SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State women's basketball suffered its third consecutive loss after falling 68-49 to Gonzaga here on Friday night at Great Southern Bank Arena.
 
As was the case their last time out, the Lady Bears got off to a slow start on their home floor. MoState tied the game twice in the first couple minutes of the game, but once Gonzaga grabbed the lead on a trey with 8:05 on the clock in the first period, the Bulldogs never surrendered it. The Gonzaga defense held Missouri State to just 2-for-12 (.167) shooting from the field to put MSU in a deficit early.
 
The struggle to find a rhythm offensively for the Lady Bears continued in the second period, but Missouri State continued to battle through its struggles and kept the deficit manageable in the first half. A Kaemyn Bekemeier bucket with 0:02 left in the second cut the deficit to 11 points, 29-18, at the intermission.
 
Out of the break, the Lady Bears put together their best shooting and scoring quarter of the night. MoState went 7-for-15 (.467) from the field and a perfect 4-for-4 at the charity stripe to post 19 points in the frame and cut the Bulldogs' lead back down to eight points as the clock approached the three-minute mark. Unfortunately, though, Gonzaga also put up their best period of the night in the third to hold the Lady Bears at bay and extend the lead to 15 points, 52-37, as the game headed to the fourth quarter.
 
The final period saw more of the same as Gonzaga was able to stretch its lead to a game-high 21 points with 6:15 left to play and once again with just 1:07 remaining in the contest. The loss marked MoState's third consecutive loss overall and at home as the Lady Bears posted their lowest scoring total of the season in the 68-49 setback.
 
Missouri State had two players in double figures on the night in Cady Pauley and Bekemeier, who scored 13 and 12 points, respectively. Bekemeier also led the team with seven rebounds, while freshman Maiesha Washington dished out a team-high three assists.
 
A bright spot all season for the Lady Bears, the home squad went 15-for-17 (.882) at the charity stripe while Gonzaga was held to just nine opportunities at the free throw line. Defensively, Missouri State forced 22 turnovers and turned those into 18 points. However, the Bulldogs dominated on the glass (41-24), in the paint (28-18) and in three-point field goals (8-2).
 
Missouri State will close out its four-game home stand on Monday, Dec. 22 as the Lady Bears host Central Arkansas. The game is set for 1:00 p.m. and will stream on ESPN+.