Just one year after a disheartening 2006-07 season saw the Missouri State women’s basketball team suffer through its worst season in two decades, the Lady Bears served notice in 2007-08 that they are primed and ready to return to the form that saw them win eight of the first 15 Missouri Valley Conference regular-season titles.
Despite dropping their first six contests and 11 of their first 13 games, the 2007-08 Lady Bears made a remarkable recovery, winning nine of their final 16 games in Valley play to finish fifth in the regular-season standings.
After guiding Missouri State to an 11-19 mark in her first season as head coach, Nyla Milleson admitted that numerous peaks and valleys made for a challenging year. But she was also quick to assert her belief that the Lady Bears are headed in the right direction.
"I think we’ve made great strides in what we’ve been able to do on the floor," Milleson commented. "It’s going to continue to be a process, implementing a new system with new players, and it isn’t going to happen overnight. But we’ve come a long way from where we were when we first stepped on the floor last fall."
FALSE START
Missouri State entered the preseason with several reasons to be optimistic, the most significant being the return of co-captains Tahnee Balerio and Tiff Terwelp. The Lady Bears’ senior duo was one of the most experienced in the Missouri Valley Conference with a combined 178 games and 120 starts between them coming into the season. Balerio returned as the Valley’s top scorer, while Terwelp entered the season as the league’s top returning rebounder.
A key newcomer in the form of junior Maggie Dwyer was expected to step in and help carry the offensive load after sitting out the 2006-07 season following her transfer from Michigan State. She wasted little time in doing so, leading the Lady Bears with 19 points in each of MSU’s two exhibition victories.
But Missouri State would face one challenge after another early in the season, as a brutal non-conference slate provided no margin for error. In all, seven of the Lady Bears’ 11 non-conference foes would go on to qualify for postseason play, while five earned conference titles. Texas, UTSA, DePaul, Oral Roberts and Western Kentucky all gained entry to the NCAA Tournament field, while Green Bay and UALR netted WNIT bids.
The Lady Bears’ regular-season debut against No. 22 Texas in Austin, their first season-opener versus a ranked opponent in seven years, would serve as a harbinger of things to come. MSU’s offense struggled throughout, hitting just three of its first 23 field goal attempts in an eventual 92-55 defeat. The Longhorns connected on 29-of-33 free throw attempts, both season highs for a Lady Bear opponent. With the loss, its fourth in a row on opening night, MSU dropped to 20-19 all-time in season openers.
In their home opener against Green Bay, the Lady Bears led by as many as 10 points early on before the Phoenix scored the final 12 points of the first period to seize control of the game. Green Bay was lights out from long range, hitting just over 56 percent from beyond the arc to claim a 78-68 victory.
A 63-59 setback to UTSA at Hammons Student Center and road losses at Arkansas State, UALR and #17 DePaul sent the Lady Bears to their first-ever 0-6 start and a school record-tying 10 consecutive defeats dating back to the end of the 2006-07 season.
But Missouri State rebounded with a strong offensive outing to knock off Tulsa and give Milleson her first victory as head coach of the Lady Bears. MSU overcame a 10-point deficit by outscoring the Golden Hurricane 34-13 to close the first half, then stretched its lead to as many as 23 mid-way through the second stanza. Freshman Marisha Brown turned in one of many standout performances in her debut campaign, scoring 14 points to lead four Lady Bears in double figures.
On a night when the Lady Bears honored their past with the return of both the 1992 and 2001 NCAA Final Four teams to Hammons Student Center, the 2007-08 Lady Bears took a step back themselves in a 69-51 loss to Saint Louis, reverting to the form that saw them drop their first six contests of the season. The Billikens’ win was their first in seven tries against the Lady Bears in Springfield and snapped an eight-game losing streak to MSU in the series.
MSU sandwiched a home win over Canisius with road losses to Oral Roberts and Western Kentucky to close out a merciless non-conference season at 2-9. Against Canisius the Lady Bears turned in their best offensive performance since the 2002-03 season, hitting 15-of-31 three-point attempts in a 97-89 victory. Dwyer established a career- and Lady Bear season-high with 29 points, while Melissa Busby hit seven treys in a 23-point effort. Canisius’s Amanda Cavo also enjoyed a career night, tying a Hammons building record for three-pointers by an MSU opponent with seven.
Following an eight-day Christmas break, the Lady Bears ran into a buzzsaw in the form of Western Kentucky’s senior All-American Crystal Kelly in an 82-64 loss in Bowling Green, Ky. The 6-3 senior became WKU’s all-time leading rebounder with the first of her 10 boards on the afternoon and converted 11-of-11 field goal attempts en route to a 30-point performance.
Despite the rocky start, Milleson saw plenty of positives stemming from the stout non-conference slate.
"On the one hand, with a young club playing in a new system, it certainly wasn’t what we needed to go and face nationally-ranked teams like Texas, DePaul and Western Kentucky on the road," she stated.
"But there were definitely nights during the conference season when we were able to go back and draw on those experiences."
MVC TURNAROUND
Missouri State was picked to finish seventh in the Valley preseason poll. Drake was the choice to win the conference title by a narrow magin, garnering 24 of the 40 first-place votes in the poll to finish just six points ahead of Illinois State. The Lady Bears got a first-hand look as to why the Bulldogs earned that distinction in their Valley opener in Des Moines. Drake dominated in all phases of the game, outscoring MSU 31-4 over a 12-minute span late in the first half to build a 20-point lead at the break. DU cruised to a 72-42 victory, holding the Lady Bears to just 21.7 percent shooting from the floor, their worst single-game effort in nearly 13 years.
While Missouri State’s 79-73 overtime loss at Creighton two days later dropped the Lady Bears to 2-11 on the season, the effort marked a distinct turning point for Milleson’s club. MSU led by as many as 13 points in the second half before CU rallied behind first-team All-MVC guard Ally Thrall’s career-high 23 points.
"I think we bottomed out (at Drake) and it came down to a gut check," Milleson said. "Our seniors challenged our kids a little bit and we, as a staff, certainly challenged them.
"It really came down to a choice as to what we were going to do, and I think it showed some character that we were able to step on the floor 48 hours later and take one of the better teams in the league to overtime on the road. The result wasn’t a win but it was the effort and energy and playing well on the road that gave us the confidence that we could compete in this conference."
Milleson’s Lady Bears certainly found something that clicked in Omaha and used it as a jumping off point for a four-game stretch in which they played their best basketball of the season. Beginning with a solid 76-65 victory over eventual MVC co-champ Evansville, the Lady Bears shot just under 47 percent from the field and 78 percent from the foul line while outscoring their opponents by nearly 15 points per contest over the four-game win streak. Following another home win over Southern Illinois, the Lady Bears snapped a 15-game road losing streak with a convincing 78-55 win over UNI in Cedar Falls, then bested Bradley in Peoria by a 70-55 score. The two road victories within a 48-hour period came after MSU had won only two true road games in two years and just four of its previous 36 games away from Hammons Student Center dating back to the 2004-05 season.
The Lady Bears entered their Jan. 25 matchup with league-leading Illinois State tied for third in the Valley with a 4-2 mark and a renewed outlook on the season. After leading by as many as 11 points in the early going, the Lady Bears appeared poised to continue their hot streak with a takedown of the 15-1 Redbirds. But ISU came back behind reigning Valley MVP Kristi Cirone, who hit a trio of three-pointers to key a 13-2 run that drew the Redbirds even with MSU. Illinois State took control of the game for good with a 25-8 burst over the first eight and-a-half minutes of the second period and buried the Lady Bears by shooting 56 percent from the floor after the break. In all, ISU outscored MSU 55-19 in the second half to hand the Lady Bears a 95-59 loss, their largest home defeat in 29 years.
Still shaking off the effects of Illinois State’s second-half ambush, Missouri State never threatened Indiana State and dropped its second home game in a row by a 78-55 score. The following week at Wichita State, MSU saw a double-digit halftime lead evaporate, as the Shockers’ Kiki Stephens scored 14 of her game-high 24 points in the second half to spark WSU to a 73-69 win. Missouri State found the remedy for its struggles on the road against Southern Illinois, as the Lady Bears shot nearly 52 percent from the floor in the opening half to build a 17-point lead at intermission. MSU limited the Salukis just .242 shooting in the period and .328 for the game in the 78-58 victory.
A red-hot Evansville squad buried 13-of-23 three-point attempts to down MSU 82-74 in Evansville, but the Lady Bears bounced back with home court wins over Bradley and UNI to sweep the season series with both schools. MSU recorded a season-high 17 steals in a 73-66 win over BU, then ran away with a 17-point victory over the Panthers by hitting 13-of-24 tries from beyond the arc.
MSU jumped out to a 13-point lead midway through the first half of its contest against Indiana State in Terre Haute. The Sycamores rallied behind Laura Rudolphi’s 16 points in the period to take a 41-35 lead into the break. But the Lady Bears came back and actually led by two points with 12 seconds to go in regulation. However, ISU’s Angela Phillips knocked down a pair of free throws with six seconds left on the clock to force overtime, then scored eight points in the extra period to key an 86-77 Sycamore victory.
Three days later against Illinois State, the Lady Bears fell victim once again to a hot-shooting Redbird squad. ISU shot 56 percent from the floor and outscored MSU 48-14 in the paint to earn its fourth consecutive win in the series.
With three straight games at Hammons to close the conference season, the Lady Bears entered the home stretch in position for a strong finish heading into the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. MSU shot nearly 58 percent in the first half to build a 23-point lead in an eventual 73-55 win over Wichita State to kick off the home stand. Against Drake, MSU nearly came all the way back from a 17-point second-half deficit before falling, 61-58.
Needing a victory over Creighton in their regular-season finale to wrap up a fifth-place MVC finish and opening-round bye at the conference tournament, the Lady Bears took care of business with a 79-73 victory. Playing in her final home contest in a MSU uniform, Tahnee Balerio led the way by scoring 16 of her 22 points in the second half, while fellow senior Tiff Terwelp notched her 12th double-double of the season.
Six days later in the quarterfinal round of the State Farm MVC Tournament in St. Charles, Mo., the Lady Bears never found an offensive rhythm against the same Creighton squad. The Bluejays struggled as well, shooting just 29 percent from the floor. But Ally Thrall’s 25-footer with seven seconds to play in the first half capped a 10-0 CU scoring run that gave the Bluejays a 28-17 lead at the break. CU hit just 8-of-30 second-half field goal attempts, but the Lady Bears could get no closer than five points down the stretch and came out on the losing end of a 56-49 decision.
Illinois State would take the tournament crown and the MVC’s automatic NCAA tourney bid after finishing in a three-way tie with Evansville and Drake for the regular-season title. The Redbirds outlasted Southern Illinois in the quarterfinals, then posted eight-point wins over Creighton and Drake to wrap up the title.
SENIOR CLASS
The Lady Bears said goodbye to a pair of seniors who each left an indelible imprint on the Missouri State record book. Tahnee Balerio and Tiff Terwelp capped their MSU careers by playing some of their finest basketball in the season’s final month. Balerio concluded 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. The Buhler, Kan., product finished her career among the Lady Bears’ all-time leaders in free throws made (336), free throw percentage (.812), three-point field goals (139) and assists (420).
A four-year starter, fellow two-year co-captain Tiff Terwelp wrapped up her career as the program’s fifth-leading rebounder with 842 boards. The Quincy, Ill., native fell just 14 points shy of joining Balerio in the 1,000-point club and Terwelp’s 21 career double-doubles is the third-most for any Lady Bear since MSU’s move to Division I in 1982.
Both Balerio and Terwelp played pivotal roles on MSU’s 2005 MVC regular-season and WNIT championship squad, as well as the 2006 Lady Bear team that won four games in four days at Hammons Student Center to capture MSU’s seventh MVC Tournament title.
HONOR ROLL
With four individuals selected for post-season honors, Missouri State matched regular-season co-champ Evansville for the most players on All-MVC squads. It also represented the Lady Bears’ best showing since the 2004-05 season when MSU also placed four players on all-conference teams.
Tahnee Balerio and Maggie Dwyer headlined the list for MSU with their selections to the All-MVC second team. Tiff Terwelp picked up honorable mention recognition, and Marisha Brown was tabbed for the MVC’s All-Freshman squad in a vote of the league’s coaches, media representatives and sports information directors.Additionally, Dwyer became the sixth Lady Bear to earn the Valley’s yearly award for top newcomer, joining Nanne Jackson, Roshonda Reed, Yen Quach, Meg Tierney and K.C. Cowgill on the list of Lady Bears to be named MVC Newcomer of the Year. Dwyer also became the first Missouri State player to earn a Valley specialty award since Jenni Lingor picked up the conference’s most valuable player honor in 2005.
Dwyer led Missouri State in scoring with a 13.6 ppg. average and was third on the squad in rebounding (5.2 rpg.). A Grand Haven, Mich., product, Dwyer scored in double figures in 23 contests, including a stretch of 13 straight double-digit efforts, en route to racking up four MVC Newcomer of the Week honors during the regular season.
A 2007 first-team all-conference pick, Balerio led the league with 5.3 assists per game, connected on 41.4 percent of her three-point tries and ranked sixth in the league with a 14.7 ppg. scoring average in MSU’s 18 conference games this season. Overall, Balerio averaged 13.5 points per contest and led the Lady Bears in assists in 25 of 30 contests in 2007-08.
Terwelp saved her best basketball for the stretch run of her senior year. She led the MVC in rebounding, averaging a double-double (12.7 ppg./10.6 rpg.) during the conference season. Overall, Terwelp’s 9.5 rebounds per game ranked 28th nationally and her 284 rebounds represented the fourth-highest single-season total in Lady Bear history. Additionally, the Quincy, Ill., native’s 12 double-doubles on the season ranked second in the MVC behind the 15 of Drake’s Jill Martin.
Brown started all but one game of her freshman season with the Lady Bears, contributing 8.2 points per contest.
Several Lady Bears were also honored for their work in the classroom. Balerio and Terwelp each picked up MVC Scholar-Athlete honorable mention recognition, while Terwelp and Roxy Stiles were two of 29 Missouri State student-athletes to receive the MVC Commissioner’s Academic Excellence Award
NOTEWORTHY
In going 9-9 in the Valley, the Lady Bears posted their first .500 finish in league 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. Picked to finish seventh in the Valley’s preseason poll, the 2007-08 Lady Bears’ fifth-place finish marked the 14th time they have come home fifth or better in their 16 years in the MVC.
Several Lady Bears ranked among the MVC’s statistical leaders during the regular season. In addition to Tiff Terwelp (9.5 rpg.) being the league’s leading rebounder, Maggie Dwyer (13.6 ppg.) was eighth in the MVC in scoring and Tahnee Balerio was second in the conference in assists (4.7 apg.), fifth in minutes played (33.3 mpg.), seventh in steals (1.6 spg.) and ninth in scoring (13.5 ppg.).
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 led the Valley and was No. 26 nationally in three-point field goals made (6.7 per game). The Lady Bears also ranked fourth in three-point field goal percentage (.338) and second in total rebounding (39.8) in the MVC.
HAMMONS FAREWELL
The Lady Bears wrote the final chapter in Hammons Student Center’s storied run as home of Missouri State basketball with their 79-73 win over Creighton in the regular-season finale on March 8. MSU drew a season total of 72,218 specatators in 14 home dates at Hammons for an average of 5,158, good for 21st in the nation.
In its 32 years as home of the Lady Bears, Hammons saw MSU blossom into the premier program in the Missouri Valley Conference. HSC played host to 21 combined conference regular-season and tournament championship teams, including two that made trips to the Final Four. In all, Missouri State posted a gaudy 325-108 mark at Hammons, good for a .751 winning percentage.
Since the 1986-87 season the Lady Bears won 20 or more games on 12 occasions, captured 20 conference titles, including seven postseason Gateway and MVC Tournament titles won at Hammons. MSU’s home record in that period was even more astounding; 278-65, or a winning percentage of .810. A perfect 4-0 all-time in NCAA Tournament games at HSC, the Lady Bears won 30 consecutive games inside Hammons (and 31 straight home games in all) over a two-year period leading up to and immediately following its 31-3 campaign that brought the school its first Final Four appearance in 1992. MSU was literally unbeatable at home during the early 90’s against conference foes, running up a streak of 65 consecutive home-court wins over its fellow Gateway and MVC members spanning a six-year period from 1989 to 1995.
