Starting Five - Storylines for the NCAA Second Round
1) The No. 17/20 Missouri State Lady Bears are in the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the ninth time in school history after a 70-51 win over UC Davis, and as a No. 5 seed are tied with the 2001 Final Four team for the highest seed in program history. MSU is 17-15 in NCAA play with Final Four trips in 1992 and 2001 and Sweet Sixteens in 1993 and 2019.
2) Missouri State is 72-9 overall since Dec. 20, 2018, ranking seventh nationally in total wins since that date and fourth in win percentage (.889), trailing only Baylor, UConn and FGCU. Six 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 41-6 in their last 47 games away from home, including a 14-1 mark this season. Missouri State finished the regular season as one of two Division teams this season with an 11-0 record in true road games.
4) Missouri State has won the rebounding battle in 21 of 24 games this year and 47 of the last 54, with a plus-11.2 margin this season on pace for a school record and a .803 defensive rebounding percentage that ranks second nationally after leading the NCAA last year with a .773 mark.   Â
5) The Lady Bears allow 56.6 points per game, ranking 23rd nationally and on pace for second-best defensive average in school history behind the 1973-74 team at 45.9. Only six times previously have the Lady Bears given up fewer than 60 points on average, most recently in the 2003-04 season. No team has scored more than 73 points against Missouri State and 22 of 24 have scored below its season average. MSU has faced top-25 scoring offenses in Maryland (1st - 91.5), FGCU (7th - 81.6) and Drake (23rd - 76.4) twice.
Scouting Wright State
Wright State is 19-7 overall and went 15-5 in the Horizon League to share the regular season title with Milwaukee before winning the tournament championship. First-team all-Horizon guard Angel Baker leads the Raiders with 18.4 points per game as the team's only double figure scorer, and WSU averages 63.7 points, allows 55.7 to rank 18th nationally, and shoots 40.2 percent overall, 27.3 percent from 3-point range and 60.8 percent at the foul line with a plus-12.3 rebound margin.
Series History
Missouri State and Wright State have played one time, a 64-63 win for the Raiders on Jan. 16, 1981 in Tampa, Fla.
NCAA Tournament History
Missouri State boasts a rich NCAA Tournament history with 16 total appearances, Final Four trips in 1992 and 2001, and Sweet Sixteens in 1993 and 2019. The Lady Bears are 17-15 all-time in NCAA play, with records of 9-7 in the first round, 4-4 in the second round, 2-2 in the Sweet 16, 2-0 in the Elite 8, and 0-2 in the Final Four.
   This is the ninth time Missouri State has earned a single-digit seed in NCAA play. The Lady Bears own a 15-8 record when seeded ninth or better, and are 8-1 in games as the higher seed. (Full yearly breakdown on page 28).
   Since Missouri State's first appearance in 1991, only four schools (UConn, Louisiana Tech, Old Dominion and George Washington) from outside the Power Five leagues own more victories, and just three (UConn, LT, ODU) have a better winning percentage in the Big Dance.
   Additionally, the Lady Bears are one of 19 Division I programs with a Sweet 16 appearance in the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s.
First Round Recap
Missouri State topped 12th-seeded UC Davis 70-51 on March 22. MSU led 29-14 midway through the second quarter, then trailed 34-33 early in the second half before going on a 17-0 run to put the game away.
Jasmine Franklin had 17 points and 18 rebounds, an MSU record for a tournament game, while
Brice Calip scored a game-high 18 points.
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