Starting Five - Storylines for the Weekend
1) The Lady Bears (15-8, 11-1 MVC) are tied atop the league standings and have lost only one time since Dec. 16. A Friday win would join the 1996 and 2004 clubs as the only MSU teams to start 12-1 in MVC play.
2) The Lady Bears are 26-4 in league play the last two seasons and 18-1 in their last 19 Valley games. MSU's average score in league contests the last two seasons is 73.6-59.4.
3) MSU has a 31-10 league road record since the start of the 2014-15 season. The Lady Bears have gone 6-3 or better on the Valley road each of the last four seasons, and are 5-0 this year. MSU has won seven conference road games on nine separate occasions, and went 8-1 in 1992.
4) The Lady Bears have won the rebounding battle 20 times in 23 games this year, and have shot more free throws than the opposition in 13 of the last 14 contests. In Valley games, MSU has made 181 free throws compared to 129 total attempts for the opposition.
5) In league games, MSU leads the MVC in scoring defense (58.8), 3-point defense (.276), rebound margin (+9.2) and turnover margin (+5.50). Both weekend opponents will test the Lady Bears in those categories, as Loyola and Valpo rank 1-2 in 3-point percentage in conference contests, and Loyola and MSU both rank in the top 15 nationally in defensive rebound percentage at better than 76 percent in MVC games. Additionally, in Valley games, MSU is allowing an average 13.3 points in the first quarter and 12.5 in the second quarter for a first-half defensive average of 25.8 points per contest.
Series Histories
Missouri State is 3-0 in the series with Valpo, with all games coming since the Crusaders joined the MVC.
    Missouri State is 10-3 all-time against Loyola after losing the first three meetings in the series, all in Chicago. The Lady Bears are 10-1 against the Ramblers since LUC joined the league.
Scouting Valpo
Valparaiso owns a 6-19 overall record and 2-11 mark in MVC play. Meredith Hamlet leads Valpo in scoring (12.6 ppg), Addison Stoller is the top rebounder with a 6.5 average, and Allison Schofield, Grace Hales and Ella Ellenson rank 2-3-4 in league games in 3-point percentage, all above 40 percent. As a team, VU averages 63.8 points and allows 72.6, shooting 38.7 percent overall, 33.6 percent from distance and 69.3 percent from the free throw line. The Crusaders are out-rebounded by an average of 8.4 boards per game.
First Meeting With Valpo
Missouri State shot 64 percent from the field and made 41 field goals in a 108-63 win over Valpo on Jan. 27. All 13 players in uniform scored, and the Lady Bears used runs of 20-2 and 19-0 to build a 50-19 lead late in the first half.
   MSU handed out 21 assists against nine turnovers and owned a 48-22 rebounding margin.
Sydney Manning's 14 points led five Lady Bears in double figures, helping Missouri State to its highest scoring total in a conference game since 1992.Â
   Valpo tied a JQH Arena opponent record with 13 3-pointers on a record 40 attempts.
Scouting Loyola
Loyola is 12-12 overall and 6-7 in MVC play. Three Ramblers score in double figures, led by Abby O'Connor's 13.9
points with 39 3-pointers, 7.3 rebounds per game and 32 total blocks. As a team, Loyola scores 62.8 points per game and allows 64.5, shooting 42.4 percent overall, 34.3 percent on 3-pointers and 76.6 percent from the foul line. LUC has a plus-0.8 rebounding margin.
First Meeting With Loyola
Missouri State won 84-49 on Jan. 25 in Springfield, shooting 49 percent in the game and 57 percent in the second half.Â
   Twelve Lady Bears scored and freshmen combined for 40 points, including the first 16 of the second quarter as MSU opened up a 38-27 halftime lead.Â
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Danielle Gitzen,
Sydney Manning,
Jasmine Franklin and
Brice Calip all scored in double figures, MSU collected 14 steals off 25 Rambler turnovers, and the Lady Bears hauled in 18 offensive rebounds on the way to a 38-25 rebounding margin.
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