Missouri State Lady Bears (8-17, 4-10 MVC)

 

Game Overview

After knocking off Wichita State last Saturday (Feb. 21) to earn their second straight Missouri Valley Conference victory, the Missouri State Lady Bears (8-17, 4-10 MVC) will look to make it three in a row Friday (Feb. 27) evening when they take on the Evansville Purple Aces (10-16, 3-12 MVC) to open the final home weekend of the season at JQH Arena. 

    Both the Lady Bears and Purple Aces will be jockeying for position entering the final two weekends of the Missouri Valley Conference's regular season. Missouri State enters Friday's game in seventh place, while Evansville comes in one-half game ahead of Wichita State for the No. 9 spot in the conference race. The Lady Bears are just a half-game up on Southern Illinois (4-11), which will pay JQH Arena a visit on Sunday (March 1) in MSU's home finale. Missouri State will travel to Bradley and UNI to close out the conference season next weekend. The Lady Bears will need to pick up some ground on UNI over the next four games in order to avoid a play-in game at the State Farm MVC Tournament in St. Charles, Mo. The Panthers enter this weekend's action with a 6-8 mark in MVC play and a firm hold on the sixth spot in the standings, two full games ahead of MSU.

 

Quick Hits

Missouri State must win one of its two remaining home games to avoid matching the 1985-86 club for the worst home record (4-10) in program history

With a victory Friday, the Lady Bears would sweep the season series with Evansville for the ninth time since the Purple Aces joined The Valley in 1994-95; MSU has not taken both meetings from UE since the 2003-04 season

Casey Garrison’s 15.9 ppg. scoring average is tops among all true freshmen in Division I women’s basketball; the 5-11 guard ranks second in scoring in the MVC and remains on course    to become the first Lady Bear to lead her club in scoring, rebounding and assists as a freshman

 

Last Time Out

The Lady Bears torched the nets to the tune of 58.3 percent shooting in the first half to build a double-digit lead over Wichita State, then turned back the Shockers’ comeback bid in the second stanza to post a 75-65 victory Saturday (Feb. 21) at JQH Arena. Led by Casey Garrison’s 15-point effort, five Lady Bears finished in double-figures, as MSU won for the second straight game to improve to 4-10 in MVC play and 8-17 on the season.

    Despite being outshot by the Shockers (.464), the Lady Bears finished the game 25-of-55 (.455) from the floor and 21-of-25 (.840) from the foul line. MSU matched a season high with 18 assists while forcing 22 WSU turnovers on the day.

    The Lady Bears took control of the game right out of the gate, connecting on their first seven field goal attempts to build an early seven-point lead. Garrison’s basket just 10 seconds into the game opened the scoring, and Jaleshia Roberson knocked down a three on the Lady Bears’ next possession. Roberson would hit two more shots during the key stretch and MSU wouldn’t miss a shot until Garrison’s 18-footer was off the mark seven minutes into the contest.

    Wichita State’s Marcy Sudbeck carried the offensive load for the Shockers in the opening minutes, hitting her first three shots to keep WSU within striking distance.

    After WSU trimmed the Lady Bear lead to 13-10 on a Daria Frazier field goal at the 14:24 mark, MSU would go on an 11-1 scoring run to extend its advantage to double-digits for the first time. Another Roberson trey highlighted the spurt and Jasmine Malone’s 15-foot jumper with 9:41 to play in the period stretched the margin to 24-11. The Lady Bears would push their lead to as many as 14 points before the Shockers used a 14-5 run to pull to within 36-30 with just over two minutes to go in the half.

    The Lady Bears responded with eight unanswered points before WSU’s Marisah Henderson banked in a three-pointer just ahead of the first-half buzzer. MSU got 10-point performances from Roberson and fellow freshman Lacey Boshe in the opening period, and its 44 points equaled a season-high for offensive production in a single half.

    The Shockers continued to cut into the Missouri State lead at the onset of the second half, scoring the first five points of the period to pull to back to within seven points of the Lady Bears.

    But a Garrison three started an 11-4 MSU run over a three-minute stretch that would push the advantage back to 14.

    Wichita State drew to within 63-56 after Henderson scored in the paint with 9:28 to play, but that would be as close as the Shockers would get. The Lady Bears scored eight straight points and over the ensuing three-and-a-half minutes to take their largest lead of the day and put the game away for good.

    Boshe finished with 14 points and a team-high seven boards, while Roberson added six assists to her 10-point effort. Maggie Dwyer (12 points) and Jacque Griggs (11 points) joined the freshman trio in double figures.

    The Shockers got a game-high 19-point day from Frazier and a double-double from Sudbeck, who turned in a 15-point, 13-rebound effort in the loss.

 

The Coaches

Nyla Milleson (Kansas State, ’85) is in her second season as the head coach at Missouri State with a 19-36 mark as the Lady Bears’ mentor and an overall record of 204-72 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 9 for a complete bio)

 

Misty Murphy (Colorado State, ’98) has led the Purple Aces to an 10-16 mark in her first year as the Evansville head coach. Murphy accepted the UE job last spring after helping guide Rice to a pair of postseason appearances and a 51-46 mark in three years as an assistant coach at Rice. Murphy spent four years as a Division II head coach at Colorado State-Pueblo, where she went 66-46 and won a pair of Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference titles. The Grand Junction, Colo., native also headed the Sheridan College program from 1999-2001, leading her team to back-to-back Region IX North Sub-Region titles at the junior college level.

    A former Division I standout at Colorado State, Murphy started her coaching career at her alma mater, then moved on to Northern Colorado for two years before taking the head coaching job at Sheridan.

Series History

Missouri State leads the series with Evansville by a 23-9 margin and has taken all but one of the previous 14 contests played by the two schools in Springfield. The two teams have split their last 10 meetings, with MSU claiming a 76-63 victory in Evansville on Jan. 29 in the first match-up of the season. Behind Jaleshia Roberson's 11 points in the first six minutes of the second half, the Lady Bears used a 13-4 scoring run to turn a seven-point halftime lead into a 45-29 advantage. The win for Missouri State was its first over the Purple Aces in Evansville since the 2003-04 season.

 

Scouting Evansville

Coming off a breakthrough 2007-08 campaign that saw the Purple Aces catch fire midway through the season en route to capturing a share of the MVC regular season title, UE was tabbed fourth in The Valley’s preseason poll. Misty Murphy took over as head coach of the Purple Aces after 2008 MVC Coach of the Year Tricia Cullop accepted the head job at Toledo following the season. UE returns three starters and 10 letterwinners from last year’s 21-12 squad. Through the first 26 games of the season, UE has gotten balanced scoring to rank sixth in scoring offense in the conference (62.1 ppg.) entering Saturday’s contest. Senior guard Ashley Austin, ranks among the conference’s leaders in steals (5th) and minutes played (4th), while scoring at a team-best 12.6 ppg. clip and handing out a team-high 81 assists. Junior guard Amy Gallagher is second on the squad with an 11.6 ppg. average on the strength of a  40.6 percent field goal percentage. The Neligh, Neb., native suffered a foot injury Feb. 14 versus Drake and missed the Purple Aces' last two contests, but her 39 steals and 62 assists are still second on the club. Center Shannon Novosel was a preseason all-MVC selection after earning second-team all-league honors last year. Coming into Saturday’s game, the 6-1 senior is averaging 10.5 points, 6.1 boards and 1.4 blocks per outing. Another senior, Robyn Jennings, enters the week as one of the MVC’s top three-point shooters, hitting 40 percent of her attempts from beyond the arc so far this season. The 5-11 forward also leads the team in rebounding (6.2 rpg.) and is the sixth-best free throw shooter (.805) in the conference.

    As a team, Evansville ranks sixth in the MVC in free throw percentage (69.1%), but last in field goal percentage (35.3%). The Purple Aces have been strong on the glass, pulling down an average of 39.3 rebounds per game, good for third in The Valley. On the defensive side, UE is allowing 65.2 points per contest to rate seventh in the conference.

   

Lady Bears vs. Evansville

The Lady Bears turned in one of their best offensive showings of the season against the Purple
Aces in a 13-point win over UE in Evansville on Jan. 29. MSU got a then-career-high 19 point effort from freshman Jaleshia Roberson, who scored 11 points in the first 6:13 of the second half to help turn a seven-point lead into a 45-29 Lady Bear advantage. She also recorded career bests of seven boards and four steals. Another freshman, Casey Garrison, registered her third double-double of the season with a 19-point, 10-rebound effort. MSU shot .480 (24-of-50) from the field and converted 24-of-34 (.706)attempts from the foul line in picking up its first road win of the season. On an individual level, Maggie Dwyer has experienced a good deal of success against UE in her career, entering Friday's game with averages of 14.3 points, 8.3 boards and 2.7 assists in three games. Melissa Busby has also tasted success versus the Purple Aces, knocking down 12-of-29 career three-point attempts to average 9.2 points in five outings against UE.

 

Number 5 Leaving Her Mark

With the 2008-09 season entering the home stretch, Casey Garrison’s 15.9 ppg. scoring average is the top mark for a true freshman in all of Division I women’s basketball. The 5-11 guard 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 398 points through the first 25 games of the season have already vaulted her into third place on the list. She passed Roshonda Reed (379) and Jenni Lingor (380) with her nine-point effort at Indiana State (Feb. 14) and needs just 58 points to catch Kari Koch (456) in the No. 2 spot.

    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 15.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. She has led MSU in scoring 18 times, assists 14 times and rebounds 11 times.

 

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 19 outings. MSU has knocked down 310-of-422 (.735) free throws, outscoring the opposition by 95 points at the foul line over the 19-game stretch.

    Missouri State’s .715 team free throw percentage now ranks third in The Valley, but both its 382 made free throws and 534 attempts lead the circuit. Casey Garrison has been the most proficient Valley player in getting to the line, making a league-leading 137 trips to the stripe and converting 111 of those, also tops in the conference.

 

Inside the Numbers

Missouri State continues to lead the Missouri Valley Conference in steals per game, entering the weekend with a 9.3 spg. average. The Lady Bears are fourth in team scoring (62.4 ppg.) and rate ninth in scoring defense (65.8). 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 (2nd), rebounding (7th), assists (t-6th), free throw percentage (3rd), assist-turnover ratio (5th), offensive rebounds (5th), steals (6th) and minutes played (9th).

 

Fandemonium

Entering Friday's game, the Lady Bears are on pace to extend a streak that dates back 19 seasons, having drawn 56,907 spectators in 12 home dates at JQH Arena this season. MSU's per-game average of 4,742 fans currently leads The Valley and ranks 19th nationally. Missouri State's has outdrawn 14 ranked teams, as well as regional foes Missouri (1,547 per game), Arkansas (1,818), Kansas (3,128), Nebraska (3,213) and Kansas State (4,580).

    Since the 1990-91 season, Missouri State has led The Valley and ranked in the top 25 nationally in average attendance each year, including a string of 10 straight top-10 finishes from 1992 through the 2000-01 season. The Lady Bears led all of  Division I women’s basketball in attendance during the 1992-93 season by averaging 7,421 fans per contest.

 

Senior Send-Off

Missouri State will honors its two graduating seniors, Jamie Adams and Maggie Dwyer, Sunday when the Lady Bears take on Southern Illinois in their home finale at JQH Arena. A two-year member of the Lady Bear program, Adams joined head coach Nyla Milleson's squad after the completion of her fourth year on the Missouri State volleyball squad, which she helped to three straight NCAA Tournament appearances, earning all-MVC honors in 2006. Last spring, Adams earned her bachelor's degree from MSU, and this season was selected as team co-captain. A Liberty, Mo., product, Adams is on pace to complete her MBA in May. Dwyer made an immediate impact on the Lady Bears' fortunes last year in her first season with MSU after competing her first two years at Michigan State. The Grand Haven, Mich., native averaged a team-high 13.6 points per game en route to earning MVC Newcomer of the Year and second-team all-conference honors in 2007-08. Also a team co-captain, Dwyer is on pace to graduate with her bachelor's degree in child and family development.

 

On the Road Again

Missouri State has found the road to be an unfriendly place over the last four seasons. MSU is 2-9 in road games this season after its 13-point win at Indiana State on Feb. 14, and has gone just 7-43 in road contests since 2004-05. Including neutral court contests, MSU has lost 47 out of its last 56 games away from its home floor. Seven of those nine 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 were the most recorded by a Lady Bear squad since the 2004-05 campaign.

 

Mags on the Move

Senior forward Maggie Dwyer has dialed it in from the foul line since the start of conference play. Dwyer has connected on 34-of-42 (.810) free throw attempts, good for the fourth-best individual percentage in league games. She has also heated up from long range, knocking down seven of her last 17 (.412) three-point tries. Those figures show marked improvement from her production over the first eight games of the season, when she shot just 24.5 percent from the floor and 55.3 percent from the charity stripe to average 5.9 points and 3.5 boards per game.

 

Power in the Paint

The Lady Bears dominated Indiana State on the interior on Jan. 17, finishing with sizable advantages in total rebounds, points in the paint and blocked shots. MSU’s 52 rebounds represented a season high and the most registered by the Lady Bears since Nov. 20, 2007, when they grabbed 52 boards in a loss at Arkansas State. The Lady Bears’ seven blocks was also a season high and the most by MSU since Dec. 4, 2007 against Tulsa. Missouri State also enjoyed a solid shooting day versus the Sycamores, connecting on 25-of-41 (.610) field goal attempts inside the three-point arc and shooting 46.3 percent overall from the field.

    In losses to Illinois State and Wichita State that followed the win over the Sycamores, however, the Lady Bears were outscored by a 70-40 margin in the paint. Illinois State reversed the Lady Bears +15 rebound margin from the previous game, manhandling MSU on the boards for a 47-32 advantage. Also, both ISU and WSU blocked eight Lady Bear shots in their respective contests against MSU.

 

Hall of Fame Happenings

Missouri State inducted seven individuals into its Athletics Hall of Fame on Feb. 7. The 2009 class included Jackie Stiles (women’s basketball, 1997-2001), Johnny Murdock (men’s basketball, 1991-95), Bill O’Neill (coach/administrator, 1970-2008), Mark Stillwell (SID/administrator, 1972-2008), Keith Champion (baseball 1978-81), Kate Madden (softball 1993-96) and Brianne (McGuirk) Calvert (swimming, 1999-2003).

 

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.

 

MSU Peaks in The Valley

The Lady Bears are 208-90 all-time against Valley opponents with a 121-28 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.

 

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.

 

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 204-72 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 391-149 (.724) in 19 seasons.

 

Fab Frosh

For the 24th time in 25 games this season, a freshman led the Lady Bears in scoring in MSU’s victory over Wichita State last Saturday (Feb. 21). Casey Garrison registered a 15-point afternoon to lead a contingent of five double-figure scorers, marking the 18th time this season she has paced the MSU offense.

    Four of the Lady Bears’ top five 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 70.6 percent of the Lady Bears’ offense in their 11 home dates. Garrison continues to pace the Missouri State offense, scoring at an 17.6 ppg. clip in JQH Arena, while Lacey Boshe is nearly scoring in double figures at home with a 9.8 ppg. average. Garrison and Jasmine Malone have combined to knock down 78-of-97 (.804) 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.

    Jaleshia 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.

 

Roster Refresh

The 2008-09 Lady Bears’ roster includes two seniors, two juniors, one sophomore and six freshmen. The 11-member group includes five returning letterwinners and six newcomers. The Lady Bears return two starters from last season, including All-MVC second-team forward Maggie Dwyer. Junior guard Melissa Busby also spent some time in MSU’s starting lineup in 2007-08. Other returnees include senior forward Jamie Adams, junior guard Roxy Stiles and sophomore forward Jacque Griggs. Newcomers include Lacey Boshe, Casey Garrison, Morgan Harrington, Jasmine Malone, Jaleshia Roberson and Regan Soldner. Junior guard Kendra Roberts will sit out the upcoming season after transferring to MSU from Arkansas.

 

On Standby

The Lady Bears will have to wait until the 2009-10 season to obtain the services of junior guard Kendra Roberts, who joined the Missouri State program in June after playing her first two collegiate campaigns at the University of Arkansas.

    Roberts will sit out this season per NCAA transfer guidelines and have two years of eligibility remaining.

 

Bombs Away

The Lady Bears have connected from three-point range a minimum of three times in 20 of their 25 games this season and have hit at least one triple in 43 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 201 of 203 games, highlighted by a 129-game stretch where they connected at least once from long distance in each outing.

 

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 93 times in 67 career games entering Friday’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 Friday’s game with 290 tries from beyond the arc, which is ninth 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.

 

Roberson Tabbed Valley’s Top Newcomer

Freshman guard Jaleshia Roberson came off the MSU bench to average 22.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 3.0 steals per game in road games at Evansville (Jan. 29) and Southern Illinois (Jan. 31) to earn MVC Newcomer of the Week honors for the period Jan. 26-Feb. 1.

    She totaled 16 of her 19 points versus Evansville in the second half to help seal the Lady Bears’ first road win of the season. The Grandview, Mo., native scored 11 points in the first 6:13 of the second stanza and connected on 5-of-7 attempts from both the field and the foul line after the break to help the Lady Bears snap a 10-game road losing streak. She also pulled down a career-best seven rebounds and matched another career-high with four steals.

    Against Southern Illinois, Roberson was even better, pouring home 22 second-half points en route to establishing a new career scoring high for the second consecutive game with a 26-point afternoon. She was a perfect 6-of-6 from the foul line and 7-of-11 from the floor after intermission.

 

Missouri State All-Time

Missouri State is in its 40th season of women’s collegiate basketball and has an all-time record of 672-472 (.587). 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.

 

Garrison Honored

On the strength of her second career double-double, Casey Garrison earned a clean sweep of the Missouri Valley Conference’s weekly awards for the period of January 12-18. The 5-11 guard was named MVC Player of the Week for the first time in her career, in addition to garnering her fourth MVC Newcomer of the Week honor this season after turning in an 18-point, 11-rebound performance to help the Lady Bears pick up their first Valley victory of the season.

    In addition to registering game highs for points and rebounds, Garrison recorded a game-high five assists and totaled 14 points after intermission in a 77-53 MSU win (Jan. 17) that sent Indiana State to its first MVC loss in five games. In all, Garrison went 7-of-13 from the floor and 4-of-5 at the charity stripe. Her 11 boards matched a career high and played a key role in MSU dominating the Sycamores on the glass by a 52-37 margin.

    Garrison was previously honored as the league’s top newcomer Nov. 24, Dec. 8 and Dec. 22. The Bolivar, Mo., product becomes the first Valley women’s basketball player to earn both awards in the same week since Creighton’s Kelsey Woodard accomplished the feat last February 4, and the first Lady Bear to earn the league’s player of the week honor since Tahnee Balerio did so on Dec. 22, 2006.

 

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.