| No. 3 Missouri State Lady Bears (16-13) at MVC Tournament |
| MVC Tournament Central |
MVCQuadCities.com |
| Quarterfinal |
Friday, March 10 vs. No. 6 Evansville, 8:32 p.m. |
| Semifinal |
Saturday, March 11 vs. TBD, 4:02 p.m. |
| Championship |
Sunday, March 12 vs. TBD, 2:02 p.m. |
| Location |
Moline, Ill. |
| Site |
iWireless Center (9,200) |
| Radio |
KTXR 101.3 FM |
| Listen Live |
RadioSpringfield.com |
| Live Video - ESPN3 |
Evansville | Game 2 | Game 3 |
| Live Stats |
Evansville | Game 2 | Game 3 |
| Missouri State |
Game Notes | Women's Basketball Home Page |
| Pep Rallies |
Begin 3 hours before each game at Bierstube (415 15th St, Moline) -
Free food, spirit squad, band and team send off |
Missouri State wrapped up a top-three league finish for the 18th time in 25 seasons, and begins defense of its MVC Tournament title at 8:32 p.m. Friday, March 10, against sixth-seeded Evansville (13-16, 8-10) in Moline, Ill.
The Lady Bears are the No. 3 seed for a third consecutive season, and have advanced to the championship game from that spot each of the last two years.
The winner moves on to Saturday's 4 p.m. semifinal round, with No. 2 UNI, seventh-seeded Bradley and No. 10 Loyola making up MSU's side of the bracket. The tournament championship game will be at 2 p.m. Sunday, and all games air live on ESPN3.
The Lady Bears swept the two regular season meetings with Evansville, winning 77-41 on Jan. 13 in Evansville and 68-43 on Feb. 12 in Springfield.
Missouri State is seeking its 11th MVC Tournament title after winning the championship last season. The Lady Bears are 43-19 all-time at the event, and head coach
Kellie Harper has directed her teams to a collective 28-17 record in postseason tournaments during her 13-year career.
Series History
The Lady Bears lead Evansville 38-12 in the all-time series, including a 2-1 mark in MVC Tournament play. MSU has six straight in the series and 16 of the last 19 meetings.
Scouting Evansville
Evansville is 13-16 overall and 8-10 in MVC play after closing the regular season on a five-game winning streak. Sara Dickey is UE's all-time leading scorer and paces the club with 14.8 points per game this season, while Camary Williams averages 14.1 points, 7.9 rebounds, and ranks second nationally with 3.97 steals per game. As a team, the Purple Aces average 62 points and allow 65.5 while shooting 37.8 percent overall, 28.3 percent from 3-point land and 72.8 percent from the foul line.
This Season Against Evansville
Missouri State won both regular season meetings with the Purple Aces, 77-41 in Evansville and 68-43 in Springfield. In the first matchup, the Lady Bears posted their largest margin of victory on the road in 12 years, won the rebounding battle 57-34, and limited UE to 20.3 percent shooting.
Liza Fruendt led four players in double figures with 19 points.
On Feb. 12 in Springfield, MSU went on a 34-5 run to turn a 14-11 lead into a 48-16 advantage early in the second half for a 68-43 victory in what is Evansville's last defeat entering the tournament. Fruendt and
Alexa Willard each logged double-doubles.
Tournament Tough
The Lady Bears own a league-best 43-19 (.694) all-time mark in the event since the initial Gateway Conference meet in 1983. Since 1991, Missouri State has played in 15 of the 26 tournament championship games and is the only school to win the title four straight years (1991-94). Missouri State will be trying for its 11th tourney title, with wins in 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2016 to its credit.
Missouri State owns all-time records of 3-4 in the opening round, 15-6 in the quarterfinals, 15-4 in the semifinals and 10-5 in championship games. The Lady Bears are 15-11 in neutral-court games at the event.
