The Missouri State Lady Bears tip off their 49th season of varsity competition on the road Monday with a 6 p.m. Central game at Ball State. The Lady Bears then have a quick turnaround to an 8 p.m. Wednesday home opener versus Central Missouri as the second game of a doubleheader with the MSU men.Â
   Missouri State returns five players with at least 30 career starts from a team that finished 16-15 last year and advanced to the postseason for a third consecutive season. The Lady Bears are picked to finish second in the Missouri Valley Conference this year.
   The Lady Bears defeated Lindenwood by a 75-48 final in their lone exhibition game,  and host in-state rival Missouri at JQH Arena on Nov. 19 before embarking on a lengthy road trip that includes the Junkanoo Jam in the Bahamas (Nov. 23-25), Wichita State (Nov. 29) and Little Rock (Dec. 4), before returning home Dec. 7.
Series Histories
Missouri State and Ball State have never met in women's basketball.
   The Lady Bears trail Central Missouri 12-4 in the all-time series, though the schools have not met since November 1982 in Missouri State's first season as a Division I program.
Scouting Ball State
Ball State is predicted to finish third in the Mid-American Conference West Division, a year after going 21-11 and advancing to its fifth consecutive WNIT. The Cardinals are led by preseason all-MAC selection Moriah Monaco, who made a school-record 101 treys last season, and returns six total players from its 2016-17 squad.
Scouting Central Missouri
Central Missouri is the preseason MIAA favorite and ranked as high as 11th in the Division II national polls. The Jennies have three returning all-conference players from a club that went 24-7 last season and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. Former MSU standout guard Kenzie Williams is an assistant coach at UCM.
Scouting the Lady Bears
Missouri State is picked to finish second in the Missouri Valley Conference this season and has a veteran roster despite the fact that only five Lady Bears are upperclassmen. MSU boasts five players with at least 30 career starts, and the senior class of
Aubrey Buckley,
Liza Fruendt,
Audrey Holt and
Lee Ann Polowy have combined for 333 career games and more than 2,100 points since arriving on campus. Junior
Danielle Gitzen and sophomore
Alexa Willard are among the players with 30-plus starts.
   Fruendt is the MVC Preseason Player of the Year after averaging 18.2 points 6.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists in league games last year, while Buckley averaged 9.2 points and a team-high 5.2 boards for the full 2016-17 season.
