SPRINGFIELD -- Missouri State returned home from its three-game road trip in style Friday evening, jumping out to an early double-digit lead on Bradley and taking a 74-54 victory over the Braves at JQH Arena.

The Lady Bears (13-10, 9-3 Missouri Valley Conference) never trailed after Liza Fruendt's 3-pointer for a 5-3 lead less than four minutes into the game, and senior Aubrey Buckley scored with 2:20 left in the first quarter to spark a closing 10-0 run for a 19-8 lead after 10 minutes.

Missouri State went nearly halfway through the second quarter without scoring as Bradley (11-12, 5-7) cut the gap to four points, but an 8-0 run over the next two-plus minutes - including Fruendt's 221st career 3-pointer to tie Jackie Stiles for fifth in school history - resulted in a 27-15 lead with 3:10 to play.

An Elle Ruffridge trey with 1:51 left grew the margin to 32-16, it was 32-19 at halftime, and the Lady Bears opened the second half on a 12-2 run that included a pair of Alexa Willard 3-pointers to lead 44-21 with 6:08 on the clock.

MSU went cold after Willard's second trey, netting only three free throws over the next five minutes while the Braves cut the gap to 45-33. Fruendt and Willard again stepped up with baskets in the final minute for a 52-36 lead after three quarters.

Willard scored with 7:25 left to match MSU's largest lead to that point at 62-39, and the Lady Bears led by at least 18 points for the rest of the contest. 

Fruendt netted a game-high 22 points, her eighth 20-point game of the season and 17th in her career, while Buckley collected 10 points and 10 rebounds for her third double-double in the last four games. Willard finished with 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting, and Brice Calip added five rebounds and five assists.

The Lady Bears shot 40.7 percent compared to 37.3 percent for the Braves, connecting 7-of-14 from beyond the arc and 19-of-23 from the foul line. MSU owned a 40-30 rebounding edge and handed out 13 assists compared to 11 turnovers

Missouri State hosts one of the nation's top defensive teams on Sunday at 2 p.m. when Illinois State (11-12, 5-7) comes to JQH Arena. Sunday is a celebration of Missouri State's rich women's sports history, with halftime recognition of alumni from numerous sports in conjunction with the 45th anniversary of Title IX and 25th anniversary of women's sports in the MVC.