Nov. 29, 2011
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- The Missouri State Lady Bears used a pair of key scoring runs and some stingy defense to build a 46-21 halftime advantage over UALR Tuesday eveing in non-conference action at JQH Arena. MSU dominated the interior over the game's first 20 minutes, finishing with a 22-8 advantage in points in the paint and a 21-16 rebounding edge.
Jasmine Malone led MSU with nine points, four rebounds and three steals, while Casey Garrison and Jaleshia Roberson contributed eight points and four assists apiece.
Missouri State was clicking on all cylinders in the game's opening half, cranking up its offense to the tune of .486 (18-of-37) shooting from the field. Five different Lady Bears accounted for a total of 14 assists on MSU's 18 makes from the floor.
The Lady Bear defense did its job as well, forcing 10 turnovers and holding the Trojans to a 33.3 (8-of-24) field goal percentage for the period.
Roberson shook off the effects of a shoulder injury that forced her to the sideline late in Saturday's 85-79 win at Oral Roberts by knocking down her first two three-point attempts of the game. The senior guard tallied eight straight points during a 10-0 Lady Bear scoring run that handed the home team an early eight-point advantage just minutes into the contest. Garrison initiated the spurt with a runner in the lane 49 seconds into the game, and Roberson drained back-to-back treys before converting a layup off a steal to make it a 10-2 ballgame.
After UALR's Taylor Gault drew the Trojans to within five via a conventional three-point play, MSU reeled off a 24-6 run over an eight-minute span to push its lead to 23 points. Garrison powered the outburst by canning a pair of threes, the last of which gave the Lady Bears a 19-point cushion with 9:00 left on the clock. Malone followed with five straight points to cap the spurt, sinking the Lady Bears' fifth three of the half at the 7:16 mark to stretch the margin to 34-11.
The Lady Bears' lead never dipped below 19 the rest of the half, with Malone's steal and feed to Lacey Boshe for a layup with just eight seconds to go capping the scoring and handing MSU its biggest lead of the game.
