The Missouri State Lady Bears tip off their 50th season of varsity competition on the road Saturday with a 2 p.m. contest at former Missouri Valley Conference rival Wichita State. Saturday's meeting will be the third between the schools in less than a calendar year, with the teams each winning on their home floors in a non-conference home-and-home series last season.
   Missouri State returns return three starters and nine total players from last season's 21-12 (15-3 MVC) team that played in the postseason for the fourth-straight year, earning a bid into the WNIT. Despite a roster that includes 11 underclassmen compared to three juniors and seniors, MSU's nine returning players have a combined 391 games' worth of experience, which includes 153 starts.The Lady Bears are picked to finish third in the MVC this year.
Series History
Missouri State leads the all-time series 50-36, including an 18-20 mark in Wichita. The Lady Bears have won five of the last six meetings after splitting last season with both home teams winning.
Scouting Wichita State
Wichita State returns only three players from last season's 14-17, 9-7 American Athletic Conference club, and is picked to finish 10th in the 12-team AAC this year. With nine freshmen on the roster, WSU is one of the youngest teams in the country. Sabrina Lozada-Cabbage is WSU's top returning scorer (7.1 ppg) and rebounder (4.8 rpg). The Shockers defeated Missouri Southern, 62-49, in their only exhibition game, and topped Arkansas-Pine Bluff by a 76-39 final in the regular season opener.
Scouting the Lady Bears
Missouri State is picked to finish third in the Missouri Valley Conference this season and returns nine players from last season's 21-12, 15-3 MVC club that advanced to the second round of the WNIT for MSU's fourth straight postseason trip.
   Junior guard
Alexa Willard is a returning first-team all-conference pick after averaging 10.8 points on 48 percent shooting last year, and senior guard
Danielle Gitzen averaged 8.9 points and 4.4 boards in 2017-18, shooting 49.5 percent overall and swiping 56 steals for an MVC all-Defensive Team selection.
Brice Calip averaged 7.2 points and 4.2 rebounds last year and is MSU's third returning starter.
   Missouri State has a youthful roster with five freshmen, six sophomores, two juniors and one senior. Despite 11 of the Lady Bears' 14 players being underclassmen, MSU still has nine returners with a combined 391 games' worth of experience, which includes 153 starts.
   MSU's average player age as of the season opener is 19.57, placing them among the 10 youngest teams nationally.Â
Exhibition Recap
Missouri State split two exhibition contests, losing 70-64 to top-ranked and defending Division II national champion Central Missouri, and defeating Lincoln by a 100-54 final.
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Alexa Willard averaged 22.5 points and shot 65.5 percent from the floor in the two games, and the Lady Bears shot a tick above 50 percent as a team, including 58.8 percent on 2-pointers. MSU owned a positive assist-to-turnover ratio in the exhibition season, and was plus-23 on the glass in two games.
For Openers
The Lady Bears are 22-27 all time in season openers following last season's 70-58 loss at Ball State. MSU has lost 12 of its last 14 openers.
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