For the second game in a row, the Missouri State women’s basketball team got key performances from the tandem of junior Maggie Dwyer and freshman Jacque Griggs to hold off a stiff challenge from an exhibition opponent, as the Lady Bears defeated Lambuth, 86-75, Tuesday (Nov. 6) evening at Hammons Student Center.
Behind Dwyer’s second straight 19-point night and Griggs’ 15-point, eight-rebound effort, Missouri State overcame the upset bid from the defending NAIA Division I national champion Lady Eagles. Dwyer scored 11 second-half points, while Griggs was a perfect 4-of-4 from the field in the opening half to help the home team build a lead that they would never relinquish.
Both teams got off to a strong start offensive, exchanging the lead three times in the opening minutes before the Lady Bears grabbed the upper hand. With MSU leading 15-14, Roxy Stiles buried a three-pointer at the 11:14 mark to initiate a 14-0 scoring run. Lambuth answered by scoring the next eight points, and Tara Robinson’s short jumper with 5:28 to play in the half cut the margin to just five points. But the Lady Bears outscored Lambuth 14-5 down the stretch to take a 44-30 lead into the lockerroom.
The Lady Bears looked inside for their offense early in the second stanza, scoring 10 of their first 14 second half points in the paint. Tiff Terwelp’s basket just 27 seconds into the period extended MSU’s lead to 16 points, it’s largest of the evening. The Lady Bears would finish the contest with a 42-20 scoring advantage in the paint.
But Lambuth clawed its way back into the game, running off another 8-0 run to cut the margin in half. Three times in the second half the Lady Eagles trimmed the gap to six points, largely on the strength of Dee Preyer’s shooting ability and the play of sophomore Donna Lavea. Preyer knocked down 9-of-10 free throws and a trio of three-pointers to total 20 points in the half, and Lavea scored 12 of her 14 points in the game’s final 20 minutes.
Dwyer came up big for the Lady Bears in the clutch, scoring seven straight points for MSU after Lambuth had trimmed the lead to eight points with just over eight minutes to play, then converting a layup with just over four minutes left after the Lady Eagles had once again pulled to within six points. Preyer, who hit 14-of-17 free throws on the night, cut the lead to six one more time with a pair of free ones with 1:43 to play.
That would prove to be the last serious threat from Lambuth, which shot just .328 (22-of-67) from the floor in the game.
The Lady Bears grabbed 21 offensive rebounds in the contest and finished with a 50-44 total rebounding advantage. But Lambuth also enjoyed success on the offensive glass, collecting 19 offensive boards in all. Lavea accounted for a game-high 13 rebounds for the Lady Eagles, while Dwyer pulled down 10 boards, to go along with four assists and two blocked shots to lead MSU.
The Lady Bears open the regular season Sunday (Nov. 11) with a road tilt at #22 Texas, before returning home Nov. 17 to host Green Bay in a 1:05 p.m. game.
