louis on Saturday, Nov. 23. The Billikens were 22-18 a year ago with an 8-9 ledger in the Atlantic 10. After falling in the A-10 Championship semifinals, SLU secured a spot in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament field and reeled off six victories en route to being crowned the WNIT champion. The Billikens topped Minnesota, 69-50, in the title game. Missouri State leads the all-time series against SLU, 14-4, with a 6-3 record on the road. The Billikens own the most recent victory in the series after defeating the Lady Bears 79-67 in St. Louis last season.
 
Following three consecutive road games, Missouri State jets off to paradise for the 25^th edition of the U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam women’s basketball tournament. The Lady Bears will face off against Gonzaga (Thursday, Nov. 28) on Thanksgiving Day, Florida State (Friday, Nov. 29) and Texas Tech (Saturday, Nov. 30). Gonzaga owned a 32-4 overall record and a perfect 16-0 record in the West Coast Conference in 2023-24 as the Bulldogs advanced to the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA Tournament. The Seminoles of Florida State also made the NCAA Tournament field last season with a 23-11 overall record and a 12-6 ledger in Atlantic Coast Conference action. Meanwhile, Texas Tech owned a 17-16 overall record and went 5-13 in Big 12 play as the Lady Raiders did not make a postseason appearance last season.
 
MSU finally returns home on Friday, Dec. 6 as the Lady Bears welcome Wyoming to Great Southern Bank Arena. The Cowgirls went 18-15 overall and 11-7 in Mountain West Conference action, and earned a spot in the WNIT field where they collected two wins over UTSA and South Dakota. The game will mark the first-ever meeting between Missouri State and Wyoming.
 
The next week, Missouri State hosts Little Rock on Saturday, Dec. 14. The Trojans posted a 12-18 overall record and went 11-7 in OVC action, but missed out on the postseason following a 54-48 loss to UT Martin in the OVC Championships semifinals. MSU holds a 15-4 advantage in the series with an 11-1 record against the Trojans in Springfield. The Lady Bears have won the last four meetings, including a 52-47 victory on the road in last year’s season opener.
 
The Lady Bears take on another in-state opponent as they travel to face Southeast Missouri State on Monday, Dec. 16. The Redhawks posted a 9-20 record (6-12 OVC) last season and failed to qualify for the OVC Tournament. MSU leads the all-time series against SEMO, 13-2, with a 4-2 record against the Redhawks on the road. The Lady Bears have won the last four games in the series, including a 74-66 victory in Springfield a season ago.
 
Missouri State closes out its non-conference slate at home against Southern Miss on Friday, Dec. 20. The Golden Eagles went 20-14 (10-8 Sun Belt) a year ago and made an appearance in the postseason WNIT. In the postseason tournament, they collected wins against UAB and Murray State, before falling to ULM to end the season. This will mark the first-ever meeting between the Lady Bears and Southern Miss.
 
In addition to the 11-game regular season slate, Missouri State will also host an exhibition game against Missouri S&T on Monday, Nov. 4.
 
The Missouri Valley Conference women’s basketball schedule will be released in the coming weeks.