The Lady Bear Necessities
- Missouri State women's basketball continues its road swing with a trip to Illinois State for a Sunday night MVC showdown (6 p.m.). MSU is 49-35 all-time against Illinois State and has won the last four contests in Normal.
- MSU is currently riding a seven-game win streak. Over that span, the Lady Bears are shooting .445 from the field, .378 from three and .652 at the charity striple. The Lady Bears are scoring 66.1 points/game and holding opponents to 57.6 points per game, while owning a plus-5.7 turnover margin.
- Lacy Stokes (Jr., Mount Vernon, Mo.) was named the MVC Newcomer of the Week on Tuesday for the fourth time this season. She averaged 8.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, while dishing out a team-leading nine assists (4.5/game) and collecting a team-high six steals (3.0/game) in wins against Valpo and UIC. Stokes also owned a 3.0 assist-to-turnover ratio and went a combined 7-for-9 from the charity stripe. Stokes ranks 2nd in the MVC and 32nd nationally with a 2.48 assist-to-turnover ratio this season.
- The Lady Bears are coming off their best performance of the season with a 94-66 win over Bradley, marking their largest margin of victory in 2023-24. MSU also eclipsed its season highs offensively in points (94), field goals (41), field goal percentage (.569) and assists (22). Additionally, Missouri State collected 15 steals and committed just 4 turnovers.
- In the Beth Cunningham era, the Lady Bears are 18-1 when scoring 70+ points. Under Cunningham, Missouri State is 22-0 when allowing 65 points or less and 29-3 when holding opponents to 70 points or less.
- Kyrah Daniels (Fr., Highlands Ranch, Colo.) made her second start of the season at Bradley and tied her career high with 15 points. She paces MSU in MVC play with 11.5 points/game and 1.5 blocks/game. In four MVC games, she is shooting .563 (18-32) from the field and .692 from three (9-13).
- MSU is undefeated this season when recording more assists than its opponents (9-0) and when winning the battle on the boards (8-0). MSU has won the rebounding battle 137 times in the last 169 contests, going 117-20 when winning on the glass.
- Missouri State is 5-0 this season in games decided by five points or less. The Lady Bears have won those five games by a combined 10 points.
- The Lady Bears were picked 5th in this year's MVC Preseason Poll. Missouri State is 397-163 all-time in MVC play.
The Series
Missouri State leads the all-time series against Illinois State, 49-35, including a 23-19 record on the road in Normal. The teams split their two matchups last season with each squad winning on the road. The Lady Bears have won the last four contests in Normal, but the two teams have alternated victories in their last five meetings.
In last season's first matchup in Springfield, the Lady Bears suffered a 63-67 loss as Illinois State came from behind in the fourth quarter. Despite holidng the lead for the majority of the game, MSU was plagued by cold shooitng in the fourth and the Redbirds took advantage down the stretch.
Kennedy Taylor (18 pts., 14 reb.) and
Indya Green (12 pts., 13 reb.) posted double-doubles.
On the reurn trip to Normal, Missouri State secured a hard-fought, five-point victory over the Redbirds. Holding on to a two-point lead at halftime, the Lady Bears put together a crucial third-quarter performance, in which they outscored the Redbirds 26-19, to propel themselves to a win.
Aniya Thomas was MSU's leading scorer with 15 points, while Green tallied another double-double (14 pts., 13 reb.). Taylor also contributed 13 points and five boards as MSU held Illinois State to 35% from the field and 20% from three.
A Lady Bear Win Would...
- Extend MSU's win streak to eight games.
- Mark Missouri State's fifth consecutive road win in the series.
- Keep Missouri State undefeated in conference play this season.
