SPRINGFIELD – The Missouri State Lady Bears will play an 11-game non-conference schedule to begin their 2021-22 season, head coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton announced today.
The back-to-back Missouri Valley Conference regular season champion's non-conference schedule features a heavy dose of Power Five opponents, as well as five games to be played at JQH Arena, including a home matchup with in-state rival Missouri.
MSU will kick off its 2021-22 campaign with a road game against the University of Arkansas at Little Rock on Tuesday, Nov. 9, before heading home for the Lady Bears' first game at JQH Arena against North Texas on Sunday, Nov. 14.
Missouri State will face three 2020-21 NCAA Tournament teams during their challenging non-conference schedule (7-seed Virginia Tech, 8-seed Oklahoma State, and 9-seed South Dakota State).
The Lady Bears hit the road beginning Wednesday, Nov. 17 for a Power Five-laden trip that begins with two true road games against Oklahoma State and USC, before MSU heads to the San Juan Shootout in San Juan, Puerto Rico, to take on Virginia Tech and LSU.
Missouri State welcomes William Jewell College to JQH Arena on Friday, Dec. 3, before finishing off its road portion of non-conference play with a trip to South Dakota State to face the 2020-21 Summit League regular season champions on Monday, Dec. 6.
A matchup with in-state rival Missouri on Friday, Dec. 10, begins a three-game home stretch to close out the non-conference slate for the Lady Bears, with their final two contests coming against Southern University on Saturday, Dec. 18, and the University of Toledo on Tuesday, Dec. 21.
MSU's contest with Mizzou will mark the 10th-straight season the two teams have met. Missouri State has won the last two meetings against the Tigers, including a 79-72 victory at home in 2019 and a 72-58 win last season in Columbia.
Missouri State will also host exhibitions against Missouri Baptist University on Monday, Nov. 1, and Lincoln University on Friday, Nov. 5, prior to the start of the 2021-22 regular season at Little Rock.
The Lady Bears finished last season ranked 14th in the Coaches Poll and 20th in the AP Poll, following a season in which they went 23-3 and made their second consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16. MSU has claimed back-to-back MVC regular season titles and went undefeated (16-0) in conference play last season. This year's team will feature seven returners, including reigning MVC Player of the Year Brice Calip and reigning MVC Defensive Player of the Year Jasmine Franklin.
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