The Missouri State Lady Bears will leave the lower 48 states for the first time since 2012 this week when they head to Anchorage, Alaska, for the GCI Great Alaska Shootout.
   The Lady Bears will face Southern Cal at 8:30 p.m. (CST) on Tuesday, and play either Portland or host Alaska Anchorage at 5 or 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
   MSU has historically been very good outside the contiguous United States, owning 12-6 all-time record in such games.
   Missouri State will play its long-awaited home opener following the Alaska trip, with Little Rock serving as the opponent for a 7 p.m. game on Monday, Nov. 28. A statue of assistant coach and NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer
Jackie Stiles will be unveiled that afternoon at 12:45 p.m. on the southeast side of JQH Arena.  Â
Series Histories
MSU and Southern Cal have played once, an 80-69 Missouri State victory in Cancun, Mexico, in 1998. The Lady Bears have never met Portland or UAA.
Scouting USC
USC is 2-0 with wins over Hawai'i and UC Riverside entering its Nov. 19 game at UNLV. Now in their fourth season under Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame member Cynthia Cooper-Dyke, the Women of Troy are picked to finish ninth in the Pac-12 this year. USC returns four double-figure scorers from last year's squad, and freshman Minyon Moore leads the club this year with a 14.0 average through two games. Southern Cal averages 71.5 points and allows 46.5 while shooting 43.4 percent overall, 33.6 percent from 3-point range and 63.4 percent at the charity stripe.
Scouting UAA
Alaska Anchorage was the NCAA Division II runner-up last season with a 38-3 record, and is off to a 3-0 start and ranked 10th nationally as of Nov. 17. The Seawolves out-scored their first three opponents by an average of 49 points per game this season with a plus-21 average turnover margin.
Scouting Portland
Portland opened its season with losses to UC Davis and Nevada before a Nov. 18 visit to Oregon State. The Pilots are picked to finish ninth in the West Coast Conference this season, and averaged 55.5 points while allowing 69 through two games, shooting 32.3 percent from the field, 22.9 percent from long range and 59.4 percent from the foul line.
