Starting Five Storylines
1) Missouri State has continued its tradition of strong defensive play. The Lady Bears currently own the seventh-best scoring defense in the nation at 51.6, while also ranking in the top 20 in 3-point defense (17th - .257), blocks/game (19th - 5.0) and field goal percentage defense (14th - .350). MSU's defensive average is on pace to rank second in school history.
2) Out of the 20 opponents that qualify, Missouri State has held 17 out of 20 opponents under their scoring average entering their games against the Lady Bears. Across all 20 games, MSU is holding opponents to an average of 16.7 points below their scoring average prior to facing the Lady Bears. Missouri State has held eight opponents to 20+ points below their scoring average prior to facing the Lady Bears, including Power Five opponents USC and Missouri.
3) Transfer
Jennifer Ezeh made her collegiate debut last weekend for the Lady Bears after dealing with injuries for more than two years. Ezeh made her debut on Feb. 4, before earning her first career start on Feb. 6. On Sunday, she recorded her first career double-double (10 points, 11 rebounds) in just her second-ever college game.
4) Since the season-ending injury to
Jasmine Franklin, Abi Jackson has stepped into a key role for the Lady Bears. Jackson leads Missouri State in conference play with 13.7 ppg and 7.9 rpg. Jackson has recorded double digit scoring performances in eight of 10 games since stepping into the starting lineup consistently at the start of conference play and ranks 21st in the nation with 2.25 blocks per game.
5) Missouri State is 89-15 overall since Dec. 20, 2018, which is tied for seventh nationally in total wins since that date and seventh in win percentage (.856). Five teams ahead of the Lady Bears on the wins list have been ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll over that span.
The Opponents
Drake currently sits at 12-10 on the season and 4-7 in Missouri Valley Conference play, which places them eighth in the MVC standings. The Bulldogs are led by the trio of Maggie Bair, Megan Meyer and Grace Berg, who each average 11+ ppg, with Bair also pacing the team with 6.2 rpg. As a unit, Drake is averaging 73.7 ppg and 40.9 rpg. The Bulldogs shoot .452 from the field and .327 from long range, while averaging 18.6 assists per game.
Northern Iowa is 16-6 overall this season and 9-2 in MVC play, placing them atop the conference standings. The Panthers are led by preseason all-MVC selection Karli Rucker, who averages 13.0 ppg and has dished out a team-high 72 assists, while shooting 40 percent from behind the arc. Freshman Grace Boffeli and reigning MVC Player of the Week leads the team with 9.3 rpg. UNI averages 71.2 ppg and 38.6 rpg as a squad. The Panthers shoot .421 from the field and .324 from behind the arc.
Series Histories
Missouri State owns the all-time series lead over Drake, 48-44. In Springfield, the Lady Bears are 30-18 against the Bulldogs. MSU has won the last six matchups against Drake, including earlier this season when the Lady Bears defeated the Bulldogs 69-53 in Des Moines.
MSU leads the all-time series against UNI, 58-29, including a 32-8 record against the Panthers in Springfield. Prior to this season, the Lady Bears had won the last seven contests against the Panthers. However, earlier this season in Cedar Falls, UNI defeated Missouri State 74-65 to snap MSU's second-longest MVC win streak in program history at 21 games.
