The Missouri State women’s basketball team once again saved its best for last, finishing a 60-46 win over a pesky Pittsburg State squad Sunday afternoon at Hammons Student Center with a 16-2 run over the game’s final eight minutes. The victory closes out the exhibition portion of the schedule for the Lady Bears, who will match up with Iowa next week-end in the regular season opener for both teams.
After using an 18-0 run to seal a 75-55 win over Arkansas Tech on Thursday, Missouri State scored nine straight points to break a 44-all tie Sunday. Freshman Melissa Busby drained a three-pointer with 8:37 remaining to spark the rally, and Tiff Terwelp scored six of her game-high 20 points in the game’s final seven minutes, as the Lady Bears over-came a 32.2% shooting (19-of 59) day from the floor to avoid the Division II Gorillas’ upset bid.
Pittsburg State knocked down five of its first six shots of the ballgame, then used a 10-2 scoring run to take a 29-18 lead with just over two minutes to go in the first half. The Lady Bears got off to a sluggish start, going just 9-of-34 (26.5) from the field in the first half and needed a 7-2 scoring spurt to close the gap to 31-25 at the break.
Junior guard Tahnee Balerio came out firing in the second half, hitting a pair of three-pointers in the first three minutes to draw the Lady Bears even at 34-34. The lead changed hands six times over the next 10 minutes before Busby’s big shot gave the home team the lead for good. In all, the Lady Bears connected on 5-of-8 from three-point range in the second half after hitting just one of their eight first-half attempts from beyond the arc.
Terwelp turned in her second-straight double-double after netting 24 points and 11 rebounds in the Lady Bears’ win over Arkansas Tech. The junior forward grabbed 12 rebounds, including seven offensive boards, and knocked down 10-of-12 free throw attempts Sunday to lead Missouri State. Balerio also registered a solid outing, carrying the Missouri State offense with nine first-half points and finishing with 16 for the day.
Pittsburg State’s Candice Gilbert got off to a hot start, scoring 10 points in the first half, before finishing with 14 for the day to pace the Gorillas’ offense.
Missouri State will open the regular season Saturday, Nov. 11, in the WBCA Preseason Classic at Kansas City’s Municipal Auditorium. Game time for the Lady Bears’ season-opener is 4:30 p.m., while Sunday’s contest against either Seton Hall or Kansas will tip at either 2:00 p.m. or 4:30 p.m.
