SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- The Missouri State Lady Bears fell victim to a strong defensive effort by visiting Georgetown Saturday afternoon, dropping a 79-55 decision in their season opener at JQH Arena. The Hoyas held MSU without a field goal for nearly 13 minutes spanning the end of the opening half and the first 7:12 of the second period to build a lead that the cold-shooting Lady Bears could not overcome.
Georgetown, which shot .485 from the floor, limited the Lady Bears to just 30.4 percent shooting for the game, including a 4-of-19 showing from beyond the three-point arc, and forced 25 MSU turnovers.
After a Whitney Edie basket with 4:38 remaining in the first half cut the Lady Bear deficit to 26-21, the Hoyas turned up the defensive pressure to outscore MSU 9-1 to close the half as part of a 16-5 run over the final 6:28 of the period that resulted in a 35-22 GU lead heading into the locker room.
Adria Crawford and Sugar Rodgers accounted for 17 of Georgetown's first half points, as the Hoyas shot .444 (16-of-36) for the period. The visitors also enjoyed a sizable advantage on the boards, outrebounding the Lady Bears by a 25-15 margin that included a 12 to 8 advantage on the offensive glass.
Georgetown picked up right where it left off to begin the second half, using a 15-3 spurt over the first seven minutes of the stanza to build a 50-25 lead.
But the Lady Bears weren't quite done, twice clawing to within 14 points in the closing minutes. Trailing 53-33 with just under 10 minutes to play, Casey Garrison sparked MSU with field goals on successive possessions, followed by four straight points from freshman Christiana Shorter to make it a 53-39 game.
GU came right back, getting a three from Monica McNutt and a pair of free throws from Rodgers before MSU would respond with two Regan Soldner charity tosses and a triple from Melissa Busby with 8:24 to go that brought the Lady Bears to within 58-44.
Georgetown again had an answer, as two three-pointers by Rubylee Wright and another by Latia McGee sparked a 14-2 run that spelled doom for Missouri State. The Hoyas expanded their lead to 26 with just under five minutes to play and the Lady Bears would get no closer than 22 the rest of the way.
The lopsided loss came on the heels of a promising start for Missouri State, as the Lady Bears broke out of the gate with a Jaleshia Roberson three-pointer from the top of the key on their first possession, then stretched their advantage to 8-2 on back-to-back baskets by Garrison.
Georgetown (1-0) would go to work on the defensive end to climb back into the game. The Hoyas would hold MSU scoreless for nearly five minutes as part of a 7-0 run that gave the visitors an 11-10 lead with just over 12 minutes to play in the half. Crawford and Rodgers combined for all seven of GU's points during the spurt and 11 of the Hoyas first 13 in all.
Rodgers led all scorers in her first collegiate game, totaling 21 points to lead four Hoyas in double digits.
Garrison led MSU with 15 points to go along with six assists and six boards. Shorter also posted a strong debut, finishing with 12 points and four steals in her first game as a Lady Bear.
Missouri State (0-1) will continue its three-game home stand Wednesday (Nov. 18) when it takes on Saint Louis in a 7:05 p.m. contest at JQH Arena.