The Missouri State women’s basketball squad will open the exhibition portion of its 2006-07 schedule with a 7:05 p.m. contest against the Arkansas Tech Golden Suns, Thursday (Nov. 2) at Hammons Student Center. 

The Lady Bears will also play host to the Pittsburg State Gorillas on Sunday (Nov. 5) in a 2:05 p.m. match-up at Hammons, before opening the regular season Nov. 11 against Iowa in the WBCA Classic in Kansas City.

Despite many obstacles, including early season-ending injuries and a young, inexperienced cast, the 2005-06 Lady Bears wrapped up the program’s eighth State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament championship and 13th NCAA Tournament bid.  Missouri State 0nished the campaign with a 17-15 overall record, closing the books on a 17th consecutive winning season. Having compiled an 88-40 overall record with two regular season Missouri Valley Conference titles, three trips to the NCAA Tournament and the 2005 Women’s National Invitation Tournament championship in her first four years at Missouri State, head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson must replace a veteran nucleus that accounted for 68-percent of the Lady Bears’ offense a year ago. With just five letterwinners returning, Abrahamson-Henderson will look to a trio of juniors for veteran leadership on a roster dominated by underclassmen. 

Tiff Terwelp, a 6-2 forward, is the most experienced Lady Bear and the top returning rebounder from last season when she pulled down 5.6 boards a contest while posting 8.0 points a game. She started 28 of her 33 games as a freshman and 25 of 32 games last season and her breakthrough year in 2005-06 provided the backbone for the Lady Bears’ inside attack. Point guard Tahnee Balerio was a key performer off Abrahamson-Henderson’s very short bench much of last season and has far and away the most experience on the perimeter. Balerio started 13 contests, saw the team struggle when she missed six games with a mid-season hand injury, then played a starring role in the Lady Bears’ post-season run, picking up MVC all-tournament honors. The 5-6, Buhler, Kan., native finished the season with averages of 8.2 points, 2.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists a game. Forward Brandi Johnson was expected to be a key contributor a year ago after a standout two-year stint at Panola JC, but missed all of the 2005-06 season after suffering a knee injury during the preseason. Johnson averaged 18.3 points and 10.6 rebounds per contest to earn a spot on the NJCAA All-America second team after leading the Fillies to a 29-5 record and top 10 national ranking as a sophomore.

Missouri State holds a 2-0 series advantage against the Golden Suns, with both meetings occurring during the 1973-74 season. The Lady Bears also claimed their only previous meeting with Pittsburg State, escaping with a 68-64 home win in November of 1979.

Coach Todd Schaefer’s Golden Suns (NCAA Div. II) return all five starters from last year’s 15-12 squad.  A pair of seniors lead a balanced cast that includes four players who averaged at least nine points and three who pulled down five rebounds or better a year ago. Katie McCormick, a 6-0 forward, posted averages of 10.9 points and 5.6 rebounds per contest in 2005-06, while 5-8 guard Melanie Pierce led the team in rebounding en route to receiving All-Gulf South Conference West Division second team honors.

The Gorillas of head coach Steve High finished the 2005-06 campaign with a record of 11-17 but return an experienced roster that includes 2004-05 All-MIAA second team pick Janelle Klein, who was forced to miss all of last year with an injury after averaging 15.9 points and 6.7 rebounds per game in her sophomore season. Another junior, 6-1 center Tracy Patry, who posted averages of 15.2 points and 6.5 rebounds a year ago, also returns to give Pitt St. a formidable one-two punch on its front line.

There will be no radio broadcast for either exhibition game.