Starting Five - Storylines for the South Dakota State Game
1) Missouri State has continued its tradition of strong defensive play. The Lady Bears currently own the 10th-best three-point defense in the nation with a .207 percentage, while also ranking in the top 25 in scoring defense (16th - 51.0), blocks/game (14th - 6.1) and field goal percentage defense (23rd - .329). MSU also averages 11.4 steals per game, which ranks 29th in the country.Â
2) According to HerHoopStats.com, senior
Jasmine Franklin is currently the only player in NCAA Division I averaging over 15 points, 13 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks per game in 2021-22. Franklin has recorded a double-double in six of seven games this season, which ranks third in the nation. She currently ranks leads the nation with 13.4 rebounds per game and ranks in top 25 in five other categories (blocks, blocks/game, defensive rebounds/game, offensive rebounds/game and total rebounds).
3) The Lady Bears are 34-5 in their last 39 true road games as they head to South Dakota State to wrap up the road portion of their 2021-22 non-conference schedule. The Lady Bears will look to avenge last season's home loss to the Jackrabbits, which is still MSU's only home loss in the Coach Mox era.Â
4)
Sydney Wilson has continued to build on the success of her breakout performances in the San Juan Shootout, scoring a team-high 19 points and grabbing a season-high eight rebounds against William Jewell. Over the last three games, Wilson is averaging a team-leading 18 points per game, while snagging five rebounds per game and shooting a perfect 9-for-9 from the free throw line.
5) Missouri State is 78-12 overall since Dec. 20, 2018, ranking seventh nationally in total wins since that date and fifth in win percentage (.867), trailing only Baylor, UConn, FGCU and South Carolina. Five teams ahead of the Lady Bears on the wins list have been ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll over that span.
The Opponent
South Dakota State is 3-5 to begin the 2021-22 season. The Jackrabbits are led by Paige Meyer and Tylee Irwin who average 11.1 and 10.0 ppg, respectively. Meyer also leads SDSU with 28 assists on the year. Paiton Burckhard leads SDSU in rebounding with 5.1 boards per game, while Kallie Theisen leads the Jackrabbits with 10 blocks. South Dakota State is currently shooting .414 from the field and .328 from behind the arc, and the Jackrabbits average 33.9 rebounds per game. Â
Series History
Missouri State and South Dakota State will face off for the third time in program history on Monday. The all-time series is tied 1-1. In their last meeting on Dec. 19, 2020, SDSU defeated the Lady Bears in Springfield, 60-52, in the only home loss of the Coach Mox era for MSU. The teams' first meeting came in 1974 with MSU taking home a 72-43 road win.
