Starting Five - Storylines for the Missouri Game
1) Off to their best start since the 2003-04 season, the No. 18/20 Missouri State Lady Bears (8-1) host in-state rival Missouri (3-7) at 3 p.m. Sunday at JQH Arena. The Lady Bears are now 32-4 overall since Dec. 20 of last season, trailing only Baylor (37) and UConn (33) nationally in total victories since that date. It's a White Out at The Q on Sunday, with fans encouraged to wear white and a t-shirt giveaway to the first 1,000 in attendance.
2) The Lady Bears have shot 40 percent or better from the field in all nine games this season, the team's longest such streak since 16 consecutive games from Jan. 6-March 5, 2005. Through Dec. 11, the Lady Bears ranked fifth nationally in 3-point percentage at .414 and 29th overall at 45.9 percent. Additionally, senior
Alexa Willard leads the nation in 3-point shooting at 58.3 percent, helping MSU score at least 68 points in each game, the longest such streak since 16 games from Dec. 8, 2009-Feb. 24, 2010.
3) Missouri State has won the rebounding battle in eight of nine games this season and owns a plus-8.4 margin on the glass this year after ranking second in school history at plus-8.3 last season.
4) The Lady Bears are off to their best start since the 2003-04 team opened 20-1, and best home start since that same club finished 17-0 in Springfield. Missouri State's eight wins prior to MVC play tie six other MSU clubs for the most in school history before the start of Valley play.
5) 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. Coach Mox was named MSU's eighth head women's basketball coach in April.
Series History
Missouri owns a 21-10 lead in the series with four consecutive wins. The Lady Bears are 5-8 against the Tigers in Springfield, last winning on Dec. 19, 2013. MSU's most recent victory in the series came in Kansas City on Dec. 30, 2014.
Scouting Missouri
Missouri is 3-7 on the season despite scoring only three fewer points in 10 games than the opposition. The Tigers have six players averaging at least 7.2 points per game, led by Amber Smith at 14.8 and Hayley Frank at 14.0. Smith pulls down 7.2 rebounds per contest, and Frank is one of four MU players shooting better than 42 percent from 3-point range. As a team, Missouri averages 71.9 points and allows 72.2, shooting 42.2 percent overall, 37.1 percent from 3-point land and 77.2 percent at the foul line with a minus-1.1 rebound margin.
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