**The 2020 MVC Tournament was canceled on March 12 - MVC Release**
 

No. 1 Missouri State Lady Bears (26-4) at MVC Tournament
MVC Tournament Central	MVC-Sports.com
Quarterfinal	Friday, March 13 vs. No. 8 Loyola/No. 9 Indiana State, 12:02 p.m.
Semifinal	Saturday, March 14 vs. No. 4 Illinois State/No. 5 UNI, 1:32 p.m.
Championship	Sunday, March 15 vs. TBD, 2:02 p.m.
Location	Moline, Ill.
Site	TaxSlayer Center (9,200)
Radio	KTXR 101.3 FM
Listen Live	RadioSpringfield.com
Live Video - ESPN+	Friday | Saturday | Sunday
Live Stats	Friday | Saturday | Sunday
Missouri State	Game Notes | Women's Basketball Home Page
Pep Rallies	Begin 2 hours before each game at Bierstube (415 15th St, Moline) - Free food, spirit squad, band and team send off

Starting Five - Storylines for the MVC Tournament
1) The No. 19/23 Missouri State Lady Bears (26-4, 16-2 MVC) won their first regular season title since 2012 and 13th overall, and take the top seed into the MVC Tournament for the 11th time in program history. The Lady Bears are now 50-7 overall since Dec. 20, 2018, ranking fourth nationally in total wins since that date behind Baylor, UConn and Oregon.

2) Missouri State has shot 40 percent or better 24 times and scored at least 66 points in all but one game this season. Through March 9, MSU ranks 17th nationally in scoring offense (77.7), 15th in 3-point percentage (.368), 32nd in field goal percentage (.442) and 22nd in foul shooting (.765). MSU's scoring average ranks third-best in school history behind the 1992 and 2001 Final Four teams.

3) MSU has won the rebounding battle in 26 of 30 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 11th in rebound margin.

4) The Lady Bears has a school-record 26 regular season wins and is off to its best 30-game start since the 2003-04 team opened 27-3. The 26 wins are already the fourth-best overall total in school history. MSU ranks fifth nationally with 11 true road wins - one shy of a school record - and third with 15 home victories while posting its first perfect home record since 2003-04 as one of 10 remaining unbeaten home teams in Division I. MSU also set a school record with 10 wins prior to MVC play.

5) MSU is 46-21 all-time at the MVC/Gateway Tournament with a record 11 championships and 16 finals. The Lady Bears have won as the No. 1 seed six times, are 7-2 in Moline with titles in 2016 and 2019, and swept the regular season and tourney titles in 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996 and 2001.

Regular Season Champions
With this year's outright title, MSU has won 13 Gateway/MVC regular season championships, doing so in 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2012 and 2020. This is the seventh MSU team to go 16-2 or better in the MVC.

Tournament Tough
MSU is 46-21 all-time at the MVC/Gateway Tournament with a record 11 championships and 16 finals appearances to its credit. Missouri State enters the tourney with all-time records of 2-3 in the opening round, 17-8 in the quarterfinals, 16-5 in the semifinals and 11-5 in championship games. MSU has been the No. 1 seed 10 times previously, winning from that spot on six occasions. The Lady Bears are 7-2 in Moline with titles in 2016 and 2019.

Scouting the Lady Bears
Missouri State is 26-4 overall, 16-2 in MVC play and 50-7 in its last 57 games after last year's Sweet 16 run, ranking fourth nationally in total wins since Dec. 20, 2018 behind Baylor, Oregon and UConn. The No. 19/23 Lady Bears joined the USA Today Coaches Poll on Nov. 19, have been ranked in the AP Poll all but one week since Dec. 2, and became the first team in MVC history to ascend to the No. 1 spot in the RPI on Jan. 11 (poll summary on page 3).
    Alexa Willard averages 16.1 points and is one of the nation's top scoring threats with a .468/.430/.906 slash line, Brice Calip adds 12.6 points per contest, and seven players average at least 5.5 points per game. Nine different Lady Bears have scored at least 15 points in a game this season and 11 have at least one double-figure scoring effort.    
    Jasmine Franklin leads the MVC with 8.7 rebounds per game, and Calip leads the league with a 2.34 assist-to-turnover ratio. Franklin also owns the team steals (48) and blocks (33) lead, helping MSU to 138 stuffs on the year, good for second in school history.
    The Lady Bears average 77.7 points, allow 65.0, and shoot 44.2 percent overall, 36.8 percent on 3-pointers and 76.5 percent at the foul line, ranking 15th nationally in 3-point shooting, 32nd in field goal percentage and 22nd in free throw accuracy. Missouri State owns a plus-9.3 rebound margin, on pace to rank second in school history.

This Season Against Loyola
Missouri State swept the season series, winning 74-72 in overtime on Jan. 3 in Chicago and 72-61 on March 7 in Springfield. Jasmine Franklin hit the game winner as time expired in OT in the first meeting, and averaged 11 points and seven boards in the two games. MSU shot 43.7 percent overall and 35-for-46 at the foul line, owning a plus-7.5 rebound margin.

This Season Against Indiana State
The Lady Bears won 76-55 in Terre Haute on Jan. 24 and 82-58 in Springfield on Feb. 23. Abby Hipp averaged 10 points on 9-of-11 shooting and Alexa Willard averaged 19 points per contest. The Lady Bears shot 46.6 percent overall, made 10 3-pointers in the game in Terre Haute and went 28-for-31 at the foul line in Springfield. MSU won the rebounding battle by an average of 11.5 boards per game.