2009 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament

Opening Round 

 

Missouri State Lady Bears (10-19, 6-12 MVC)

 

Tournament Overview

The Missouri State Lady Bears will begin their quest for an unprecedented 10th conference tournament title Thursday (March 12) when they take on the Wichita State Shockers in the opening round of the 2009 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament at 8:35 p.m. The 24th installment of the MVC's postseason tournament will be held at The Family Arena in St. Charles, Mo., for the second straight year, with the champion of the 10-team field earning the conference's automatic NCAA Tournament berth.

    Missouri State enters this year's tournament as the No. 7 seed after going 6-12 in league play, while Wichita State went 4-14 in The Valley and comes in as the No. 10 seed. The Lady Bears and Shockers split their two meetings this season, with Wichita claiming a 66-62 win on its home floor (Jan. 24), and MSU returning the favor with a 75-65 win in Springfield (Feb. 21). Thursday's contest will be the fourth match-up of the two schools in MVC Tournament play. MSU defeated the Shockers at the 1995 and 2004 tourneys, while WSU knocked off the Lady Bears at the 2002 meet.

 

Quick Hits

The Lady Bears will be the seventh seed at the MVC Tournament for the second time ever; MSU's previous entry as the No. 7 seed resulted in its ninth conference tourney title in 2006

In its 21 previous trips to the conference tourney, Missouri State is 13-8 in tournament openers, but just 1-2 when opening in the play-in round

MSU is 33-12 all-time at the MVC Tournament, but just 6-4 in neutral-court games

MSU has outscored the opposition 3,258 to 2,856 in its previous 45 MVC Tournament games, good for an +8.9 ppg. scoring margin

Casey Garrison's 462 points is the top total among all NCAA Division I true freshmen this season, while her 15.9 ppg. average trails EKU's Kayla Drake by just 0.032 ppg. for the national scoring lead in her class; Garrison moved past Kari Koch for the No. 2 spot on MSU's all-time freshman scoring list last Saturday at UNI

 

Last Time Out

Missouri State put up a valiant fight in its regular-season finale, but couldn’t overcome one of the Missouri Valley Conference’s hottest teams in a 72-64 loss to UNI Saturday (March 7) at the McLeod Center. The Panthers shot 48 percent from the floor and got a game-high 17 points from freshman guard K.K. Armstrong to earn their third straight victory.

    UNI used a 10-0 run early in the second half to turn a three-point game into a 51-38 advantage. After Lacey Boshe’s basket with 16:25 to play in the contest capped a 9-2 MSU spurt and trimmed UNI’s lead to 41-38, Nicole Clausen and Erin Brocka connected from three-point range on successive possessions to spark the Panthers’ attack. Armstrong followed with two of her 13 second-half points, and Indy Uhlenhopp’s basket in the lane with 12:38 to go gave UNI a 13-point cushion, its largest of the afternoon.

    Missouri State would battle back, reeling off 15 of the next 21 points, including eight straight at one point, to pull to within 57-53. Jasmine Malone scored all seven of her points during the run, highlighted by her three-pointer at the 6:20 mark.

    But UNI would hold on down the stretch, getting a key three-point play from Lizzie Boeck with 2:18 remaining to seal the outcome. The Panthers’ sophomore tallied five of her 11 points in the final five and a half minutes, while Armstrong would account for six points over the same period by going 4-for-4 at the foul line. Kim Wypiszynski also came up big for UNI when it mattered most, converting key field goal attempts at the 4:05 and 2:46 marks after the Lady Bears had cut the deficit to four and five points, respectively.

    Missouri State jumped out the an eight point lead early in the game on the strength of a 7-0 spurt in which Boshe scored four of her six first-half points. UNI responded with a 15-3 run of its own, taking its first lead of the contest on an Armstrong free throw with 9:35 left on the clock.

    Jaleshia Roberson scored five straight points for MSU, and Boshe’s two free throws at the 4:59 mark gave the Lady Bears their final lead of the day at 24-23.

    UNI would turn in a strong final five minutes of the stanza, taking the lead for good on a pair of Lindsey Swanson free throws with 4:28 to play, and then push its advantage to 35-29 by the end of the half by scoring six of the final seven points before the break.

    Senior Jamie Adams provided a spark off the MSU bench in the opening 20 minutes of the game, scoring a season high five points by going 3-of-4 at the charity stripe. After turning in a perfect 12-for-12 performance at the foul line in Thursday’s loss at Bradley, the Lady Bears were once again on target from the free throw in the opening half Saturday, finishing 12-of-13.

MSU would go just 3-of-7 at the line after the break, however.

    Missouri State, which shot 48.3 percent from the floor in the second half, got a team-high 14 points from Casey Garrison, and 12 from Boshe.

 

The Coaches

Nyla Milleson (Kansas State, ’85) is in her second season as the head coach at Missouri State with a 21-38 mark as the Lady Bears’ mentor and an overall record of 206-74 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)

 

Jody Adams (Tennessee, ’94) has compiled a 12-17 mark in her first year as the Shockers head coach. Adams was named the seventh coach in the history of the Wichita State program last spring after leading Murray State to a 24-8 record and an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2007-08, her first year as a collegiate head coach. Prior to taking the reins of the Racers’ program, Adams spent three seasons as an assistant coach at Southern Illinois, helping guide the Salukis to the 2006-07 MVC regular-season title. The Cleveland, Tenn., native has also made coaching stops at UMKC, Minnesota, Wake Forest and Auburn after beginning her career as a student assistant at Tennessee. Adams was a two-year starter at point guard at UT for legendary head coach Pat Summitt, helping lead the Lady Vols to the 1991 NCAA National Championship.

Series History

The Lady Bears hold a 43-21 advantage in the series with the Shockers and a 2-1 mark against WSU in the MVC Tournament. Thursday's contest will be the first-ever neutral-site meeting between the two schools, with each of the three previous tournament games taking place on the Lady Bears' home floor. The last postseason match-up between the Lady Bears and Shockers took place at the 2004 MVC Tournament, ending in a 79-60 victory for Missouri State.

    In the two schools' first meeting of the 2008-09 season, Wichita State outlasted the Lady Bears, 66-62 in Wichita on Jan. 24. WSU shot just 62.2 percent from the foul line, but hit just enough to hold off Missouri State down the stretch. The Shockers scored nine of their last 13 points at the charity stripe and got a career-high 28 points from Marcy Sudbeck to overcome a four-point deficit in the final five minutes. The Lady Bears exacted their revenge in Springfield (Feb. 21), torching the nets to the tune of 58.3 percent shooting in the first half to build a double-digit lead. MSU turned back the Shockers’ comeback bid in the second stanza, posting a 75-65 victory as five Lady Bears finished in double-figures.

   

Scouting Wichita State

Picked to finish last in the Missouri Valley Conference’s preseason poll, Wichita State got off to a surprising 9-4 start before dropping 13 of its last 16 contests in MVC play. New coach Jody Adams has built the base of her club around a trio of returners from last year’s 9-22 squad, led by seniors Marcy Sudbeck and Daria Frazier. A 6-1 forward, Sudbeck leads the team with averages of 13.4 points and 8.7 rebounds per contest and has made the opposition pay at the foul line by converting 108-of-138 (.783) attempts. Frazier is the Shockers’ leading shooter, having hit on 47 percent of her field goal tries this season. She is second only to Sudbeck on the boards, entering the tournament with a 6.0 rpg. average. Sophomore guard Jacie Hoyt (7.3 ppg.) has started all 29 games and is second on the squad and fourth in the conference in assists (3.9 apg.). Two newcomers, Marisah Henderson and Val Siemens, have also made significant contributions. Henderson leads The Valley in assists (6.7 apg.) and is the Shockers’ fourth-leading scorer (8.4 ppg.), while sophomore transfer Siemens is also scoring at an 8.4 ppg. clip and has converted a team-best 47 three-point tries.

    As a team, Wichita State enters the postseason with the sixth-best scoring offense (60.9 ppg.), as well as the No. 5 scoring defense (64.3 ppg.) in the conference. The Shockers are shooting 39 percent from the floor, while limiting their opponents to .396 shooting. WSU also ranks second in the league in steals (8.8 spg.), third in assists (13.9 apg.) and fourth in blocks (3.3 bpg.).

 

Tournament Tough

The Lady Bears enter this year’s State Farm MVC Tournament with a league-best 33-12 (.733) all-time mark in the event since the initial Gateway Conference meet in 1983. Since 1991, Missouri State has played in 12 of the 18 tournament championship games and is the only school to win the title four straight years (1991-94). Missouri State will be trying for its 10th tourney title, with wins in 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 2001, 2003, 2004 and 2006 to its credit.

    Missouri State enters the tourney with all-time records of 1-2 in the opening round, 11-4 in the quarterfinals, 12-3 in the semifinals and 9-3 in championship games.

 

Most Valuable Lady Bears

Five different Lady Bears have earned league tournament MVP honors a total of seven times, which is more than any other league member. Tina Robbins became the first MSU cager to earn the honor in 1994, and LaTanya Davis picked up the award in 1996. Jackie Stiles was a two-time MVP, receiving the award in both 2000 and 2001. Kari Koch became the first freshman in league history to be named tournament MVP in 2003, then captured the same award as a senior in 2006.  Finally, Jenni Lingor earned the honor in 2004. Missouri State also has had the most players named to MVC all-tournament teams with 23 honorees in the 16 years the league has named such a squad.

 

Fab Frosh

For the 26th time in 29 games this season, a freshman led the Lady Bears in scoring in MSU’s loss at UNI to close the conference season. Casey Garrison scored 14 points for the Lady Bears, marking the 20th time this season she has paced MSU's scoring attack.

    Four of the Lady Bears’ top six scorers are freshmen and, so far this season, six Missouri State rookies have accounted for just over 68 percent of MSU’s offense overall and 69.3 percent of the Lady Bears’ offense in their 14 home dates. Garrison paced the Missouri State offense, scoring at a 17.2 ppg. clip in JQH Arena, while Lacey Boshe nearly posted a double-digit scoring mark at home, finishing with a 9.5 ppg. average. In all Lady Bear freshmen have recorded 73.9 percent of the team's assists, 78.9 percent of its blocks, 68.6 percent of its steals and 55.2 percent of its total rebounds.

    Garrison, Boshe and Jaleshia Roberson all rank among the top 20 freshman scorers in the program's Division I history, and including Boshe, the MSU freshmen class has compiled four of the top seven blocked shot totals among all Lady Bear freshmen.

    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 Jasmine 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.

 

MSU Peaks in The Valley

The Lady Bears are 210-92 all-time in MVC play with a 123-28 home record against league foes. Missouri State has won at least a share of 11 regular-season titles and nine conference tournaments since the 1989-90 season. MSU has played in 10 of the 16 Valley tournament championship games and 12 of the 23 title games since the inception of the Gateway Conference Tournament in 1983.

 

On the Mend

After playing 28 games without an injury that forced any Lady Bear to miss a full game, Missouri State may be without the services of freshman guard Jaleshia Roberson for Thursday's opening round match-up against Wichita State. Roberson's status is day-to-day after suffering a concussion in the second half of last Saturday's loss at UNI. No Missouri State player has missed a game due to injury since the season opener at SEMO, when Morgan Harrington and Jamie Adams were both sidelined with injuries sustained in the preseason.

    The Lady Bears will also be without the services of assistant coach Carly Stubblefield for the remainder of the season. The former Lady Bear is expected to give birth to her second child this week.

 

Seventh Heaven

The Lady Bears enter the MVC Tournament as the seventh seed for just the second time in their 22 trips to the league meet. Missouri State's previous entry as the No. 7 resulted in the school's ninth tourney title, as the Lady Bears won four games in four days en route to the 2006 championship at Hammons Student Center.

 

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 23 outings. MSU has knocked down 383-of-512 (.748) free throws, outscoring the opposition by 113 points at the foul line over the 23-game stretch.

    Missouri State’s .729 team free throw percentage now leads The Valley, and both its 455 made free throws and 624 attempts also lead the circuit. Casey Garrison has been the most proficient Valley free throw shooter hitting a league high 81.4 percent of her tries. Her 156 trips to the stripe and 127 makes are also the top marks in the conference.

 

Inside the Numbers

Missouri State continues to lead the Missouri Valley Conference in steals per game, entering Saturday's contest with a 9.4 spg. average. The Lady Bears are third in team scoring (63.6 ppg.) and rate ninth in scoring defense (66.3). 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), assists (7th), free throw percentage (1st), assist-turnover ratio (5th), offensive rebounds (6th), steals (6th) and minutes played (8th). Jasmine Malone (1.6) is also among the league's leaders in steals per game, ranking ninth entering Thursday's game.

 

Fandemonium

After wrapping up their first season in JQH Arena March 1 against SIU, the Lady Bears are on pace to extend a streak that dates back 19 seasons. MSU drew 66,498 spectators in 14 home dates  this season for an average of 4,750 fans. That figure leads The Valley and ranks 19th nationally. Missouri State has outdrawn 13 AP Top 25 teams, as well as regional foes Missouri (1,605 per game), Arkansas (1,818), Kansas (3,211), Nebraska (3,211) and Kansas State (4,625) this season.

    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 honored its two graduating seniors, Jamie Adams and Maggie Dwyer, on March 1 when the Lady Bears knocked off 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 2-11 in road games this season after its 72-64 loss to UNI last weekend, and has gone just 7-45 in road contests since 2004-05. Including neutral court contests, MSU has lost 49 out of its last 58 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 47-of-60 (.783) free throw attempts, good for the fifth-best individual percentage in league games. She has also heated up from long range, knocking down 12 of her last 27 (.444) 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.

 

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.

    Maggie Dwyer was named to the MVC’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 206-74 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 393-151 (.722) in 19 seasons.

 

“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 25 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 21st 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.

 

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 24 of their 29 games this season and have hit at least one triple in 47 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 205 of 207 games, highlighted by a 129-game stretch where they connected at least once from long distance in each outing.

 

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 girls 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 674-474 (.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 by MVC

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, and the first Lady Bear to earn the league’s player of the week honor since Tahnee Balerio did so on Dec. 22, 2006.