Missouri State Lady Bears (17-8, 12-4 MVC) vs. Evansville Purple Aces (11-14, 6-10 MVC)
Date and Time	Thursday, February 23 | 6 p.m. CT
Location	Great Southern Bank Arena (11,000) | Springfield, Mo.
Tickets	Tickets | (417) 836-7678 | Great Southern Bank Arena Box Office
Promotions	Wear Beach Wear | Giveaways: Leis & MSU Tank Top (Students) 2022-23 Promotional Calendar
Fan Info.	Digital Game Program
Radio	KWTO 93.3 FM (Tom Ladd, Lynne Miller) | Listen Live | Varsity Network
TV	ESPN+ (Corey Riggs, Carly Stubblefield) | Watch
Live Stats	Sidearm Stats
Missouri State	Game Notes | Women's Basketball Home Page
Evansville	Women's Basketball Home Page
Bears Mobile App	App Store (Apple Devices) | Google Play Store (Android Devices)
Up Next	Saturday, Feb. 25 vs. Indiana State, 1 p.m. CT | Tickets

Accessibility
Missouri State University is committed to providing an accessible and supportive environment for those with disabilities. To request reasonable disability accommodations, contact the Deputy Compliance Officer at (417) 836-6755 or DeputyComplianceOfficer@MissouriState.edu. 

Starting Five - Storylines for the Evansville Game
1) The Missouri State Lady Bears are continuing their tradition of dominance on the boards this season. MSU ranks 6th nationally and 1st in the Missouri Valley Conference with 16.6 offensive rebounds per game, while ranking 2nd in the conference and 14th in the country in total rebound average with 42.7 per game. Missouri State also owns a +10.5 rebound margin, which is 2nd in the conference and 8th nationally.

2) Fifth-year senior Aniya Thomas continues to do it all for the Lady Bears, leading MSU with 14.8 points per game, 27 three-point field goals, .772 free throw percentage, 109 assists and 51 steals. She owns 5 20-point games this season and 21 double-figure scoring performances. Thomas has five or more assists in 10 games this season and her scoring average jumps up to 16.3 points/game versus Valley opponents.

3) According to HerHoopsStats.com, Jade Masogayo is currently the only freshman in NCAA Division I averaging at least 7.5 points per game, 5.0 rebounds per game, 1.5 blocks per game and 1.5 assists per game this season. She also became the first freshman in NCAA Divison I this season and just the seventh player in all of NCAA DI to post at least 19 points, 11 rebounds, five steals and three blocks in a single game with her performance against Murray State on Feb. 17.

4) Junior Paige Rocca has started the last 10 games for Missouri State and she is taking advantage of her opportunity. Rocca has set her career high in points in the last two outings, with 15 points against Murray State and then topping it with 17 points against Belmont on Feb. 19. She logged a career-high 47 minutes and knocked down a key three-pointer in the double OT victory versus Murray State, and she ranks 11th in The Valley with 31.5 minutes per game. 

5) Missouri State is 9-0 this season when holding opponents to 60 points or less and 12-0 when scoring 70+ points. They also own a 17-2 record when collecting more assists than their opponent, meanwhile that record falls to 0-6 when their opponent has more assists.

Series History
Missouri State leads the all-time series against Evansville, 49-13, including a 26-2 advantage in Springfield. MSU has won the last 11 contests against the Purple Aces, incuding a 73-61 victory on the road this season. In the last meeting, Aniya Thomas led the way for MSU with 27 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 6 steals. Sydney Wilson also contributed 17 points and Kennedy Taylor had a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double against UE. 

The Opponent 
Evansville is 11-14 overall on the season and 6-10 in MVC action. The Purple Aces split contests against UIC (W, 68-65) and Valparaiso (L, 68-74) last weekend. UE is led by Abby Feit, who averages 15.5 points and 7.6 rebounds per game while also leading the team with 32 steals and 26 blocks. Clark also contributes 11.7 points/game, while Anna Newman leads UE with 90 assists. As a team, the Purple Aces average 64.8 points and 35.4 boards per game, while shooting .386 from the field, .320 from three and .708 from the free throw line.