Missouri State closes out the Missouri Valley Conference schedule with a pair of home games this week, taking on Evansville (3-24, 0-16 MVC) at 7 p.m. Thursday and Indiana State (11-16, 9-7) at 2 p.m. Saturday.
   The Lady Bears (17-10, 13-3) have won their last five games and already clinched the second seed in the upcoming MVC Tournament in Moline, Ill. MSU begins postseason play at the TaxSlayer Center on Friday, March 9 at 6 p.m. against the winner of Thursday evening's contest between the No. 7 and 10 seeds.
   Saturday is Senior Day at JQH, the final home game for MSU seniors
Aubrey Buckley,
Liza Fruendt,
Audrey Holt and
Lee Ann Polowy. Those four players were Coach Harper and her staff's first recruiting class, and have helped the Lady Bears to four top-three MVC finishes, three trips to the postseason, one MVC Tournament title, one NCAA Tournament trip, and 75 total victories, including a 52-18 record in conference games.
Series Histories
The Lady Bears lead Evansville 39-13 in the all-time series, including a 21-2 record in Springfield. MSU has won 17 of the last 21 meetings.
    Missouri State holds a 58-18 series lead over the Sycamores, including a 30-6 mark in Springfield. MSU has won nine straight in the series 18 of the last 22 overall.
Scouting Evansville
Evansville is 3-24 overall and 0-16 in MVC play. Three Purple Aces score at least 11.8 points per game, led by Kerri Gasper at 13.4 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists. As a team, Evansville scores 60.9 points and allows 80.5 with shooting percentages of .381 overall, .346 from long range and an NCAA-best .826 at the foul line.
First Meeting with Evansville
Missouri State posted its highest scoring total under
Kellie Harper with a 95-65 victory at Evansville on New Year's Eve.
Liza Fruendt notched a double-double with 24 points and 10 rebounds, all 12 Lady Bears in uniform scored, and the team dished out a season-high 23 assists. The Lady Bears won 49-31 on the glass, and led by as many as 44 points in the third quarter.
Scouting Indiana State
Indiana State is 11-16 overall and 9-7 in MVC play after winning eight of its last 11 games. Ashli O'Neal (12.0) and Wendi Bibbins (10.9) score in double figures, while Bibbins grabs 8.9 rebounds per game. The Sycamores lead the MVC with 9.7 steals per game and allow 63.5 points on average, scoring 59.7 points themselves while shooting 35.9 percent overall, 27.8 percent from bonus distance and 67.2 percent at the foul line.
First Meeting with Indiana State
Alexa Willard scored a career-high 23 points, leading four Lady Bears in double figures in an MVC-opening 77-63 win in Terre Haute on Dec. 29.
Aubrey Buckley,
Shameka Ealy and
Elle Ruffridge also scored at least 10 points, and MSU owned a 46-35 rebounding edge. MSU opened the fourth quarter on a 12-2 run to extend its lead to 21 points.
Â
