SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State women's basketball coach Beth Cunningham announced today the signing of transfer Kiley Bess. Bess has one year of eligibility remaining. 
 
Bess spent last season at Indiana State, where she started 30 games for the Sycamores. She was Indiana State's second leading scorer with 11.1 points per game and led ISU in playing time with 32.4 minutes per game. Bess also collected 127 rebounds, 59 assists and 52 steals, while shooting .409 from the field and .322 from three. 
 
Prior to her time at Indiana State, Bess spent three seasons at Saint Louis University. During her three years at SLU, she appeared in 34 games and was part of two postseason teams, as the Billikens made the WNIT in her freshman year and made their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 2022-23. 
 
A native of Poplar Bluff, Mo., Bess finished her high school career as the all-time leading scorer at Poplar Bluff High School with 2,301 points. She was a two-time all-state selection, a two-time conference player of the year and a four-time all-conference selection. 
 
Her grandfather, Gene Bess, is the all-time winningest college basketball coach after collecting 1,300 career wins at Three Rivers College, and he is a Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee. Bess' father, Brian, also served as the athletic director and men's basketball coach at Three Rivers. Meanwhile, both her mother, Kacey (volleyball) and brother, Kolby (basketball) were collegiate athletes at Three Rivers.   
 
 
Cunningham on Bess:
"Kiley will be a great addition to our Lady Bear basketball program. Kiley fits in perfectly with our current players, and she is another proven scorer and excellent shooter who plays with an edge. She starred at Poplar Bluff (Mo.) and comes from an extremely successful basketball family. She is a proven winner with roots that run deep in the state of Missouri."