SPRINGFIELD - Missouri State made a JQH Arena-record thirteen 3-pointers and scored 37 points off turnovers Sunday afternoon for a 86-57 victory against second-place Drake on Senior Day in Springfield.
With their sixth consecutive win, the Lady Bears moved into sole possession of third place in the Missouri Valley Conference standings with an 11-5 league record and 14-13 overall mark. Drake fell to 18-9 and 13-3 in MVC play after scoring 20 points below its league-leading average.
Eight different Lady Bears hit a 3-pointer during the team's 13-for-34 afternoon, while eight players made at least three field goals and nine scored at least six points, led by
Kenzie Williams with 16.
NiJay Gaines scored 11 points and grabbed six boards in her final home game, and
Tyonna Snow had 10 points, five rebounds, four assists and five steals.
The Lady Bears never relinquished the lead after Williams scored seven points during a 10-0 run that put MSU ahead 15-8 just six minutes into the game. Drake scored 21 seconds later and remained within two possessions until Snow scored five consecutive points for a 26-19 lead with 9:03 to play.
Missouri State led by at least seven points for the balance of the game, gaining a double-digit lead for good on
Audrey Holt's basket with 6:15 to play, and leading by as many as 21 in the first half before going into the break ahead 47-28.
Four Lady Bears combined for a 10-0 run to begin the second half, with
Lexi Hughes banking in a jumper for a 57-28 advantage with 16:41 to play. The Bulldogs got no closer than 24 points after that, as
Liza Fruendt's 3-pointer with 9:49 left pushed MSU's lead beyond 30, and
Lee Ann Polowy's third trey in two minutes grew the margin to 39 at 86-47 with 2:30 left.
Missouri State finished 33-for-77 from the floor compared to 20-for-53 for the visitors, attempting 24 more shots thanks to 16 offensive rebounds and 29 Drake turnovers. The Lady Bears dished out a season-high 24 assists, with Williams accounting for six of those, and out-rebounded the Bulldogs, 42-39.
Missouri State heads to the Hoosier State this weekend to close the regular season, playing Indiana State (17-10, 7-9) at 6 p.m. Thursday and Evansville (11-16, 6-10) at 2 p.m. Saturday. The Lady Bears will play their first MVC Tournament game on Friday, March 13, with time and opponent yet to be determined.
