Starting Five - Storylines for the Weekend
1) The No. 19/24 Missouri State Lady Bears (18-3, 8-1 MVC) begin their second trip through the conference schedule in Iowa this week with key games at UNI (13-7, 5-4) at 6:30 p.m. Friday and Drake (15-6, 7-2) at 2 p.m. Sunday. Both opponents are perfect on their home floor this year. MSU is 42-6 overall since Dec. 20, 2018, ranking seventh nationally in total wins since that date. Friday is the program's 1,500th game, and MSU's 894 wins rank first in MVC and 34th in NCAA history.
2) Missouri State has shot 40 percent or better 19 times and scored at least 68 points in 20 games this season. Through Feb. 4, MSU ranks 15th nationally in scoring offense (78.0), 6th in 3-point percentage (.389), 22nd in field goal percentage (.455) and 20th in foul shooting (.762). MSU's scoring average ranks third-best in school history behind the Final Four clubs of 1992 and 2001.
3) MSU has won the rebounding battle in 19 of 21 games this season and owns a plus-9.3 margin on the glass this year, on pace for second in school history. The Lady Bears lead the nation in defensive rebounding rate at .773, and rank 13th in rebound margin.
4) The Lady Bears are off to their best start since the 2003-04 team opened 20-1, and best home start at 10-0 since that same club finished 17-0 in Springfield. Missouri State's 10 wins prior to MVC play are the most in school history.
5) MSU is 18-3 in its last 21 true road games, 24-4 in the last 28 games away from home, and 37-8 in the last 45 away MVC contests. The Lady Bears had their 13-game conference road win streak snapped Jan. 17 at SIU, and the other recent losses away from home were to No. 6 Stanford in the 2019 Sweet 16, No. 7 Oregon State in the Preseason WNIT title game, and No. 17 Gonzaga.
Series Histories
Missouri State is 55-28 all-time against UNI and has won the last four meetings. The Lady Bears are 20-18 versus the Panthers in Cedar Falls.
    The Lady Bears and Drake have split 88 all-time meetings, and the 89th game between the schools will make the Bulldogs MSU's most-played opponent. Missouri State is 13-25 against DU in Des Moines, but won last season to snap Drake's 47-game MVC win streak.
Scouting UNI
UNI is 13-7 overall, 5-4 in MVC play and 8-0 at home. The Panthers have eight players that score at least 5.0 points per game, led by Karli Rucker at 13.0, and own three victories over Power Five clubs this season in Iowa, Iowa State and Missouri. As a team, UNI scores 69.7 points per game and allows 63.0, shooting 40.3 percent overall, 33.1 percent on 3-pointers and 77.6 percent at the foul line with a plus-2.3 rebound margin.
Scouting Drake
Drake is 15-6 on the year, 7-2 in the MVC and has won 16 consecutive games at home. The Bulldogs are rated 28th in the Feb. 5 NCAA RPI, and own MVC's highest-scoring offense, led by two-time MVC Player of the Year Becca Hittner with 17.7 points per contest and 44 3-pointers, and Sara Rhine at 17.2 points on 66 percent shooting. Drake averages 82.4 points, allows 67.6, and shoots 48.4 percent overall, 34.3 percent from beyond the arc and 78 percent at the foul line with a plus-8.1 rebound margin.
First Meeting With UNI
Abby Hipp scored 15 points to lead a balanced offense in an 80-66 MSU win on Jan. 12 in Springfield. The Lady Bears had a 20-5 run in the first quarter and led 41-23 late in the first half, holding on a to a double-digit lead for the remainder of the game. Missouri State had 19 assists against seven turnovers and held UNI to 34.4 percent shooting, though the Panthers knocked down 12 treys.
First Meeting With Drake
Sydney Manning hit a 3-pointer as time expired for a 69-67 Missouri State victory on Jan. 10 at JQH Arena. The Lady Bears jumped ahead 9-1 in less than three minutes, led 20-10 after the first quarter and 31-19 with 5:46 before halftime. DU countered with a 16-3 run, and it was a back-and-forth game until a 7-0 Drake run made it 65-58 with 3:35 left. The Bulldogs were up 67-61 with 97 seconds remaining to set the stage for MSU's closing 8-0 run.
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