Missouri State Lady Bears (17-6, 9-3 MVC) 

vs. 

Illinois State Redbirds (17-5, 10-1 MVC) 

Game Overview

After running their win streak to five games with Friday's victory at Indiana State, the Missouri State Lady Bears will try to tame the Missouri Valley Conference's hottest team Sunday afternoon when they take on the league-leading Illinois State Redbirds in Normal, Ill.

The Lady Bears escaped Terre Haute with a 69-58 decision Friday by holding the Sycamores to .241 shooting from the field, a season low for a Missouri State opponent. Meanwhile, Illinois State got by Wichita State for its 10th consecutive victory, running its record to an MVC-best 10-1 in Valley play.

Quick Hits

► Missouri State will be aiming for its sixth consecutive win overall and its fifth straight road decision; the Lady Bears current road streak is their longest since winning six road games in-a-row during the 2003-04 season

► With its victory Friday at Indiana State, MSU won its fourth straight from the Sycamores and recorded their 18th sweep of the Sycamores in 28 seasons

► The Lady Bears' registered one of their best defensive efforts in recent memory Friday, holding ISU to just .241 shooting, the lowest for a Missouri State opponent since Jan. 22, 2004 when Texas-Pan American went 13-of-62 (.210) from the field

► Garrison is one of just two Division I players to rank among the nation's top 15 in scoring (14th) and assists (14th) coming into the weekend, joining Oklahoma State's Andrea Riley; Garrison also ranks among the Valley's top five performers in six different statistical categories

► MSU's team scoring average (77.0) leads the MVC and ranked 14th in the nation (through Feb. 11); the Lady Bears' defense (70.8) was just ninth in the league and 316th out of 332 Division I teams

► Lacey Boshe has converted her last 15 free throw attempts dating back to the Lady Bears win over Creighton on Jan. 9 and is shooting .938 (30-of-32) from the line in conference play 

Series History

Missouri State enters Sunday's game with a slim 30-27 edge in the series with the Redbirds. The Lady Bears have dropped seven straight and nine of their last 10 games with ISU, however. Illinois State's 81-72 win in Springfield on Jan. 18 represented its lone single-digit decision over the course of the seven-game win streak vs. MSU. The Redbirds have beaten the Lady Bears by an average of 18 points per game during the same stretch. MSU will also be attempting to post its first win in Normal since Feb. 2005.

The Coaches

Nyla Milleson (Kansas State, '85) is in her third season as the head coach at Missouri State with a 38-45 mark as the Lady Bears' mentor and an overall record of 223-81 in 10 years as a collegiate head coach. 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. Including her 187 wins at the high school level, Milleson notched her 400th career coaching victory with MSU's win at Oral Roberts on Dec. 19. Milleson is seeking her first win over Illinois State in five tries.

Robin Pingeton (St. Ambrose, '90) is in her seventh season as head coach of the Redbirds, having compiled a 133-78 mark at ISU and a 327-154 overall record in 15 years as a collegiate head coach. Pingeton has guided Illinois State to a pair of MVC tourney championships, as well as the last two regular-season titles.

Scouting the Lady Bears

Picked to finish seventh in the MVC's preseason poll, Missouri State has gotten balanced contributions across the board, as six players enter the weekend averaging eight points or more. Sophomore Casey Garrison is the top scorer (19.7 ppg.) and assister (5.7 apg.) in the MVC, ranking among the nations leaders in scoring (14th), assists (14th), steals (34th) and assist-turnover ratio (30th) coming into Sunday's game. Garrison also rates among the circuit's leaders in offensive rebounding (2nd-3.2 rpg.), minutes played (1st-36.0 mpg.), field goal percentage (5th-.497), rebounding (6th-7.6 rpg.) and free throw percentage (10th-.828). Freshman forward Christiana Shorter has come on strong since the start of MVC play, entering the weekend as the sixth-leading rebounder (7.7 rpg.) among all Valley players in conference play. The Tulsa native is also sixth in the conference in steals per game (2.2 spg.) during MVC play and third overall on the team with a 10.3 ppg., scoring average. The Lady Bears' No. 2 scorer, sophomore Jaleshia Roberson (14.4 ppg.), has two 30+ point games to her credit so far this season, ranking 19th in the country with an average of 2.8 three-pointers per outing.

As a team, Missouri State's scoring average (77.3 ppg.) was the 14th-best in all of Division I women's basketball, while its three-point field goal percentage (.384) ranked 17th nationally through Feb. 11.

Scouting the Redbirds

Illinois State was picked to finish second in the Valley by the league's coaches, media representatives and sports information directors after claiming at least a share of the last two regular-season titles. The Redbirds returned eight letterwinners from last year's squad that went 27-8 and advanced to the semifinal round of the WNIT. Four returning starters, who brought a combined 232 career starts into the 2009-10 season, lead the way for another talented ISU team. Pacing the Redbird attack is senior guard Maggie Krick (15.8 ppg./5.3 rpg.), a two-time all-conference pick who enters the weekend as the No. 2 scorer in the MVC. Krick gets help on the perimeter from junior transfer Hannah Spanich (6.7 ppg.)-who comes into the week as ISU's fourth-leading scorer-and Katie Broadway, whose .483 three-point field goal percentage is the top mark in the Valley. Junior, Amanda Clifton is the MVC's leader in assist-turnover ratio (2.2) and her 24 steals is the top total on the club. On the interior, ISU features two of the most experienced post players in the conference in three-year starters Nicolle Lewis and Ashleen Bracey. The duo combines for nearly 26 points and 15 rebounds per game and provides ISU a consistent defensive presence in the paint. Lewis ranks second in the MVC in field goal percentage (.551) and blocks (2.0 bpg.), while Bracey is the No.6 scorer (14.5 ppg.) and third-leading rebounder (8.1 rpg.) in the circuit.

As a team, the Redbirds bring the third-best free throw percentage in the nation into Sunday's contest. ISU has hit on 80.7 percent of its attempts from the line this season and its +6.7 rebound margin is the second-highest in the MVC. The Redbirds' defense has been stingy as well, holding the opposition to just .365 shooting and 61.7 points per outing.

That's More Like It

With their win over Indiana State Friday, the Lady Bears notched their 17th victory of the season, which is their top total in three years under Nyla Milleson. Along with Illinois State's 17 victories, MSU's win total is the top figure in the MVC entering Sunday's action, and coupled with its 9-3 league mark, represents quite a turnaround from a year ago, when the Lady Bears managed just two wins in their first 12 Valley games and a league-low six victories overall through the same point in the conference season.

So Far, So Good

MSU's 17-6 start is its best since the 2003-04 season, when it 20 of its first 21 games en route to a 28-4 finish and the school's 12th NCAA Tournament appearance. Since moving to Division I in 1982, the Lady Bears have advanced to the postseason in 10 of the 13 seasons in which they have posted 14 wins in their first 20 games.

Take a Number

In just her 48th career game, sophomore guard Casey Garrison topped the 800-point plateau and moved onto Missouri State's career top 30 scoring list with her 21-point effort vs. Wichita State (Jan. 23). She passed three former MSU standouts to move up to No. 22 on the list with last Sunday's 25-point performance vs. Drake. She needs 37 points to reach the No. 21 spot, currently held by Gail Beck.

Garrison enters Sunday's contest with 928 points in 53 career games, good for an average of 17.5 ppg., the second-highest mark in school history behind Jackie Stiles's 26.1 career scoring mark.

Cardiac Cubs

No lead has been safe for Lady Bear opponents so far in 2009-10, as MSU has claimed victories in five games in which they have faced double-digit deficits. This past Sunday, the Lady Bears overcame an 18-point deficit to Drake to come away with an 87-78 win, marking their biggest come-from-behind victory since at least the 1990-91 season. Previously, MSU overcame deficites of 10 points to Indiana State (Jan. 16), 12 points against Bradley (Dec. 31) 11 points vs. UNI and UTEP to post victories. Entering the season the Lady Bears had not overcome a deficit of 10 points or more in nearly two seasons, dating back to a Jan. 12, 2008, victory over Southern Illinois.

Free and Easy

As was their calling card in 2008-09, the Lady Bears are once again gaining a measurable advantage at the free throw line. Through their first 23 games of the season, the Lady Bears are outscoring the opposition by a 424-300 margin at the foul line and lead the Valley in both free throws made and attempted by wide margins. MSU has attempted at least 20 free throws 17 times and has put up 149 more charity tosses than its opponents, an average of +6.5 per outing so far this season. Additionally, three Lady Bears rank among the MVC's top 15 free throw shooters coming into the weekend. Casey Garrison and Jaleshia Roberson are tied for 10th in the circuit with season marks of .828 from the stripe, while Lacey Boshe's .821 percentage is the 13th-best mark in the conference. The trio has combined to hit on 150-of-175 (.857) attempts from the line in MVC play.

Garrison knocked down her 200th career foul shot in her 45th game as a Lady Bear at Creighton (Jan. 9). She reached the mark faster than all but two previous Lady Bears, trailing only Jackie Stiles (33 games) and Jessie McVay (43 games) in games required to convert 200 free throws. MSU's Jan. 23 loss to Wichita State marked the first time this season and just the second in 48 career games Garrison had been shutout at the foul line.The Bolivar, Mo., native needs just 31 more makes to crack the MSU career top 10 chart for free throws made.

Road Warriors

The Lady Bears notched their seventh road win of the season Friday, surpassing their total number of victories on the road for the previous three seasons combined. Additionally, its 86-57 win over Evansville on Jan. 30, marked MSU's largest margin of victory on the road under Nyla Milleson and its most-lopsided win away from home since a 96-55 win at Wichita State on Jan. 30, 2005.

Streaking Along

Over its five-game win streak Missouri State has posted some impressive numbers on the offensive end of the floor. The Lady Bears are outscoring the oppositon by an average of 11.2 points per game, while shooting .430 (37-of-86) from three-point range and .803 (94-of-117) from the foul line. On the individual level, Casey Garrison is scoring at a 21.8 ppg., clip and contributing 7.8 boards and 4.2 assists, while Jaleshia Roberson and Christiana Shorter are both scoring more than 14 points per outing. 

Buzz Bombs Away

Senior guard Melissa Busby enters Sunday's game eighth on the school's all-time three-point field goals list with 132. MSU's active leader in games played (95), Busby also has a chance to climb further on the three-point attempts chart, coming into the contest seventh all-time with 393 tries from beyond the arc. The Edmond, Okla., native moved past Tina Robbins for sole possession of the eighth spot on the career three-point field goals list by going 2-of-4 from long range in MSU's win over Evansville (Jan. 30) and needs seven more makes to reach Tahnee Balerio and K.C. Cowgill, who are tied for the sixth spot. Busby is also just two attempts shy of Sarah Klaassen (395) in the sixth position on the career attempts chart. 

Board Games

Through the first 23 games of the season, the Lady Bears are outrebounding their opponents by an average of 0.3 boards per contest, finishing with the edge in total rebounds in 14 contests. While it may be too early to draw any conclusions, those figures lie in stark contrast to last season when MSU was outperformed on the boards by an average of 2.5 rebounds per game. Furthermore, the Lady Bears finished with an advantage in total rebounds in just nine of their 30 games last year.

Valley Openers

With their win over Bradley on Dec. 31, the Lady Bears improved to 12-6 in Missouri Valley Conference openers and 19-8 overall in conference lid-lifters since formal competition began in the Gateway in 1983.

The win was the third for Missouri State over Bradley in three MVC openers. MSU claimed an 87-74 road win over the Braves (1/1/05) to open the 2004-05 MVC slate, as well as an 82-77 victory (12/29/01) at Hammons Student Center to kick-off the 2001-02 conference season.

Missouri State All-Time

Missouri State is in its 41st season of women's collegiate basketball and has an all-time record of 691-481 (.590). 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.

The Lady Bears are in their 28th NCAA Division I season and 18th MVC year. MSU was in AIAW competition on the state, regional and national levels through the 1981-82 season, moved to Division I and Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference play in 1982-83 and started MVC competition in 1992-93 when the Gateway merged with The Valley.

MSU Peaks in The Valley

The Lady Bears are 219-95 all-time in MVC play with a 128-30 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 17 Valley tournament championship games and 12 of the 24 title games since the inception of the Gateway Conference Tournament in 1983.