Missouri State Lady Bears (4-11, 0-4 MVC)

 

Game Overview

After dropping a pair of road contests to Creighton and Drake last weekend, the Missouri State Lady Bears will be shooting for their first Missouri Valley Conference win Saturday (Jan. 17) when they host one of the league’s hottest teams, the Indiana State Sycamores, at JQH Arena in a 1:05 p.m. game.

    The Lady Bears fell to 0-4 in conference play for the first time ever with last Saturday’s 56-44 setback to Drake in Des Moines. Indiana State, on the other hand, entered its Thursday night game at Wichita State with a four-game win streak. The Sycamores won their first three MVC games, including a 72-65 decision over unanimous preseason conference favorite Illinois State last Saturday in Terre Haute.

    Missouri State holds a 40-14 advantage in the series with Indiana State, including a 23-4 mark in games played on its home floor. The Sycamores have won two straight in Springfield, however.

 

Quick Hits

Missouri State has lost its first four games in conference play for the first time in its history; MSU has started at least 0-3 three times in the last four years

Freshman guard Casey Garrison has averaged 18.4 ppg. over the Lady Bears’ first seven home games, and freshmen have accounted for 76.8 percent of Missouri State’s offense in those same seven contests

Over its current four-game losing streak, MSU has given up an average of 70.2 points per contest and allowed the opposition to shoot 51.6 percent from three-point range; the Lady Bears are shooting just 15.9 percent from beyond the arc in those same four games

 

Last Time Out

Drake used a strong defensive effort and some clutch shooting to come away with a 56-44 victory over the Lady Bears last Saturday (Jan. 10) afternoon at the Knapp Center in Des Moines. Kristin Turk scored a game-high 18 points and hit a pair of critical three-pointers to help spark the DU offense late in the game.

    The Bulldogs reeled off nine unanswered points, highlighted by Turk’s three from the left corner with 5:12 left in the game, to turn a 36-33 ballgame into a 12-point DU advantage. The sophomore guard would knock down another big trey at the 2:15 mark to turn back MSU’s comeback bid moments after a Casey Garrison layup had sliced the lead back to seven.

    That would be as close as Missouri State would get down the stretch, as the Bulldogs converted two conventional three-point plays in the final two minutes to seal the win.

    Jordann Plummer and Brittnye McSparron joined Turk in double figures, as each finished the game with 13 points for DU. Drake shot just .367, but hit 5-of-10 three-point tries and held the Lady Bears to just 28.8 percent shooting for the game.

    Drake, which improved to 8-7 overall and 2-2 in The Valley, seized the early lead in the contest by connecting on three of its first four tries from long range. The Bulldogs got a pair of three-pointers from Turk and another from Plummer in the opening minutes to build an eight-point lead.

    After a Morgan Harrington layup cut the Drake lead to 15-9 with 10:41 to play in the half, both defenses rose to the occasion. Neither team would score over the next six minutes, combining to miss 14 straight field goal attempts and commit seven turnovers over that period. McSparron snapped the scoreless streak with a pair of free throws at the 4:31 mark, and Lacey Boshe knocked down her first career three-pointer moments later to pull MSU within five of the Bulldogs.

    McSparron, who combined with Turk for 18 of Drake’s 23 first-half points, converted two more field goal tries in the final minute of the period to stake DU to a five-point halftime lead.

    The Lady Bears, who shot just 13.2 percent from the field in the first half of last year’s 30-point loss to the Bulldogs in Des Moines, hit only 7-of-27 (.259) field goal attempts in the opening period.

    It was more of the same at the onset of the second stanza, as Missouri State hit just two of its first 10 field goal attempts. But Jacque Griggs sparked a Lady Bear rally, converting two straight field goals with just over eight minutes to play to draw MSU to within three points.

    But Plummer sank a pair of free throws on DU’s next possession, then scored on a drive to the basket with 7:17 to play to give the Bulldogs some breathing room. After two more scoreless minutes, Turk drilled her third trey of the game, and McSparron capped the scoring run with a pair of free throws to give Drake its largest lead of the afternoon at 45-33 with 4:39 left on the clock.

    MSU was able to pull to within seven twice in the final four minutes, but could never get over the hump in falling to 0-4 in conference play for the first time in program history.

    Three Lady Bears totaled 12 points to share team-high scoring honors. Garrison went just 2-of-13 from the field, but was successful on 8-of-11 tries from the free throw line. The freshman added two assists and a game-high four steals. Griggs led MSU in rebounding (9)for the third straight game and accounted for four of the Lady Bears’ eight field goals in the second half. Boshe tallied nine of her 12 points in the opening half, going 5-of-11 from the field, and also pulled down five rebounds on the day.

 

The Coaches

Nyla Milleson (Kansas State, ’85) is in her second season as the head coach at Missouri State with a 15-30 mark as the Lady Bears’ mentor and an overall record of 200-66 in eight-plus years as a collegiate head coach. Milleson entered the 2008-09 season as the 24th-winningest active coach (.7809 win percentage) at all NCAA levels with at least five years head coaching experience. She led the Lady Bears to an 11-19 mark and a fifth-place Missouri Valley Conference finish in 2007-08. Prior to taking the reins of the MSU program, the Goodland, Kan., native guided Drury University to a 185-36 record 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, advancing 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. (See page 7 for a complete bio)

 

Jim Wiedie (Kent State, ’88) is in his ninth season guiding the Sycamores and overall as a collegiate head coach, having compiled a 148-99 record.

    In 2005-06, Wiedie was named MVC Coach of the Year for a second time after leading ISU to the first outright MVC title in school history. The Sycamores earned their third trip to the postseason in four years after cruising through MVC play with a 16-2 record.                        

       In 19 games against Missouri State, Wiedie’s teams have gone 6-13 and are 2-8 in games played in Springfield.

Series History

Missouri State leads the series with Indiana State, 40-14, and has taken 18 of the last 24 meetings. The Sycamores have won three straight games versus the Lady Bears, inclduing two in a row in Springfield.

    Last year, Indiana State took both meetings with MSU, including a 78-55 win in Hammons Student Center (Jan. 27). The Sycamores shot just under 52 percent from the field, as Angela Phillips handed out nine assists and went 6-of-11 from three-point range to tally a game-high 20 points in the ISU victory. The Lady Bears rebounded to take ISU into overtime three weeks later in Terre Haute before falling by an 86-77 score.

 

Scouting Indiana State

Saturday’s contest will feature two of the Missouri Valley Conference’s youngest teams, as Indiana State’s seven-player rotation includes four freshmen. Coming off an uncharacteristic 14-15 campaign, the Sycamores have just four healthy veterans at their disposal.

    Senior guard Leah Phillips suffered a season-ending knee injury on Jan. 1, placing an even larger scoring burden on junior guard Kelsey Luna, who leads the team with a 15.1 ppg. average. The St. Louis native is the MVC’s third-leading scorer and her .411 three-point field goal percentage ranks fifth in the conference. She also leads the club with 38 assists and her 31 steals are the third-most in the league. The only other returners to see regular playing time for ISU are sophomore forward Kelsie Cooley and senior forward Kara Schilli. Cooley enters Thursday’s action with averages of 8.3 points and 5.0 boards per contest and is shooting just under 49 percent from the floor. The Sycamores top rebounder, Schilli entered the week averaging 8.7 points and 6.7 rebounds per outing in MVC play. Two of ISU’s promising freshmen, Bianca Jarrett and Deja Mattox, have responded to increases in playing time as a result of Phillips’ injury. Jarrett was ISU’s second-leading scorer in MVC play coming into the week and had shot a team-best .481 in the three games. Despite shooting just 25 percent from the floor, Mattox contributed 9.7 points per game in the Sycamores’ first three Valley games. Freshman, 6-4 center Shannon Thomas, enters Thursday’s game among the Top 10 in blocked shots (0.9 bpg.) in The Valley to go along with averages of 5.7 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. Yet another Sycamore rookie, guard Brittany Schoen, has seen her production climb during conference play, chipping in an average of 4.0 points per contest and posting a team-high eight assists.

    Traditionally one of the MVC’s top shooting clubs, the Sycamores are once again among the league’s leaders in three-pointers made per game (6.7). ISU also ranks third in free throw percentage (.709) and fourth in assists (12.2 apg.).

 

Lady Bears vs. Indiana State

Indiana State outscored the Lady Bears by an average of 16 points and shot 48.8 percent from the floor in its two wins in the series last year. ISU’s defense was solid as well, limiting the Lady Bears to just 32.4 percent shooting. On the individual level, Maggie Dwyer averaged 12.0 points and 4.0 rebounds in the two games. Two years ago against the Sycamores, Roxy Stiles turned in a career-high 19-point effort in MSU’s 83-76 win in Terre Haute. Stiles converted 6-of-9 three-point attempts and 11-of-21 field goals overall in two games against ISU during her rookie campaign.

 

Valley Openers

After their three-point setback to UNI on Jan. 2, the Lady Bears are 11-6 in Missouri Valley Conference openers and 18-8 overall in conference openers since formal competition began in the Gateway in 1983.

    The Lady Bears have dropped their first two conference games of each of the last four seasons. Additionally, MSU has lost its first three MVC games in three of the last four years.

 

Preseason Picks

Missouri State was picked to finish sixth in the Missouri Valley Conference preseason poll of coaches, media and sports information directors. The Lady Bears received 215 points to finish behind Illinois State, Creighton, Drake, Evansville and UNI.

    Illinois State became the fourth team in MVC history to be a unanimous selection as the preseason No. 1 team and the first since 2001-02 when Drake received all 37 votes from the panel. The other two unanimous choices were the 1986-87 and 1987-88 Southern Illinois squads.

    Senior forward Maggie Dwyer was named to the league’s preseason all-conference team after earning second-team honors last season. The Grand Haven, Mich., native was also named MVC Newcomer of the Year in 2007-08, her first with MSU after transferring from Michigan State.

 

Number Five Leaving Her Mark

At the season’s half-way point, Casey Garrison is on pace to become the Lady Bears’ No. 2 freshman scorer since MSU made the move to Division I status in 1982. Garrison’s 240 points through the first 15 games of the season have already vaulted her to 15th on the list. She passed fellow Lady Bear Roxy Stiles (234 points in 2006-07) with Saturday’s 12-point effort at Drake, and needs three points to reach Kayli Combs (2005-06) and five points to catch Marisha Brown (2007-08).

    Jackie Stiles is the current MSU freshman scoring leader, having poured home 618 points during the 1997-98 campaign.

    Garrison is also on target to become the first Lady Bear freshman to lead MSU in scoring, rebounding and assists over a complete season. The Bolivar, Mo., product is averaging team-highs of 16.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. She has led MSU in scoring 11 times, assists 10 times and rebounds four times.

 

200 For Milleson

MSU second-year head coach Nyla Milleson recorded her 200th career victory at the collegiate level with the Lady Bears’ 77-68 win over Chattanooga (Dec. 20) at the Caribbean Classic in Cancun, Mexico.

    Now 200-66 in her ninth year at the college level, Milleson came into the 2008-09 season as the 24th-winningest active collegiate coach at all levels with at least five years head coaching experience. Milleson also amassed a 187-77 overall record in 10 seasons as a high school coach, bringing her combined coaching record to 387-143 (.730) in 19 seasons.

 

Inside the Numbers

Missouri State continues to lead the Missouri Valley Conference in steals per game, entering Saturday’s game with a 9.7 spg. average. The Lady Bears rank eighth in team scoring (60.5 ppg.) and ninth in scoring defense (66.5), while Indiana State enters Thursday’s action seventh in scoring offense (60.9) and sixth in team defense (63.4). Among the league’s individual leaders, freshman guard Casey Garrison has wasted little time in making a name for herself. The Bolivar, Mo., product ranks in the MVC’s Top 10 for scoring (second), free throw percentage (sixth), assists (eighth), assist-turnover ratio (seventh), steals (seventh), and minutes played (10th). Also among the circuit’s leaders, Jasmine Malone is tied for 10th in steals (1.7 spg.).

 

Second-Half Surge, Part II?

Missouri State will kick off the second half of the season this weekend looking to duplicate the formula that revitalized its offense at the midway point of last season. The Lady Bears’ offensive turnaround over their last 16 conference games of 2007-08 was remarkable on several different levels. MSU 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 also converted 72.3 percent of their free throws in those 16 games. 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 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.

 

Free and Easy

After converting just 64.9 percent of their free throw attempts in the season’s first six contests, the Lady Bears have heated up from the charity stripe over their last nine outings. MSU has knocked down 158-of-218 (.725) free throws, outscoring the opposition by 61 points at the foul line over the nine-game stretch.

    Missouri State’s .699 team free throw percentage ranks fourth in The Valley, but both its 230 made free throws and 329 attempts lead the circuit. Casey Garrison has been the most proficient Valley player in getting to the line, making a league-leading 93 trips to the stripe and converting 77 of those, also tops in the conference.

 

Bombs Away

The Lady Bears have connected from three-point range a minimum of three times in 10 of their 15 games this season and have hit at least one triple in 33 consecutive contests dating back to a 72-42 loss at Drake on Jan. 4, 2008. Prior to their 0-of-10 showing in that game, the Lady Bears had a 36-game streak of at least one three going. Dating back to the 2001-02 season, MSU has hit at least one trifecta in 191 of 193 games, highlighted by a 129-game stretch where they connected at least once from long distance in each outing.

 

On the Road Again

Missouri State has found the road to be an unfriendly place over the last four seasons. With its loss at Drake Saturday (Jan. 10), MSU has gone just 5-39 in road contests since 2004-05 and, including neutral court contests, has lost 43 out of its last 50 games away from its home floor.

    Five of those seven wins away from home have come under Nyla Milleson, including three road wins during a three-week span last January and February, when the Lady Bears knocked off UNI (1/17/08), Bradley (1/19/08) and Southern Illinois (2/8/08). Additionally, MSU’s three road wins last year was the most recorded by a Lady Bear squad since the 2004-05 campaign.

 

Fab Frosh

For the 14th time in 15 games this season, a freshman led the Lady Bears in scoring in MSU’s 56-44 loss to Drake (Jan. 10). Casey Garrison and Lacey Boshe each turned in 12-point performances to share team high scoring honors with Jacque Griggs.

    Four of the Lady Bears’ top six scorers are freshmen and, so far this season, six Missouri State rookies have accounted for just over two-thirds of MSU’s offense overall and 76.8 percent of the Lady Bears’ offense in the seven home dates. Garrison continues to pace the Missouri State offense, scoring at an 18.4 ppg. clip in JQH Arena, while Boshe is nearly scoring in double figures at home with a 9.9 ppg. average. Garrison and Malone have combined to knock down 57-of-69 (.826) free throw attempts at home.                              

    Two Missouri State freshmen found their way into the Lady Bears’ starting lineup to open the season Nov. 14 at SEMO, marking the third straight year MSU has started a pair of freshmen in its season opener. Garrison and Malone each drew starting assignments versus SEMO, as six Lady Bear freshmen in all made their Missouri State debuts against the Redhawks. Morgan Harrington became the seventh MSU freshman to see court time when she made her first collegiate appearance at Tulsa (Nov. 19). Harrington has seen her playing time steadily increase after missing the season opener at SEMO while recovering from a high ankle sprain.

    Roberson and Boshe cracked the MSU starting lineup Nov. 23 versus Arkansas State, and combined with Garrison, Malone and fellow freshman Regan Soldner to total 53 of the Lady Bears’ 61 points.

 

“Q” Rating

After compiling a 325-108 record in Hammons Student Center over the last 32 seasons, the Lady Bears dedicated their new $67 million home facility, JQH Arena, Nov. 23, with a 61-52 win over Arkansas State.                                     

    The “Q” is the fourth regular home of Missouri State women’s basketball in the 40-year history of the program. The Lady Bears utilized both McDonald Arena and the Greenwood Laboratory School gym from 1969 until Hammons Student Center opened in 1976. MSU continued to play some of its home games at McDonald through the 1979-80 season.

    The Lady Bears dropped their first game at Hammons to Iowa State by an 81-62 score on Dec. 11, 1976.

    Missouri State will be looking to add to its streak of 18 consecutive seasons ranked in the top 20 nationally in average attendance, which includes the 1992-93 campaign when the Lady Bears led all of Division I in that category. Last year, MSU averaged 5,158 fans per home game, good for 20th in the nation.

    The Lady Bears’ new home was made possible by a $30 million gift from MSU alumnus John Q. Hammons and will feature seating for more than 11,000 fans, 24 suites, the PRIME Overtime Club and the Missouri State University Hall of Fame and Legacy of Competition.

 

Garrison Honored

Freshman Casey Garrison was named the Missouri Valley Conference’s Newcomer of the Week for the third time in 2008-09 on Dec. 22. The 5-11 guard led Missouri State to a pair of wins and its top two offensive performances of the 2008-09 season in the Caribbean Classic in Cancun, Mexico, Dec. 19-20.

    Garrison posted averages of 17.0 ppg., 4.5 rpg., 4.5 apg. and 1.5 spg. to help the Lady Bears close out the non-conference portion of the schedule on a three-game win streak. She led all scorers with 24 points on 10-of-17 shooting from the field in a 77-68 win over Chattanooga (Dec. 20). Her three-pointer with 7:02 to play in the opening half started a 21-6 run and her second trey with 4:47 to go gave MSU a lead it would never relinquish. Garrison, who scored 18 points in the first half, would add two more baskets before the end of the period to help the Lady Bears take control of the game for good. The Bolivar, Mo., product would also finish with five rebounds, four assists and three steals.

    On Dec. 19, Garrison was one of five Lady Bears to finish in double figures with a 10-point, 5-assist, 4-rebound performance in an 82-63 victory over Stephen F. Austin.

    Garrison was previously honored by the league office on Nov. 24 and again on Dec. 8 following her 33-point performance in MSU’s near-upset of Western Kentucky (Dec. 7) that represented the second-highest point total in school history for a Lady Bear freshman.

   

On this Date...

January 17, 2008   Missouri State 78, UNI 55 The Lady Bears used a 16-0 second-half scoring run to take control of a tight ballgame and run away with a 23-point victory over UNI. MSU got key second-half performances from Tahnee Balerio and Marisha Brown to snap a 15-game road losing streak and earn its third consecutive win. Brown scored all 11 of her points after intermission and Balerio matched that effort to lead a Lady Bear offense that shot 60 percent (18-of-30) from the floor, including 5-of-8 from beyond the three-point line in the second period.

 

Buzz Bounces Back

One positive that came from MSU’s loss at Tulsa (Nov. 19) was the successful return of junior guard Melissa Busby from a torn ACL that had sidelined her since Feb. 14. Busby went 4-of-15 from the floor to lead the Lady Bears with 13 points and recorded a game-high four steals in 21 minutes of court time.

    In that game, the Edmond, Okla., native moved into sole possession of the No. 10 spot on MSU’s all-time three-point field goals made list. She has dialed it up successfully from long distance 82 times in 57 career games entering Saturday’s action. Busby also moved onto the Lady Bears’ career Top 10 chart for three-point attempts against UNI (Jan. 2) when she went 0-for-2 from behind the arc. She enters the game with 239 tries from beyond the arc, which is 38 attempts shy of K.C. Cowgill’s career total in the No. 9 spot on the list.

 

Fall Harvest

The Lady Bears locked up four commitments for the 2009-10 season during the NCAA’s early signing period, which ended November 19. Whitney Edie (Exeter, Mo.), Kelsey Smith (Coppell, Texas), Christiana Shorter (Tulsa, Okla.) and Alyson Stock (Nixa, Mo.) have signed National Letters of Intent to join the Missouri State women’s basketball program for the Fall 2009 semester.

    Edie became the fourth and final member of the Lady Bears’ fall signing class Nov. 17. The 6-1 forward has already totaled more than 1,900 points and 1,000 rebounds for her high school career at Exeter High. Last year she averaged over 26 points and 12 boards per outing in helping Exeter to its first-ever district title in girl’s basketball. Edie has failed to reach double digits in scoring in just one of 81 games as a prep.

    Shorter helped lead Booker T. Washington High School to a 23-4 overall record and the Oklahoma Class 5A state title in 2007-08, averaging 10 points and five rebounds per contest. At 6-2, Shorter brings the versatility to play the post or step out to a wing spot where she can exploit her athleticism and ability to run the floor. She chose the Lady Bears over the likes of Wichita State, Oklahoma State, Tulsa and New Mexico State.

    Smith was a first-team All-District 6-5A selection last season after averaging 16.7 points, seven boards and four assists in helping Coppell High go 20-16. A versatile athlete with the strong passing and shooting abilities, Smith can play on the block as well as the perimeter, where she has the ability to stretch defenses with her shooting range.

    Stock averaged just under 10 points and four boards last season in her first year playing at Nixa High. The 6-3 post helped the Lady Eagles to a 19-8 record last year. Stock originally committed to the Lady Bears during her sophomore year at Salisbury (Mo.) High School, where she was an MBCA Class 2 All-State selection in 2006-07.

 

Bears Live and Lady Bears Gameday Guide

Throughout the 2008-09 season, Lady Bear basketball will be shown on Missouri State’s on-line video channel, Bears Live -- a new, premium broadband video destination for exclusive live and on-demand Missouri State streaming video and audio content. Fans wanting to watch Bears and Lady Bears basketball through the Bears Live feature can subscribe at www.missouristatebears.com.

    Missouri State fans who subscribe to the Bears Live video streaming service will be able to watch 22 men’s and 20 women’s basketball games live on their computer in 2008-09. All home games will be streamed with the exception of regionally and nationally televised games. 

    Links to live game stats (when available) and KTXR’s free, on-line broadcast of every Missouri State women’s basketball game can be found on the Lady Bears’ Gameday page located on the MSU Athletics Web site.

 

Missouri State Peaks in The Valley

The Lady Bears are 204-84 all-time against Valley opponents with a 119-25 home record against league foes. Since joining the MVC in 1992, the Lady Bears have won at least a share of eight regular-season titles and seven conference tournaments. Missouri State has played in 10 of the 15 Valley tournament championship games.