Starting Five - Storylines for the South Dakota Game
1) Missouri State (5-1) continues its rugged early-season schedule Monday with a 7 p.m. game at preseason Summit League favorite South Dakota (5-0). The Lady Bears, who entered the national rankings at No. 22 in the USA Today Coaches Poll this week, and Coyotes both rank high in several Mid-Major polls, with USD sitting atop College Insider's Nov. 19 ranking. The South Dakota trip will also put MSU's travel mileage for the season at nearly 10,000 as November comes to a close.
2) The Lady Bears have shot 40 percent or better from the field in all six games this season, the team's longest such streak since seven consecutive games from Feb. 14-March 12, 2010. Through Nov. 22, the Lady Bears ranked 10th nationally in 3-point percentage at .420 and ninth in free throw accuracy at 81.4 percent. Additionally, senior
Alexa Willard led the nation with 49 made field goals and sat fifth with 119 total points. MSU has also led in paint points all six games this season.
3) Head Coach
Amaka Agugua-Hamilton became the third MSU coach to win her first game on the sideline on Nov. 5 at 23rd-ranked Minnesota, and has MSU off to its best six-game start since 2003. Coach Mox was named MSU's eighth head women's basketball coach in April.
4) Missouri State's last 10 games have included six top-25 teams and another that was receiving votes in both major polls. The Lady Bears navigated that stretch with a 8-2 record, falling only to No. 6 Stanford in the 2019 Sweet 16 and at seventh-ranked Oregon State in the Preseason WNIT championship on Nov. 17.
5) MSU's school-record 13-game road win streak ended Nov. 17 at No. 7 Oregon State, leaving the Lady Bears 13-1 in their last 14 road games and 19-2 in the last 21 games away from home, the two losses to the Beavers and No. 6 Stanford in the 2019 Sweet 16.
Series History
South Dakota won the only meeting in the series, 85-74 on Dec. 4, 2018 in Springfield.
Alexa Willard and
Jasmine Franklin both scored 14 points in that game, while Franklin added eight rebounds, two steals and two blocks.
Scouting South Dakota
South Dakota is 5-0 overall against a difficult schedule of Northeastern, Green Bay, Drake, Utah and Missouri. The Coyotes are receiving votes in both major top 25 polls, and sit at or near the top of several mid-major rankings. The preseason Summit League favorites return four starters from last season's 28-6 NCAA Tournament club, including preseason player of the year Ciara Duffy. As a team, the Coyotes average 80.8 points, allow 73.4, and shoot 47.2 percent overall, 38 percent on 3-pointers and 75.7 percent at the foul line.
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