Sunday Matinee Versus Sycamores Up Next for Lady Bears

Sunday, January 21

Springfield, Mo.

2:00 p.m.

Missouri State University

Indiana State

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Sunday Matinee Versus Sycamores Up Next for Lady Bears

January 20, 2024 | Women's Basketball

Game Notes (PDF)Watch Listen Live Stats Tickets

Missouri State Lady Bears (11-4, 5-1 MVC) vs. Indiana State Sycamores (6-10, 2-4 MVC)
Date and Time	Sunday, January 21 \| 2:00 p.m.
Location	Great Southern Bank Arena \| Springfield, Mo.
Tickets	Tickets
TV	ESPN+ (Corey Riggs, Carly Stubblefield) \| Watch
Radio	KWTO 93.3 FM (Tom Ladd, Lynne Miller) \| Listen Live \| Varsity Network
Live Stats	Live Stats
Promotions	Kari Koch Jersey Retirement \| Alumni Game 2023-24 Promo Calendar
Missouri State	Game Notes \| Women's Basketball Home Page
Indiana State	Women's Basketball Home Page
Bears Mobile App	App Store (Apple Devices) \| Google Play Store (Android Devices)
Up Next	Friday, January 26 at Belmont \| 6:30 p.m. \| 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.

The Lady Bear Necessities

Missouri State women's basketball puts its 11-game home win streak on the line as the Lady Bears welcome Indiana State for a Sunday afternoon (2 p.m.) matinee at Great Southern Bank Arena. MSU is 67-18 all-time against the Sycamores, including a 35-6 record at home - MSU has won the last 18 matchups in the series.
At halftime, MSU will honor one of its women's basketball all-time greats with the retirement of Kari Koch Dowell's #22 jersey. She will become the fifth Lady Bear to have her jersey retired, joining Jackie Stiles, Melody Howard, Jeanette Tendai and head coach Cheryl Burnett.
Point guard Lacy Stokes (Jr., Mount Vernon, Mo.) ranks 10th nationally and second in the MVC with a 3.05 assist-to-turnover ratio this season. In MVC games, Stokes' assist-to-turnover ratio jumps to an impressive 8.5 (34-4), which is more than double that of the next closest player in the league (McDermott - 3.8). Over the last three games, Stokes has dished out 21 assists to just one turnover.
This season at home, the Lady Bears own a 9-0 record and are holding opponents to 57.6 points and 29.2 rebounds per game. MSU is also forcing 19.2 turnovers per game and is limiting its opponents to just 27% from behind the arc on its home floor.
Missouri State is 20-4 at home under Beth Cunningham.
In the Beth Cunningham era, the Lady Bears are 19-2 when scoring 70+ points. Under Cunningham, Missouri State is 23-0 when allowing 65 points or less and 30-3 when holding opponents to 70 points or less.
MSU's freshman class was a bright spot in the Lady Bears' last outing against Evansville. All five scored points against the Purple Aces, led by Kyrah Daniels and Louis Volker with 10 points each in the 35-point victory over Evansville. Natasha Barnes (5 pts.), Kaemyn Bekemeier (8 pts.) and Blake O'Grady (3 pts.) all posted career-high scoring performances, with O'Grady scoring the first points of her college career. Barnes also had a game-high three steals in the win. Daniels has posted double figure points in 5 of 6 Valley games, pacing MSU at 11.5 points/game, while Volker is shooting .586 (17-29) in MVC play.
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 enter Sunday in a three-way tie for second place in the Missouri Valley Conference race. Murray State and Belmont join MSU at 5-1 in conference play, while Drake sits at the top at 6-0.

The Series
   Missouri State leads the all-time series against Indiana State, 67-18, including a 35-6 record at home. The Lady Bears have won the last 18 matchups against the Sycamores, with their last loss in the series coming on Feb. 21, 2014. MSU swept last year's two regular season meetings against Indiana State.
   In the first meeting last season in Terre Haute, which marked the start of conference action, used an important third quarter run to ultimately secure the nine-point road victory, 71-62. Sydney Wilson had 16 points, 12 coming from the free throw line, while current Lady Bear Kennedy Taylor had 10 points and nine rebounds. Paige Rocca also had nine points, while Indya Green grabbed nine boards.
   In the Springfield meeting last season, MSU set the tone early in its home finale and Senior Day game. Missouri State outscored the Sycamores, 21-8, in the second quarter to help propel them to a 77-66 victory. Taylor went 9-for-11 from the field, scoring 23 points and pulling down 11 rebounds, while Aniya Thomas posted 20 points, four assists and three steals.

A Lady Bear Win Would...