SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- It may have been Senior Day at JQH Arena Sunday (March 1), but it was Missouri State’s underclassmen who keyed the Lady Bears’ 69-57 victory over Southern Illinois in Missouri Valley Conference women’s basketball action. Sophomore Jacque Griggs’ career-high 16 points and team-high eight rebounds off the bench in Missouri State’s home finale helped send the Lady Bears to their fourth consecutive win heading into the final week of the regular season.
Griggs’ went 5-of-8 from the floor and knocked down 6-of-7 free throw attempts to lead three Lady Bears in double figures. A pair of freshmen, Casey Garrison and Jaleshia Roberson, also turned in critical performances for MSU. Roberson turned in a 12-point effort that included two big three-pointers, while Garrison registered 11 points to go along with five rebounds, four steals, two blocks and two assists.
Missouri State got its offense going early in the contest by converting seven of its first 11 field goal attempts, including its first four from beyond the three-point arc. Behind triples from Roberson and Jasmine Malone, MSU built a 10-4 lead with just over 16 minutes remaining in the opening half.
After a Jasmine Gibson jumper pulled the Salukis to within four, Morgan Harrington’s trey started a 9-0 scoring run for the Lady Bears. A Griggs’ steal and basket off the ensuing inbounds pass resulted in a five-point swing for MSU, and layups by Harrington and Garrison stretched the lead to 13 points at the 12:45 mark.
SIU was able to cut into the Lady Bear lead with a 13-4 run, getting four points apiece from Erica Smith and Katrina Swingler, to draw to within 23-19 with 8:38 to go before the break.
The Lady Bears would respond by scoring 10 of the next 13 points to push their lead back to double digits before taking a 40-30 lead into the halftime locker room. MSU finished the half shooting .538 (14-of-26) from the field and 4-of-5 from three-point range.
After the strong start to the game, the Lady Bears struggled at the onset of the second period, hitting just two of their first nine shots, as SIU trimmed its deficit to five points on an Olivia Lett layup with 15:28 to play.
MSU responded with seven straight points to start an 14-5 scoring spurt that handed the Lady Bears a 57-43 lead with just over eight minutes to go. Maggie Dwyer, playing in her final home game as a Lady Bear, started the run with three straight points, and buckets by Harrington and Malone made it a 50-38 contest with 11:51 left on the clock.
After three straight points by SIU’s Karlee Myers, MSU got a Roberson basket in transition, followed by a Lacey Boshe field goal at the 9:09 mark. Just over a minute later, Griggs’ putback off a Roberson missed free throw would give the Lady Bears a 14-point advantage, matching their largest lead of the afternoon.
Southern Illinois, which fell to 8-18 overall and 4-13 in MVC play, never seriously threatened the Lady Bear lead, drawing only to within eight points on two occasions the rest of the contest. The Salukis did get big days from Gibson, who scored a game-high 19 points, and Smith (14 points, 12 rebounds), who posted her second double-double of the season versus MSU.
As they have for much of the season, Lady Bear freshmen carried the offensive load, accounting for 45 of MSU’s 69 points on the day. In addition to Griggs’ career performance, Harrington also posted a career-best scoring effort, finishing with nine points on 4-of-6 shooting, as well as a pair of assists and two blocks.
The Lady Bears, who improved to 10-17 on the season and 6-10 in conference play, will close the regular season on the road with a pair of games next week, starting with a Thursday (March 5) match-up against Bradley in East Peoria, Ill. Game time at Lorene Ramsey Gym is set for 7:05 p.m.
