Starting Five - Storylines for the MVC Tournament
1) Missouri State has continued its tradition of strong defensive play. The Lady Bears currently own the 10th-best scoring defense in the nation at 53.6, which is on pace to rank second in school history. Overall, MSU also ranks in the top 25 nationally in: offensive rebounds per game – 15th, blocks per game – 16th, blocks – 19th, free throws made – 21st, and turnover margin - 24th.
2) Out of the 28 opponents that qualify, Missouri State has held 22 out of 28 opponents under their scoring average entering their games against the Lady Bears. Across all 28 games, MSU is holding opponents to an average of 13.8 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.
3) Senior guards
Mya Bhinhar (107) and
Brice Calip (100) are the first set of Lady Bear teammates to each record at least 100 assists in the same season since Jenni Lingor (148) and Kari Koch (125) in 2004-05. Bhinhar (2.4) and Calip (2.1) also rank first and second respectively in the MVC in assist-to-turnover ratio this season.
4) Abi Jackson has stepped into a key role for the Lady Bears this season. Jackson leads Missouri State in conference play with 15.4 ppg and 7.2 rpg. Jackson has recorded double digit scoring performances in 15 of 18 games since stepping into the starting lineup consistently at the start of conference play and has recorded 14+ points in 6 of the last 8 games. She is 4th on the MSU single-season blocks list with 66 on the year and is 6th on MSU's career blocks list with 95 total blocks as a Lady Bear.
5) Missouri State is 96-16 overall since Dec. 20, 2018, which is tied for eighth nationally in total wins since that date and eighth in win 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.
Success in MVC Tournament History
Missouri State leads the conference with 11 conference tournament titles, a .691 conference tournament winning percentage and 47 overall victories in the conference tournament. The Lady Bears have made an appearance in the tournament finals 16 times and will look to win their first MVC Tournament title since 2019. MSU owns an 8-2 record in the conference tournament in Moline, with titles in 2016 and 2019.Â
