The Missouri State Lady Bears (11-18 overall, 9-9 MVC) will begin their quest for an unprecedented eighth State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament title when they open the 2008 league tournament with a 2:35 p.m. contest against the Creighton Bluejays (19-10, 12-6) Friday (March 14) at The Family Arena in St. Charles, Mo.
The tournament kicks off Thursday evening with opening round games pitting Southern Illinois against Bradley (6:05 p.m.) and UNI against Wichita State (8:35 p.m.). The quarterfinal round, consisting of four games beginning at 12:05 p.m. Friday (March 14), will be followed by a pair of semifinal round contests at 1:05 p.m. and 3:35 p.m. Saturday (March 15) afternoon. Both semifinal games, as well as Sunday’s championship game, slated for a 2:05 p.m. tip-off, will be carried live on the MVC-TV network. The winner of the tournament will earn an automatic berth to the 2008 NCAA Tournament.
Missouri State wrapped up the No. 5 seed in this year’s tournament with its 79-73 win over Creighton Saturday (March 8) night in Springfield. The Bluejays are the No. 4 seed after finishing just one game behind a trio of teams tied for the top spot in the MVC’s regular-season standings. Illinois State earned the No. 1 seed by virtue of a tie-breaker over second-seeded Evansville and the No. 3 seed, Drake.
Each Missouri State contest at the tournament will be broadcast locally in Springfield on KTXR 101.3 FM. Live stats for the tournament may be accessed at the Valley’s web site, www.mvc-sports.com.
Last Time Out: The Lady Bears made their final contest in Hammons Student Center a memorable one, outlasting Creighton 79-73 Saturday (March 8) evening to lock up a fifth-place MVC finish.
Playing their final regular-season games in Missouri State uniforms, Lady Bear seniors Tahnee Balerio and Tiff Terwelp made the most of their last night in Hammons. Balerio scored 16 of her 22 points in the second half and finished with a game-high eight assists, while Terwelp recorded her 12th double-double of the season with a 15-point, 12-rebound performance. Freshman Marisha Brown also turned in a big night for Missouri State, finishing with 25 points on 9-of-12 shooting, falling just one point shy of her career scoring high. The Kansas City native also grabbed six rebounds and was successful on three of her four attempts from three-point range.
Missouri State held the lead for all but the first 1:35, using a 10-0 scoring run to take control early in the first half. The Lady Bears were red-hot from long range in the first half, going 7-of-11 (.636) from three-point range. The Lady Bears were successful on 14-of-26 (.538) field goal attempts in the opening half to take a 12-point lead into the break, while CU struggled from the field, hitting just 25 percent (8-of-32) of their attempts.
Creighton cut into the Missouri State lead early in the second period, drawing to within 40-34 on a Kristina Voss basket at the 15:44 mark. MSU scored eight of the next nine points, including six straight from Terwelp, as part of a 21-8 burst that extended the Lady Bear advantage to 19 with just under five minutes to play.
The Coaches: Nyla Milleson (Kansas State, ’85) is 11-18 in her first season as the head coach at Missouri State and 196-54 overall. The Goodland, Kan., native led Drury University to a 185-36 mark in seven seasons, highlighted by a national runner-up finish in 2003-04. In all, the Lady Panthers made five NCAA Division II Tournament appearances and advanced to the Sweet 16 in four of those years. Milleson was honored as Heartland Conference Coach of the Year four times, as Drury won five conference titles in all.
Milleson is 1-1 against Creighton following the Lady Bears’ 79-73 victory in Springfield Saturday (March 8) evening.
Jim Flanery (Creighton, ’87) is 107-78 in his sixth season as head coach of the Bluejays. The Guthrie Center, Iowa, native guided Creighton to consecutive 24-9 seasons in his first two years at the helm. His 2002-03 team shared the MVC regular-season title, and the 2003-04 Bluejay squad captured the WNIT championship.
Prior to accepting the head coaching job at Creighton, Flanery served as an assistant coach under Connie Yori for 10 seasons at CU, helping the Bluejays compile a 170-115 record over that period.
In 13 games against Missouri State, Flanery’s teams have compiled a 4-9 mark with all four victories coming in Omaha. The Bluejays dropped an 81-70 decision to Missouri State in the semifinal round of the 2003 MVC Tournament in the two teams’ only postseason meeting since Flanery took the helm at CU. Creighton is 4-5 under Flanery in MVC Tournament games.
Series Record: Missouri State holds a 26-12 advantage in the series with the Bluejays, including a 7-3 mark in their last 10 meetings.
Missouri State dropped hard-fought, 79-73 overtime decision to the Bluejays at Omaha Civic Auditorium on Jan. 6. Tiff Terwelp scored 17 points and grabbed 17 rebounds, but CU got a career-high 23 points from Ally Thrall to overcome a 13-point second-half deficit in a game that featured eight ties and 11 lead changes.
In Saturday’s (March 8) regular-season finale in Springfield, MSU held the Jays to just under 33 percent shooting from the floor and led by as many as 19 points before holding on for a 79-73 victory.
MSU, which will be shooting for its eighth MVC Tournament crown, is a perfect 5-0 versus Creighton in the MVC Tournament. CU is 14-14 all-time at the conference tournament, with its lone win coming in 2002 in Springfield.
Scouting Creighton: The Bluejays went 12-6 in MVC play to earn a fourth-place finish, just one game behind Illinois State, Evansville and Drake for the top spot. CU returns 10 letterwinners and all five starters from last year’s 13-19 squad that just missed qualifying for the NCAA Tournament with an improbable run through the State Farm MVC Tournament. The Jays dropped a heartbreaking 65-64 decision to host Drake in the championship game after knocking off third-seeded Indiana State and the league’s No. 2 team, Illinois State, to reach the final.
Senior forward Sara Cain (10.6 ppg./5.4 rpg.) and fellow senior co-captain Ally Thrall (10.6 ppg./3.6 apg.) lead the team in scoring, with Thrall ranking second in the Valley in minutes played (36.1 mpg.) and three-point shooting after connecting on 41.9 percent of her tries during the regular season. Thrall also ranks fourth in the league in assist/turnover ratio (1.79). Freshman guard Kelsey Woodard (10.1 ppg.) claimed MVC Newcomer of the Week honors six times this season and is CU’s third-leading scorer and one of the top three-point threats in the Valley (.391). Sophomore forward Sam Schuett (8.0 ppg./6.8 rpg.) leads the Jays in rebounding and ranks fourth in the Valley. An MVC All-Freshman Team honoree last year, Schuett is the league’s fourth-leading free throw shooter, hitting over 84 percent of her foul shots this season.
Despite playing a challenging non-conference schedule that included road games against Rutgers, Nebraska, Kansas and Iowa State, the Jays are an impressive 8-9 this season away from Omaha Civic Auditorium. As a team Creighton leads the MVC in rebounding (40.8 rpg.) and ranks second in rebounding margin (+5.9), free throw percentage (.750) and three-point field goal percentage (.350). The Jays are also third in the league in assists (14.6 apg.) while averaging 67.7 points per outing.
Back In Business: In going 9-9 in the MVC this season, the Lady Bears posted their first .500 finish in conference play since the 2004-05 campaign. Missouri State won at least 11 conference games in each of its first 13 years in the league, capturing eight regular-season crowns before falling to 7-11 in 2005-06 and finishing 10th at 3-15 last year.
Tournament Tough: The Lady Bears enter this year’s State Farm MVC Tournament with a 29-8 all-time mark in the event. Missouri State has played in 10 of the 15 MVC Tournament championship games since the inception of the event in 1993 and is the only school to win the title three straight years (1992, 1993 and 1994). Missouri State will be trying for its eighth tourney title, with wins in 1993, 1994, 1996, 2001, 2003, 2004 and 2006 to its credit.
Most Valuable Lady Bears: Five different Lady Bears have earned league tournament MVC honors, which is more than any other league member. Tina Robbins became the first MSU cager to earn the honor in 1994, and La- Tanya Davis picked up the award in 1996. Jackie Stiles was a two-time MVP, receiving the award in both 2000 and 2001. Kari Koch became the first freshman in league history to be named tournament MVP in 2003, and Jenni Lingor earned the honor the following year. Missouri State also has had the most players named to MVC all-tournament teams with 16 honorees in the 14 years the league has named such a squad.
2007 Tournament Recap: Missouri State’s stay at the 2007 State Farm MVC Tournament in Des Moines was a brief one, as the Lady Bears fell to Bradley, 65-56, in the opening round. Eighth-seeded Drake became the fourth straight tournament host to capture the title, knocking off Wichita State, regular-season champ Southern Illinois, Evansville and Creighton to earn the league’s automatic NCAA Tournament berth.
A Helping Hand: After totaling just four assists in her first 20 games as a Lady Bear, freshman Jacque Griggs has recorded at least one helper in nine straight games for MSU. Griggs, a Kansas City product, didn’t register her first collegiate assist until MSU’s 10th game of the season (vs. Canisius, 12/21), but her current streak is the second-longest for a Lady Bear this year, trailing only Tahnee Balerio, who has handed out an assist in 23 consecutive games.
Senior Send-Off: Missouri State honored its two senior co-captains Saturday at its regular-season finale versus Creighton. Tahnee Balerio, who scored 22 points and handed out eight assists in the 79-73 win, will conclude her MSU career as the No. 14 scorer in school history and one of only five Lady Bears to score 1,000 points and hand out 400 assists. A four-year starter, fellow senior co-captain Tiff Terwelp is also bearing down on the 1,000-point plateau and will likely wrap up her career as the program’s fifth-leading rebounder. She notched her 21st career double-double with a 15-point, 12-rebound effort against the Bluejays.
Both Balerio and Terwelp played pivotal roles on MSU’s 2005 Missouri Valley Conference and WNIT championship squad, as well as the 2006 team that won four games in four days at Hammons Student Center to capture MSU’s seventh MVC Tournament title.
Terwelp Tearing It Up: Tiff Terwelp’s 12 double-doubles this season represent a nine-year high for a Lady Bear, dating back to the 1998-99 season when Roshonda Reed registered 13. Terwelp’s 21 career doubles is the third-highest total for a MSU player since the school’s move to Division I in 1982, trailing only Jeanette Tendai’s 35 and Reed’s 27.
Against Wichita State (March 2) Terwelp tallied 11 boards to become just the fifth Lady Bear and the 21st player in Missouri Valley Conference history to top the 800-rebound mark. Her 273 rebounds this season currently rank as the fifth-highest single-season total in MSU history. The Quincy, Ill., native surpassed the 900-point mark with a 13-point effort in MSU’s loss at Indiana State (Feb. 21) and moved past Lisa Davies into fifth place on the Lady Bears’ career rebounding list during MSU’s Feb. 24 loss at Illinois State. Terwelp also needs just 16 points to become the 20th Lady Bear to reach the 1,000-point plateau.
Terwelp has been the Lady Bears’ top rebounder each of the past two seasons, and currently leads the Valley in rebounding with an average of 9.4 boards per game. During the conference season, Terwelp recorded 14 double-figure rebound games and averaged a point-rebound double-double (12.7 ppg./10.6 rpg.).
Earlier this season, Terwelp cleaned the glass to the tune of 18 rebounds in the loss at Arkansas State (Nov. 20). That effort matched single-game performances by Lynn Strubberg (1/28/83 at Northwest Missouri St.) and Roshonda Reed (1/16/99 at Indiana St.) for the third-highest rebound total in MSU history. Terwelp’s previous career-high of 16 boards came in a 70-51 loss at Tulsa in December 2006.The Quincy, Ill., product nearly equaled that effort at Creighton (Jan. 6) when she pulled down 17 rebounds.
Balerio Reaches Another Milestone: Tahnee Balerio notched her third point-assist double-double of the 2007-08 season in MSU’s March 2 victory over Wichita State. The senior guard scored 12 points and fell just one assist shy of her career high of 12. She also surpassed the 400 career assist mark, becoming just the fifth player in Missouri State history to score 1,000 points and hand out 400 assists.
Century Mark For Terwelp, Balerio: Terwelp played in her 100th career contest for Missouri State at Oral Roberts (Dec. 15). In MSU’s Feb. 10 loss at Evansville, the Quincy, Ill., product made the 100th start of her Lady Bear career. Terwelp has played in 120 games, starting 47 in a row, and enters the MVC Tournament tied for 14th all-time on the Lady Bears’ games played list with Melody Campbell and Lisa Davies.
Balerio also reached the 100-game plateau for her MSU career in the Lady Bears’ Jan. 6 loss at Creighton, becoming the 35th player in MSU history to top the century mark in games played.
Double Trouble: Tiff Terwelp notched her fourth-straight double-double in MSU’s win over Creighton Saturday (March 8). This marks the second time this season and the third time in Terwelp’s MSU career that she has posted four double-doubles in a row. Last season she also accomplished the feat as part of a stretch where she recorded doubles in six of eight contests. Terwelp recorded four straight such games from Jan. 25 through Feb. 10 earlier this season and just missed her fifth straight in MSU’s Feb. 14 game against Bradley when she pulled down 13 boards and tallied nine points. She fell one point and three steals short of recording just the second triple-double in the history of the MSU program in the 73-66 victory over the Braves.
A Lady Bear has finished in double figures in rebounding in 21 of MSU’s last 27 contests. Four different players have posted double-digit rebound games in that span, and three of those have registered point-rebound double-doubles, including Terwelp (vs. Arkansas State, Creighton (twice), Southern Illinois (twice), Bradley, Indiana State, Wichita State (twice), Evansville, Illinois State and Drake), Jacque Griggs (vs. UALR) and Maggie Dwyer (vs. Tulsa and Western Kentucky). In all, nine Lady Bears have established new single-game rebounding highs so far in 2007-08.
That’s More Like It: MSU’s 73-55 win over Wichita State (March 2) snapped a five-game Lady Bear losing streak in the series with the Shockers. With the victory in the final game played by the two schools in Hammons Student Center, the Lady Bears ran their all-time record against WSU in HSC to 26-8.
Overtime Woes: With their 86-77 loss at Indiana State on Feb. 21, the Lady Bears dropped their third straight overtime game and fell to 12-12 all-time in contests extending beyond regulation. MSU lost a 79-73 overtime decision Jan. 6 at Creighton in its only other overtime game of the season, and fell at Drake last January, 82-76 in its only extended affair last year. The Lady Bears’ last overtime win came on Jan. 14, 2006, when they topped Evansville 67-59 in double overtime at Hammons Student Center. Missouri State has dropped five of its last six overtime contests, dating back to its 2004 NCAA Tournament first-round loss to Notre Dame.
Getting Offensive: In the Lady Bears’ 11 wins this season, they have put up impressive numbers in several offensive categories. Missouri State has scored 70 points or more in each of their victories and has shot .471 from the field, including .448 from beyond the three-point arc. The Lady Bears have also averaged 9.1 three-point field goals per outing, connected on 73 percent of their free throw attempts and outscored their opponents 162 to 107 from the foul line. Perhaps most impressive, MSU has scored an average of 76.9 points per game while limiting the opposition to just 63.6, for a +13.3 scoring differential. On an individual basis, Dwyer has averaged 15.8 points, while Tahnee Balerio has shot .550 from three-point range in those contests.
Second-Half Surge: The Lady Bears’ offensive turnaround over their last 16 contests is remarkable on several different levels. MSU has outscored its opponents 70.6 to 68.6 points per game in going 9-7 over that stretch, shooting 41.1 percent from the floor, including 37.5 percent from three-point range. The Lady Bears have also converted 72.3 percent of their free throws in their last 16 outings. In contrast, MSU was outscored by an average of 14.3 points per game in starting the season with just two wins in its first 13 games. The Lady Bears shot 34.8 percent from the field, 30.7 percent from beyond the arc and just 66.5 percent from the foul line. MSU has committed an average of 3.1 fewer turnovers, recorded 2.7 more assists and 1.6 more steals per game over its last 16 contests compared to the first half of the season.
On an individual level, Missouri State’s senior captains Balerio and Terwelp have stepped up their respective games during the second half of the season. Balerio is averaging 15.3 ppg., 5.5 apg. and is shooting 44.4 percent from three-point range, compared to 10.8 ppg., 4.1 apg. and a 22.4 3FG% over the first 13 games of the season. Terwelp’s numbers have also taken off, as the 6-2 forward has registered 11 of her 12 double-doubles on the year in the last 16 contests, averaging 12.9 points and 10.0 boards per game while shooting 49.1 percent from the floor. She has also hit 47 of her last 59 (.797) free throw attempts after starting the season just 18-of-30 (.600) from the foul line.
Busby Sidelined: Sophomore guard Melissa Busby will be forced to miss the remainder of the 2007-08 season with a knee injury. The Edmond, Okla., product sustained ligament damage to her right knee early in the second half of MSU’s Feb. 14 win over Bradley. The Lady Bears’ fourth-leading scorer, Busby had seen action in 23 contests this season, starting the last 15 prior to her injury. She was averaging 7.6 points per game while shooting .354 from three-point range.
200 In The Valley: The Lady Bears’ 78-58 win at Southern Illinois (Feb. 8) represented their 200th Missouri Valley Conference regular-season victory. Since joining the MVC in 1992, the Lady Bears now have a league-best 204-80 record in conference play and have won at least a share of eight regular-season titles and seven conference tournaments. MSU’s conference win total is 16 victories better than Drake’s 191 wins, which is the second-highest count in the circuit.
A Look At The Numbers: Several Lady Bears ranked among the Missouri Valley Conference’s statistical leaders during the regular season. In addition to Tiff Terwelp (9.4 rpg.) being the league’s leading rebounder, Maggie Dwyer (13.6 ppg.) was eighth in the league in scoring. Tahnee Balerio led the conference in assists (5.3 apg.), ranked fifth in three-point field goal percentage (.414), steals (1.7 spg.) and minutes played (33.7 mpg.) and sixth in scoring (14.7 ppg.) during MVC play.
As a team Missouri State was second in the Valley in three-point field goal percentage (.361), third in scoring offense (69.4 ppg.), and third in total rebounds (39.4) and steals (7.8) during MVC play. Overall, MSU ranked fourth in three-point field goal percentage (.342), second in total rebounding (39.9) and first in three-pointers made (6.8) per game.
Balerio Tops 1,000-Point Plateau: Balerio became the 19th player in school history to join the 1,000-point club with her 16-point performance Jan. 12 vs. Southern Illinois, knocking down a pair of free throws with 9:26 left in the game to reach the 1,000 career scoring mark. Sarah Klaassen was the last Lady Bear to accomplish the feat, surpassing the mark in MSU’s win over Drake in the quarterfinal round of the 2006 State Farm MVC Tournament.
Winkfield Part Of 2008 Hall Of Fame Class: Six new members of the Missouri State Athletics Hall of Fame were inducted Feb. 16, including former Lady Bear Secelia Winkfield, who was an integral part of Missouri State’s extended NCAA tournament run in the early 1990s under coach Cheryl Burnett. A native of the Kansas City area, Winkfield was the eighth player in Lady Bears’ history to record 1,000 career points, and, 15 years later, she remains in 13th place on the all-time scoring list with 1,333 points. Winkfield remains in the Missouri State all-time top 10 in games played (123), field goals (547), attempts (1,119) and is still fourth in assists (455) and third in steals (302). She led the team in rebounding and assists one year each and in steals twice. Winkfield played on teams which reached the NCAA second round in 1991, the NCAA Final Four in 1992 and the NCAA Sweet 16 in 1993. She was a Kodak all-district choice and Kodak All-America honorable mention as a senior, a two-time all-Gateway selection, and Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year her final season. She was in the Pan American games in 1991 and was one of nine Missouri State players selected to the MVC all-centennial team in 2007.
On This Date In Lady Bears History: March 14, 1992 - Missouri State 86, Southern Illinois 69 - The Lady Bears captured the Gateway Tournament title by defeating SIU at Hammons Student Center to earn their second NCAA Tournament berth in a row. MSU never trailed, leading by as many as eight in the first half before taking a 37-32 lead into the locker room. SIU closed to within four points several times in the second half, but a 12-2 Lady Bear run pushed MSU’s lead into double digits with just over 12 minutes to go. A 9-0 spurt sealed the conference crown, the second in a string of four straight for Missouri State.
Climbing The Charts: Tahnee Balerio moved past Tara Mitchem into the No. 14 spot on MSU’s career scoring chart with her 18-point effort vs. UNI (Feb. 16).
Tiff Terwelp broke into the top 30 when she scored her 731st career point vs. DePaul (Dec. 2) to move past Meg Tierney for the 30th spot. She passed four former MSU standouts with her nine-point effort vs. Bradley (Feb. 14) and eclipsed the 900 career scoring plateau with her 13-point night vs. Indiana State (Feb. 21). Terwelp passed Gail Beck for the No. 20 spot on the chart with her 21-point effort against Drake (March 6).
Balerio moved onto yet another Missouri State career top 10 list with her two free throw attempts at SIU (Feb. 8). She enters Friday’s game eighth all-time on the list with 412 career attempts from the charity stripe. She also continued her ascent up the MSU all-time assist and three-point field goal lists; she also enters Friday’s game with 419 career assists, good for fifth all-time at MSU; Balerio is also fifth in three-point field goal attempts with 425 and seventh on the Lady Bears’ three-point field goals made chart (136). She needs three more treys to catch K.C. Cowgill in the sixth spot with 139 career threes.
More Charting: Terwelp broke into MSU’s career rebounding top 10 with her 14-board effort
in MSU’s Jan. 4 loss at Drake. She passed LaTanya Davis (648) for the No. 10 spot, then climbed all the way to No. 8 with her 17-rebound performance in a 79-73 overtime loss at Creighton (Jan. 6), passing both Sandy Meyer (661) and Karen Rapier (666). With her 14 rebounds at Illinois State, Terwelp moved into the No. 5 spot on MSU’s all-time rebounding list. She also moved onto MSU’s career blocked shot chart, taking over sole possession of the No. 6 spot on the list with her 57th and 58th career rejections vs. Creighton (March 8).
Dwyer Honored Again: After leading the Missouri State Lady Bears to back-to-back road victories over UNI and Bradley, junior forward Maggie Dwyer earned her second consecutive Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Week honor and her fourth overall in 2007-08, the league office announced Jan. 21.
A 6-1 forward from Grand Haven, Mich., Dwyer played a pivotal role in Missouri State wins over UNI and Bradley, converting 69 percent of her second-half field goal attempts and shooting .538 from the field in all, while averaging 16.5 points to help the Lady Bears pick up their first two road victories of the season. Against UNI on Jan. 17, the Grand Haven, Mich., native went 4-of-4 from the floor in the second half and totaled 14 points, three rebounds and two assists in a 78-55 MSU win that snapped a 15-game road losing streak.
With the score knotted at 42-42 Jan. 19 at
Bradley, Dwyer scored eight of the next 10 MSU points to help spark a 28-10 scoring run that
ultimately netted the Lady Bears’ fourth win in-a-row. She scored 12 of her game-high 19 points in the second half, grabbed two boards and handed out a pair of assists in the 70-55 victory.
Dwyer, who was also tabbed for the same honor on Dec. 10, Dec. 26 and Jan. 14, became the first Lady Bear to earn four weekly awards in a season since Jackie Stiles was named MVC Player of the Week seven times in 2000-01.
Streak’s Over: MSU’s 78-55 win over UNI on Jan. 17 put the brakes on a school-record 15-game road losing streak that included nine road losses in-a-row in regular season conference play, dating back to January of last season. The Lady Bears’ four-game MVC win streak was their first during regular-season conference play since the 2004-05 season. Also, MSU’s two-game road win streak was its first in conference play since winning at Creighton and Drake in February 2005.
On The Record: Illinois State’s Maggie Krick added another update to the Missouri State record book (Jan. 25), tying the single-game record for three-point field goals made by a Lady Bear opponent with seven triples. She matched the mark shared by Texas’s Danielle Viglione (3/16/96) and Canisius’s Amanda Cavo, who equaled the mark just over one month ago in MSU’s 97-89 win over the Griffins in Springfield.
In The Crunch: The Lady Bears’ came away with victories over Evansville (1/10) and Southern Illinois (1/12) thanks in large part to big second-half efforts in each contest. As a team Missouri State shot just under 52 percent from the floor (27-of-52) in the combined second periods of the two games to outscore the Purple Aces and Salukis by a +12.5 margin. MSU also came through with solid defensive efforts in each game, holding its two opponents to identical 8-of-29 (.276) shooting performances from three-point range that included a combined second-half showing of 7-of-30 (.233) from beyond the arc.
Holding Aces: Missouri State’s first Missouri Valley Conference win of the season, a 76-65 victory over Evansville on Jan. 10, snapped a streak of five straight losses in MVC regular-season play and six in a row against Valley opponents, including last season’s loss to Bradley in the State Farm MVC Tournament.
The victory over the Purple Aces gave head coach Nyla Milleson her first career MVC win and was the Lady Bears’ first victory in an MVC home opener since defeating Evansville (1/6/05) at the start of the 2004-05 conference season. It also prevented the third straight 0-3 start to an MVC season for Missouri State.
Instant O: After averaging just 57.8 points per game in their first eight contests of the season, the Lady Bears scored 176 points combined against Oral Roberts (Dec. 15) and Canisius (Dec. 21). That figure represents the best two-game scoring total for MSU since December 2004, when the Lady Bears knocked off Saint Louis (86-56) and Eastern Kentucky (91-81) in succession. Additionally, MSU’s 97 points vs. Canisius represented the highest point total by a Lady Bear club since a 107-53 win over Evansville on March 8, 2003.
Valley Openers: With their loss at Drake on Jan. 4, the Lady Bears are now 11-5 in Missouri Valley Conference openers and 18-7 overall in conference openers since formal competition began in the Gateway in 1983. The defeat was MSU’s largest loss in MVC regular-season play since an 84-47 setback at Creighton six years ago (1/6/02). With its Jan. 6 overtime loss at Creighton, MSU started conference play 0-2 for the third consecutive season.
Welcome Wagon: Milleson and her staff have received four commitments to join the Lady Bears in 2008 during the November early signing period. Local products Lacey Boshe (Marshfield, Mo.) and Casey Garrison (Bolivar, Mo.) will be joined by a pair of Texas prep standouts, Jasmine Malone (San Antonio) and Regan Soldner (Southlake) in the class of 2008.
Preseason Picks: Missouri State was picked to finish seventh in the Missouri Valley Conference preseason poll of coaches, media and sports information directors. The Lady Bears received 136 points, while preseason favorite Drake received 24 of 40 first-place votes and 348 total points.
For The History Books: The Lady Bears’ 96-79 loss at Oral Roberts (Dec. 15) will be remembered for several significant individual performances that left their mark on the Missouri State record book. Melissa Busby’s six treys matched seven other performances by a Lady Bear for the 10th-most three-point field goals made in a single game. Melody Howard (twice), Tina Robbins (12/5/93 at Iowa), Jackie Stiles (twice) and Kari Koch (twice) also buried six triples in a game for MSU. Tahnee Balerio’s seven steals marked a new career high for the senior point guard and equaled the single-game efforts of 13 other Lady Bears for the seventh-best all-time performance in school history. Additionally, Balerio’s 12 assists matched her career best in that category (2/23/06 vs. Creighton) and ranks as the No. 10 single-game total, along with 11 other such performances by MSU players.
For Openers: With their 92-55 loss at #22 Texas, the Lady Bears are now 20-19 all-time in season openers and have dropped their last four contests on opening night. The 37-point setback is the largest margin of defeat in a MSU season opener since the Lady Bears lost a 43-point decision (94-51) at Arkansas to start the 1985-86 season. It is also MSU’s worst loss since Jan. 6, 2002, when it fell by an 84-47 score at Creighton.
This season marks the fifth year in-a-row Missouri State has played its first game away from Hammons Student Center. Last year, MSU lost to Iowa, 79-70, in its season opener after dropping the first game of 2005-06 at Arkansas State and its 2004-05 opener at Richmond.
MSU’s season opener at #22 Texas was the Lady Bears’ first opener versus a ranked opponent since the 2000-01 season when they defeated #10 LSU, 85-75. MSU is 2-2 all-time versus ranked teams in season openers.
Lady Bear Captains: Senior Tahnee Balerio, senior Tiff Terwelp and junior Tiffany Coppage are serving as tri-captains for the 2007-08 season. This marks the second year in a row Balerio and Terwelp have been selected Lady Bear captains.
If You Build It They Will Come: The Lady Bears finished their 32nd and final season in Hammons Student Center with their 79-73 win over Creighton (March 8). Missouri State broke ground on the $67 million JQH Arena on Dec. 21, 2006 and the new 11,000-seat arena is slated for completion in time for the start of the 2008-09 basketball season. MSU attracted a total of 72,218 spectators in 14 home dates this season for an average of 5,158 per game. Missouri State has ranked in the top 20 nationally in average attendance in each of the last 17 seasons, including 1992-93 when the Lady Bears led all of Division I in that category.
Missouri State All-Time: Missouri State is in its 39th season of women’s collegiate basketball and has an all-time record of 664-454 (.594) for a total of 1,118 games. MSU began formal competition in 1969 and has now posted 26 winning seasons and made 13 NCAA Tournament appearances. The Lady Bears advanced to the Final Four in 1992 and 2001 and the Sweet Sixteen in 1993.
Missouri State Postseason Run: The Lady bears will need to win the MVC Tournament to extend an impressive streak they share with the Missouri State men’s team. One or both of the MSU basketball teams have made postseason appearances in each of the last 22 years, but with the Bears finishing 17-16 after bowing out in the quarterfinal round of last week’s MVC men’s tourney, and the Lady Bears entering this week seven games under .500, the livlihood of the streak will likely require the automatic NCAA Tournament bid that goes along with the women’s tournament championship.
With last year’s 7-21 finish, the Lady Bears missed the postseason for the first time since the 1996-97 season. The MSU women have seen postseason action in nine of the past 10 years and in 15 out of the last 17 seasons.
Adams Arrives: Missouri State received a boost with the addition of Jamie Adams, a two-year MSU volleyball starter who began practicing with the Lady Bears the week of Dec. 10. Adams scored four points, grabbed a team-high seven rebounds and recorded two blocks in her Lady Bear debut vs. Oral Roberts (Dec. 15). Adams, who will have two years of basketball eligibility, earned second-team All-MVC honors in 2006 and 2007 and helped the volleyball Bears to three-straight NCAA Tournament appearances.
Balerio on Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award Watch List: In recognition of her accomplishments both on and off the court, senior guard Tahnee Balerio was selected as one of 30 initial candidates for the 2007-08 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award for women’s basketball.
Lowe’s Senior CLASS (an acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School) Award recognizes college senior athletes who remain committed to their university and pursue the many rewards that a senior season can bring.
One Down: MSU’s 72-61 victory over Tulsa on Dec. 4 allowed the Lady Bears to cross a number of items off their to do list, including:
►posting their first win of the 2007-08 season after six straight losses to begin the campaign;
►giving new head coach Nyla Milleson her first win at MSU and as a Division I head coach;
►halting a school record-tying 10-game losing streak dating back to February of 2007;
►ending a four-game home losing streak, their longest since the 1985-86 season;
MSU vs. Ranked Opponents: With its 80-48 loss at #17 DePaul on Dec. 2, Missouri State dropped to 0-2 vs. ranked opponents on the season. The Lady Bears are now 19-36 all-time versus ranked opponents and have lost 10 straight against top 25 teams. Missouri State’s last win over a ranked foe came against Gail Goestenkors’ fifth-ranked Duke Blue Devils in the 2001 NCAA West Regional semifinal (3/24/01). MSU’s season opener at #22 Texas was the Lady Bears’ first opener versus a ranked opponent since the 2000-01 season when they defeated #10 LSU, 85-75. MSU is 2-2 all-time versus ranked teams in season openers.
No Cupcakes Here: Missouri State’s 11 non-conference opponents combined to go 204-133 (.609) in 2007-08 (through games of March 10). The Lady Bears’ schedule, ranked the 58th toughest in the nation by Collegiate Basketball News, included two matchups against ranked opponents (#22 Texas and #17 DePaul) and, including two games against Illinois State, a total of four contests against teams that earned top 25 rankings at some point during the season. Green Bay, Western Kentucky and Evansville also received votes for either the AP or ESPN/USA Today Coaches polls at some point during the regular season, and all but Canisius (13-18), Tulsa (11-20) and Saint Louis (10-20) finished the regular season at the .500 mark or above. Six of the 11 non-conference opponents won at least 20 games, icluding three schools (Western Kentucky, Green Bay and UALR) that won conference or division championships during the this season.
