Missouri State Lady Bears (3-1) at Paradise Jam
Date and Time	Thursday-Saturday, November 28-30, 2024
Location	University of V.I. Elridge Blake Sports & Fitness Center | St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
TV	ESPN+ (Brad Wells, Kevin Lehman)
Radio	KWTO 93.3 FM (Tom Ladd, Lynne Miller) | Listen Live
Game 1	Thursday, Nov. 28 vs. Gonzaga | W, 65-64 | Box Score
Game 2	Friday, Nov. 29 vs. Florida State | L, 66-97 | Box Score
Game 3	Saturday, Nov. 30 vs. Texas Tech | L, 69-72 | Box Score
Missouri State	Game Notes | Women's Basketball Home Page | Media Guide
Paradise Jam Opponents	Gonzaga | Florida State | Texas Tech
Follow the Lady Bears	Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | #LadyBears | #MoState
Bears Mobile App	App Store (Apple Devices) | Google Play Store (Android Devices)
Up Next	Friday, December 6 vs. Wyoming | 6:30 p.m. | Tickets

The Lady Bear Necessities 

• Missouri State women's basketball jets off to paradise to participate in the 25th Anniversary of the Virgin Islands Paradise Jam. MSU will compete in the tournament for the third time in program history (2000, 2003). MSU is 3-2 all-time at the Paradise Jam and was a participant in the inaugural tourney.
• The Lady Bears will kick off their tournament stay on Thanksgiving Day with a matchup against Gonzaga, before facing off against Florida State and Texas Tech to finish off their six-game road swing. 
• Sarah Linthacum (Sr., Jefferson City, Mo.) was named Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Week on Monday after averaging 15.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game in a 1-1 week against UT Martin and Saint Louis. She dropped a career-high 20 points on the road at UTM and dished out a career-high 6 assists with no turnovers in the win at SLU. Linthacum ranks 19th nationally and 2nd in the MVC with 4.5 offensive rebounds per game. 
• Kyrah Daniels (So., Highlands Ranch, Colo.) is pacing Missouri State's offense this season with 17.0 points/game. The sophomore has scored 16 or more points in three consecutive games, including a career-high 26 points in the Lady Bears' last outing at SLU. 
• Lacy Stokes (Sr., Mount Vernon, Mo.) has scored in double figures in 12 straight games, dating back to last season's 2/29/24 matchup at Bradley. The reigning MVC Newcomer of the Year has posted at least 10 points in 27 of her 37 career games at MSU.
• Missouri State has been getting to the free throw line frequently in the early part of the season. The Lady Bears rank 5th nationally in FTA per game (26.5) and 30th in FTM per game (16.0). MSU is 3-0 this season and 25-2 under Cunningham when making more free throws than its opponent. 
• Beth Cunningham is in her third season at the helm of the Lady Bears program, owning a 46-23 overall record. In the Cunningham era, Missouri State is 29-4 when scoring 70+ points, 32-1 when holding opponents to 65 points or less and 24-0 when opponents score less than 60 points. 
• Missouri State was picked to finish fifth in the MVC preseason poll for the second consecutive year. MSU finished third in the regular season a year ago with a 15-5 conference record. Stokes earned a spot on the preseason All-MVC first team after earning second-team honors a year ago, in addition to being named to the MVC All-Newcomer and All-Defensive teams.  
• The 2023-24 season was one that saw the Lady Bears go 23-10, make a run to the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament title game and earn a bid into the inaugural Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament. Last season marked the program's seventh consecutive 20-win season and ninth straight postseason appearance. 

Paradise Jam History
    This will mark Missouri State's third appearance in the U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam field as the tournament celebrates its 25th anniversary. MSU was one of the participants in the inaugural tournament in 2000, along with LSU, Penn State and Texas Tech. The Lady Bears went 1-1 in a runner-up finish that featued an 85-75 victory over #10 LSU and a 77-81 setback against #13 Texas Tech. Jackie Stiles was named the Tournament MVP.
    The Lady Bears returned to the Paradise Jam in 2003 and were crowned champions of the Saint John Division, which also featured Georgia Tech, James Madison and West Virginia. In the tournament, Missouri State defeated both WVU and JMU by a score of 82-64, before falling to Georgia Tech, 71-78. Kari Koch was named the Saint John Division MVP.