Starting Five - Storylines for the UNI Series
1) The 25th-ranked Missouri State Lady Bears (4-2) begin defense of their 2020 Missouri Valley Conference regular season title this weekend with a pair of games at UNI, taking on the Panthers at 6 p.m. Friday and 4 p.m. Saturday in Cedar Falls, Iowa. MSU is 18-10 all-time in MVC openers after last season's win at Loyola. MSU has six straight top-three MVC finishes, winning 12 or more Valley games each season, and is 47-7 in conference play the last three seasons and 81-17 in the last 98 league contests.
2) Missouri State is 54-9 overall since Dec. 20, 2018, ranking 11th nationally in total wins since that date and seventh in winning percentage (.857). Five teams ahead of the Lady Bears on the wins list have been ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll over that span.
3) The Lady Bears are 23-4 in their last 27 true road games and 30-6 in the last 36 games away from home. Missouri State's 11 true road victories last season ranked fifth nationally.
4) Missouri State has won the rebounding battle all six games this year and 32 of the last 36, with a plus-13.0 margin this season ahead of the school-record pace (+9.9) and a .798 defensive rebounding percentage that is on pace to lead the nation for a second consecutive year after last season's .773 mark.
5) The Lady Bears lead the MVC in field goal defense (.337) and 3-point defense (.235), ranking in the top 25 nationally in both categories. Missouri State has held the opposition below 25 percent from the field twice this year, and below that number from beyond the arc in four of six contests.
The Opponent
UNI is 6-5 overall and tied for the MVC lead at 3-1 in conference games. Preseason all-Valley selection Karli Rucker leads the Panthers with 14.8 points and 3.3 assists per game, and five other players in the rotation average between 6.7 and 9.4 points per contest. UNI scores 70.5 points per game and allows 71.4, shooting 39.9 percent overall, 31.8 percent on 3-pointers and 72.8 percent at the foul line with a plus-0.5 rebound margin.
Series History
Missouri State owns a 56-28 lead in the series with UNI, winning five straight in the series and 10 of the last 14. The Lady Bears are 21-18 in Cedar Falls after leaving the McLeod Center victorious after their last three trips.
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