Missouri State Lady Bears (10-18, 6-11 MVC)

Game Overview

After seeing their season-high four-game win streak come to an end Thursday (March 5) at Bradley, the Missouri State Lady Bears (10-18, 6-11 MVC) will look to build some momentum heading into next week's State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament when they meet the UNI Panthers (10-18, 8-9 MVC) Saturday (March 7) at 3:05 p.m. at the McLeod Center in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

    With their 81-71 loss to BU, coupled with UNI's 32-point win over Wichita State, the Lady Bears are now assured of finishing seventh in the MVC and will play either Wichita State or Southern Illinois in next Thursday's (March 12) opening round of the conference meet in St. Charles, Mo. The Panthers secured the No. 6 seed at the conference meet and will square off against Indiana State, Drake or Bradley in Friday's quarterfinal round.

    Missouri State comes into Saturday's game with a 43-14 advantage in its series with UNI, including a 16-11 mark in Cedar Falls.

 

Quick Hits

The Lady Bears will be the seventh seed at the State Farm MVC Tournament for the second time ever; the last time MSU entered the conference's postseason tournament as the No. 7 seed, it swept through the field with four victories in four days at Hammons Student Center to claim the 2006 tourney title

With a victory Saturday, the Lady Bears would equal their 2007-08 win total (11) and avoid being swept by UNI in a season series for the first time since the 1985-86 season

Casey Garrison reclaimed the national lead in scoring by a true freshman with her 20-point effort Thursday at Bradley; she leads EKU's Kayla Drake by 0.037 ppg.; Garrison needs just eight points to move past Kari Koch for the No. 2 spot on MSU's all-time freshman scoring list

 

Last Time Out

Lady Bears saw their season-high four-game win streak come to an end with an 81-71 loss to the Bradley Braves Thursday (March 5) evening at Lorene Ramsey Gym. The Braves, who matched a school record with their 20th win of the season, got a 20-point, eight-rebound effort from senior forward Monica Rogers and shot just under 47 percent from the floor.

    Bradley took control of a tight ballgame with an 18-7 run early in the second half, as Rogers scored six points and freshman center Leah Kassing chipped in five of her career-high 13 points during the critical stretch. The Braves dominated the Lady Bears in the interior, outrebounding MSU 44-31, while finishing with a 40-26 scoring advantage in the paint.

    BU’s big run came after Missouri State had pulled to within 52-51 on a Morgan Harrington layup with 15:29 to play. Sonya Harris kicked off the spurt with a basket in the paint, and Skye Johnson’s three-pointer at the 10:47 mark pushed the Braves’ lead to six points. Another Harris bucket and four straight free throws by Rogers gave Bradley a 66-56 lead with just over nine minutes to play.

    Missouri State briefly cut the BU lead to double digits, but Rogers scored in transition with 6:31 to go to give the Braves a 12-point lead and close the run.

    The Lady Bears would go over four minutes without a field goal during the decisive run and never got any closer than seven points the rest of the way.

    Freshman Casey Garrison turned in a strong performance in defeat, leading the Lady Bears with 20 points, seven rebounds, six assists and four steals. The Bolivar, Mo., product went 7-of-15 from the floor to top the 20-point plateau for the seventh time this season.

    Garrison’s 11 first-half points sparked the Missouri State offense in the early going, as the Lady Bears and Braves traded blows throughout an opening period that featured seven ties and 12 lead changes. MSU used a 13-4 scoring run midway through the half to build a 19-15 lead with 11:33 to play. Bradley responded with a 13-6 spurt of its own to reclaim a three-point lead, as Johnson scored all five of her first-half points during the run.

    MSU, which converted all 12 of its free throw attempts in the half, went back to work, scoring five unanswered points to take a 31-28 advantage with 3:58 to go, before BU tallied 12 of the final 18 points in the period to take the three-point lead into the break.

    The Braves gained some momentary breathing room on their first possession of the second half, as Michelle Lund buried a three-pointer from the left wing to make it a 43-37 game. Jasmine Malone answered for MSU, knocking down a long-range jumper of her own to pull the Lady Bears back to within three points.

    MSU would turn in a 5-0 scoring run, capped by Harrington’s three-point play at the 17:13 mark, to pull even at 47-47, and the two teams would again trade blows over the next two minutes until BU made its key move.

    Bradley would hit on 30-of-64 field goal attempts, including 6-of-16 (.375) from beyond the arc. Johnson finished with 15 points to join Rogers and Kassing in double figures, while Harris hauled in a game-high 13 rebounds.

    Missouri State, which dropped to 10-18 on the season and 6-11 in MVC play, would finish the night 23-of-27 from the foul line, but connected on just 4-of-19 (.211) shots from three-point range. Maggie Dwyer was the only other Lady Bear to finish in double-digits, totaling 11 point on the night.

 

The Coaches

Nyla Milleson (Kansas State, ’85) is in her second season as the head coach at Missouri State with a 21-37 mark as the Lady Bears’ mentor and an overall record of 206-73 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)

 

Tanya Warren (Creighton, 88) is 23-35 in her second season as both coach of the Panthers and overall as a collegiate head coach. A Des Moines, Iowa, native, Warren led UNI to a 13-18 mark and sixth-place finish in the Valley last year in her rookie campaign in Cedar Falls. Warren came back to UNI in the spring of 2007 after spending the previous three seasons as associate head coach at her alma mater. She served as an assistant on Tony DiCecco’s UNI staff from 1995-2001, then spent three seasons at Missouri before returning to Creighton in 2004.

Series Record

Saturday’s game will be the 58th renewal of the rivalry between the Lady Bears and Panthers, with Missouri State holding a commanding 43-14 lead in the series.

    The Lady Bears have taken four of the last six games in the series, including a pair of lopsided victories last year. MSU bested UNI by a 78-55 score Jan. 17 in Cedar Falls, then ran away with a 73-56 win in the final meeting of the two schools in Hammons Student Center on Feb. 16.

   It was the Panthers who got the best of MSU in the first match-up of the 2008-09 season between the two teams. UNI held off the Lady Bears' second-half comeback bid to come away with a 65-62 win at JQH Arena, as Nicole Clausen's 19 points led four Panthers in double figures. MSU nearly clawed its way back from a 14-point second-half deficit, getting 18 points from Casey Garrison and 14 from Lacey Boshe.

    The Lady Bears have taken 16 of their previous 27 contests with UNI in Cedar Falls.

 

Scouting UNI

Second-year head coach Tanya Warren has seen her club overcome the gigantic obstacle of operating without the services of 2008 MVC Freshman of the Year Jacqui Kalin, who suffered an ankle injury and has not seen the court since Dec. 6. The Panthers wrapped up a sixth-place finish in the conference with their eighth MVC win, a 80-48 victory over Wichita State on Thursday, and enter Saturday's game at 10-18 on the season.

    A trio of Panthers have carried the bulk of the offensive load, led by junior forward Kim Wypiszynski, who has contributed a team-high 12.8 points and 5.0 boards per game to the Panthers’ cause in her debut campaign following her transfer from UW-Milwaukee. Wypiszynski's season .506 field goal percentage and 14.8 ppg. average in conference play rank third in The Valley and she enters the final weekend of the regular season as the leading candidate for MVC Newcomer of the Year. Junior guard Nicole Clausen has also played a key role in UNI's fortunes, entering Saturday’s action with a 10.3 ppg. average and a team-best 56 three-point field goals. UNI’s top rebounder and second-leading scorer, sophomore Lizzie Boeck is averaging 10.4 points and 5.2 rebounds per game while shooting just over 46 percent from the floor. Freshman guard K.K. Armstrong has filled in admirable for Kalin at the point, chipping in 8.3 points and a team-high 3.2 assists per contest.

    As a team, UNI has struggled to put the ball in the basket, entering the weekend with the MVC’s ninth-ranked scoring offense (60.0 ppg.) and scoring margin (-4.7).

 

Lady Bears vs. UNI

In UNI's 65-62 win over MSU on Jan. 2, the Panthers shot .429 from the floor and outrebounded the Lady Bears, 40-38. UNI converted 5-of-14 three-point tries while limiting MSU to a season-low one trey in nine attempts.

    Casey Garrison turned in a solid all-around performance against UNI, totaling 18 points, six boards, five assists, one block and one steal. Lacey Boshe's 14 points came on 5-of-8 shooting and her nine rebounds represented a career high. In three career games against the Panthers, Maggie Dwyer has shot nearly 62 percent from the field and scored an average of 10.7 points. Melissa Busby has also fared well against UNI, shooting 42.9 percent (6-of-14) from beyond the arc while scoring 7.3 points per outing in four career games. Roxy Stiles is the most-experienced Lady Bear vs. UNI, making five career appearances and averaging 5.8 points on 4-fo-8 shooting from three-point range.

 

Number 5 Leaving Her Mark

With the 2008-09 season entering the home stretch, Casey Garrison’s 16.0 ppg. scoring average is the highest 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 448 points through the first 28 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 eight 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 16.0 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. She has led MSU in scoring 19 times, assists 16 times and rebounds 12 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 22 outings. MSU has knocked down 368-of-492 (.748) free throws, outscoring the opposition by 113 points at the foul line over the 22-game stretch.

    Missouri State’s .728 team free throw percentage now leads The Valley, and both its 440 made free throws and 604 attempts also lead the circuit. Casey Garrison has been the most proficient Valley player in getting to the line, making a league-leading 151 trips to the stripe and converting 123 of those, also tops 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 9.6 spg. average. The Lady Bears are third in team scoring (63.5 ppg.) and rate ninth in scoring defense (66.1). 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 (9th), assists (7th), free throw percentage (3rd), assist-turnover ratio (5th), offensive rebounds (5th), blocks (t-10th), steals (5th) and minutes played (8th). Jasmine Malone (1.6) is also among the league's leaders in steals per game, ranking ninth entering Saturday's game.

 

Fandemonium

After wrapping up their first season in JQH Arena Sunday 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 14 ranked teams, as well as regional foes Missouri (1,612 per game), Arkansas (1,818), Kansas (3,218), Nebraska (3,157) and Kansas State (4,696) 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, Sunday 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 2-10 in road games this season after its 81-71 loss at Bradley Thursday, and has gone just 7-44 in road contests since 2004-05. Including neutral court contests, MSU has lost 48 out of its last 57 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 45-of-55 (.818) free throw attempts, good for the fourth-best individual percentage in league games. She has also heated up from long range, knocking down 11 of her last 26 (.423) 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 210-91 all-time in MVC play with a 123-28 home record against league foes. Since joining the conference 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 16 Valley tournament championship games and 12 of the 23 total title games since the inception of the Gateway Conference Tournament in 1983.

 

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 206-73 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 393-150 (.724) in 19 seasons.

 

Fab Frosh

For the 25th time in 28 games this season, a freshman led the Lady Bears in scoring in MSU’s loss at Bradley on Thursday. Casey Garrison turned in a 20-point effort against the Braves, marking the 19th 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 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. Garrison and Jasmine Malone combined to knock down 85-of-105 (.810) 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 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. 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 23 of their 28 games this season and have hit at least one triple in 46 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 204 of 206 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 95 times in 70 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 Saturday’s game with 297 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 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 674-473 (.588). 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, 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.