Lady Bears Basketball Tradition

Since their inaugural 1969-70 season, the Lady Bears have been a premier program in women's college basketball. MSU has played in 17 NCAA Tournaments with Final Four trips in 1992 and 2001 and Sweet Sixteen appearances in 1993, 2019 and 2021, played in eight WNITs with a championship in 2005, won 30 total conference titles, and finished with a winning record in 37 of 53 seasons.

Historical Timeline

Decade 1: The 1970s

1969-70: The first game in program history was a victory against Kansas City AAU in McDonald Arena on Dec. 4, 1969. The Lady Bears finished with a 10-7 record in their first season.

1970-71: Missouri State claimed its first of many championships, winning the MAIAW state tournament in Cape Girardeau and finishing the season with a 14-6 record.

1971-72: Cindy Henderson, Missouri State's first 1,000-point scorer, began a career that resulted in 1,392 points and 965 rebounds. She still holds school records for rebounds in a game, as well as season and career rebounding average. Henderson was drafted professionally in both basketball and softball after graduation, and compiled a 68-39 record in four seasons of professional softball pitching.

1972-73: The Lady Bears won 19 games for the second straight season, overcoming a 1-8 start to close with 18 wins in their last 22 games.

1973-74: Missouri State went 21-7 and won the MAIAW state tournament at McDonald Arena to complete a 14-1 home record, advancing to the AIAW Region IV Tournament in Brookings, S.D., for the first time in school history.

1974-75: The Lady Bears won their third straight AIAW state tournament and finished third at the regional meet. Cindy Henderson set a school record with 11 rebounds per game in her senior season.

1975-76: Joanie French was a mainstay in the Lady Bears' lineup and one of the most accomplished female athletes in school history. Inducted into the MSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1986, French was also on the volleyball, softball and track teams at Missouri State.

1976-77: Springfield native Diana Schroder began her career. She was the first women's basketball player at Missouri State to be awarded a scholarship.

1977-78: A day after Thanksgiving 1977, the Lady Bears defeated Wichita State, 84-42, the first of the program's 50 victories over the Shockers through the years.

1978-79: Missouri State defeated Arkansas by a 67-58 final on Feb. 1 in the first meeting between the schools, as Reba Sims completed her 10-year tenure as the program's first head coach.

Decade 2: The 1980s

1979-80: The Lady Bears went 8-18 in head coach Marti Gasser’s first season, but the foundation was laid for 44 total victories over the next two years.

1980-81: Missouri State piled up a then-school record 25 wins, advancing to a national postseason tournament for the first time. The Lady Bears finished second at the Region VI meet in Omaha and lost to Charleston in the first round of the Division II National Tournament.

1981-82: Lynne Miller joined the Missouri State roster after transferring from Nebraska, and ranked in the top five in career scoring and rebounding at MSU by the end of her three seasons. Today, Miller provides color commentary on the Lady Bears’ home radio broadcasts.

1982-83: In Missouri State’s first season in NCAA Division I, Lynn Strubberg set a new standard with 1,048 career rebounds after leading the team in all four seasons. She is still the only Lady Bear with 1,000 career boards.

1983-84: Missouri State’s Feb. 4 win against Indiana State was the first of 59 all-time wins over the Sycamores, the most of any MSU opponent. The 103-101 win over Western Illinois on Jan. 12 remains the highest combined point total in a regulation game in school history.

1984-85: The Lady Bears won six of their final eight conference games to finish fourth in the league with a 9-9 mark, their best Gateway record to date. Paula Buscher ended her career third in school history in assists before going on to become a head coach at four different universities.

1985-86: Two-time All-American Jeanette Tendai closed her Missouri State career with a school-record 1,769 points. Her #42 was the first number retired for a female MSU athlete in any sport.

1986-87: The Lady Bears improved their win total by 12 from the previous season to 18-10 with a second-place Gateway finish. Sharon Zeilmann closed her career with 221 blocks and a .579 field goal percentage, which still rank first and second in school history, respectively.

1987-88: In Cheryl Burnett’s first season, Kelly Mago set an NCAA record by shooting 16-for-16 from the floor against Bradley, while Nel Patton dished out a school-record 17 assists in the same game. Both records still stand 30 years later.

1988-89: Missouri State’s freshman class of Heidi Muller, Amy Nelson and Karen Rapier began careers that led them to the Final Four as seniors. The longest game in school history took place on Jan. 28, a 107-101 quadruple overtime loss to Indiana State.

Decade 3: The 1990s

1989-90: The Lady Bears won their first Gateway regular season championship, beat Missouri at home on Dec. 5 by a 71-67 final, and eclipsed 5,000 fans for the first time on Jan. 13 in the raise the blue curtain game.

1990-91: Missouri State swept the Gateway titles, including a tournament championship at McDonald Arena, before hosting the school’s first ever NCAA Tournament game at Hammons Student Center, a 94-64 win over Tennessee Tech. The Lady Bears fell 55-47 at Tennessee in the second round, finishing the year 26-5 overall and 16-2 in conference play.

1991-92: Secelia Winkfield’s last-second overtime basket at 7th-ranked Iowa put the Lady Bears in the Sweet Sixteen, but not before Melody Howard buried a 3-pointer with 22 second left to force the extra period. Missouri State followed with a 83-57 blowout of UCLA in the Sweet Sixteen, then a 94-71 win over fifth-ranked Ole Miss to earn a spot in the Final Four as Tina Robbins earned Midwest Regional MVP honors. The 1992 squad finished with a 31-3 record, setting school marks for total wins, conference wins (17), and longest winning streak (21). Missouri State earned its first ever top-25 ranking on Dec. 22, and grabbed its first ever top-25 win on Dec. 30 at No. 25 Arkansas.

1992-93: Missouri State made a return trip to the Sweet Sixteen and led the nation in attendance (7,421) while sweeping the MVC regular season and tournament titles. Freshman LaTanya Davis hit the game-winner against Southern Illinois in the MVC title game for a 54-53 win at home. The Lady Bears topped Oklahoma State at home in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, then won at Maryland before falling to Louisiana Tech.

1993-94: Melody Howard and Tina Robbins finished their careers with a fourth consecutive sweep of the MVC regular season and tournament titles, and still rank 1-2 at MSU in winning games played with more than 100 each. Howard set school records with 104 3-pointers on the year and 11 in the Feb. 19 game versus Drake. Her 11 treys tied an NCAA record and still rank third on the single-season list, while her 10th triple of that game set both the MSU single-game and career scoring records at the time. Robbins, meanwhile, still owns school records with 213 assists that season and 657 in her career.

1994-95: The Lady Bears won their sixth straight regular season conference title and earned an NCAA at-large bid. Missouri State picked up top-25 wins against Iowa and Drake during the year, finishing with a 21-12 record.

1995-96: Missouri State swept the league titles for fifth time in six seasons, going 25-5 for a sixth straight NCAA Tournament appearance. The Lady Bears overcame 13-point deficit with seven minutes remaining to beat Illinois State in the MVC Tournament title game.

1996-97: MSU’s streak of seven straight regular season titles came to an end with a second-place MVC finish, though the Lady Bears earned Power Five wins against Oklahoma and Florida State. Jessie McVay, the team’s lone senior, completed one of the best two-year careers in school history, scoring 810 points and swiping 178 steals.

1997-98: Lisa Davies became the first MSU athlete to be named Academic All-America of the Year as a senior, ending her career with 1,469 points and 792 rebounds. The Lady Bears went 24-6 to earn an NCAA at-large bid, beginning a streak of nine consecutive postseason trips. MSU won its first 12 games of the season, including a home victory over fifth-ranked Illinois and road win at Arkansas, which advanced to the Final Four.

1998-99: Senior Roshonda Reed averaged a double-double for the season, and still ranks in the top 11 at MSU in career points and rebounds. The Lady Bears won the final 14 games of the MVC season for the league title, finishing with 25 wins and an NCAA second round appearance. Missouri State scored a school-record 120 points against Davidson in the season opener, and beat Baylor on a four-point play from Jackie Stiles as time wound down to cap her 52-point night.

Decade 4: The 2000s

1999-00: The Lady Bears qualified for a third straight NCAA Tournament, winning 23 games on the year, including a home victory over 10th-ranked Oregon. Jackie Stiles’ 56-point game against Evansville on March 10 still ranks sixth in NCAA history.

2000-01: Another storybook season ends in Missouri State’s second trip to the Final Four. Jackie Stiles earned National Player of the Year honors and set the NCAA career scoring record on March 1, a mark that stood for 16 years. Tara Mitchem scored 40 points in MSU’s NCAA opener against Toledo, the Lady Bears won at Rutgers in the second round, and Stiles poured in 41 points against No. 5 Duke in the Sweet Sixteen. Missouri State beat Washington to advance to the Final Four in St. Louis, where it lost to Purdue in front of 20,551 fans, the largest crowd to ever witness a Lady Bears game.

2001-02: Cheryl Burnett completed her 15th and final season with a 319-136 record, 15 total conference titles and 10 NCAA appearances. Jenni Lingor earned MVC Freshman of the Year honors, and Erica Vicente ranked sixth nationally with 208 assists.

2002-03: Kari Koch is named the MVC Freshman of the Year after leading the Lady Bears in scoring, then added MVC Tournament MVP honors when Missouri State won three games in Des Moines to claim the title after finishing fourth in the regular season.

2003-04: Missouri State led the nation in 3-pointers and percentage, with the dynamic duo of Kari Koch and Jenni Lingor combining for 30.8 points per game and 133 treys. The Lady Bears swept the MVC titles and finished with a 28-4 record, the third most wins in school history. MSU got off to a 20-1 start with an 18-game win streak that included victories at Oregon State and Missouri, rising as high as 23rd in the Associated Press poll. The season ended with an overtime loss at fifth-seeded Notre Dame in the NCAA Tournament first round.

2004-05: The Lady Bears won WNIT, hosting all five games at Hammons Student Center and concluding with a 78-70 championship win over West Virginia. The MVC regular season champs set an NCAA record with 305 3-pointers, shooting at a 44.5 percent clip to lead the nation for the second straight year. Missouri State finished 25-8 on the season, and hosted No. 1 LSU in December, losing 66-54 in front of 8,431 fans in the only time a top-ranked team has visited MSU.

2005-06: Missouri State became the first team to win four games in the MVC Tournament, earning the league’s NCAA bid as the seventh seed. Kari Koch averaged 20.2 points per game and hit 10 treys in a December contest. The Lady Bears led the nation with a .793 free throw percentage.

2006-07: Though it was a down year by Lady Bear standards, Missouri State beat Oregon 71-56 at home on Dec. 16 behind 39 points from Tahnee Balerio, who averaged 18.5 points and 4.9 assists on the season.

2007-08: The Lady Bears bounced back from a slow start to post a six-win improvement in league play with a 9-9 MVC mark in Nyla Milleson’s first season, closing Hammons Student Center with a 79-73 win over Creighton on March 8.

2008-09: The Lady Bears played their first game in JQH Arena, a 61-52 victory against Arkansas State on Nov. 23, 2008.

Decade 5: The 2010s

2009-10: Casey Garrison earned MVC Player of the Year honors, scoring 658 points as a sophomore on the way to 2,271 in her career, good for second in school history.

2010-11: Missouri State tied a school record with 35 games played, winning 24, while making the second of three consecutive WNIT appearances. Casey Garrison earned first-team all-MVC honors, and Christiana Shorter had 279 rebounds to rank sixth in MSU history.

2011-12: After a 3-3 start to league play, the Lady Bears won 11 straight games from Jan. 21 to March 1 to secure the program’s ninth MVC regular season title on the way to a 24-9 record.

2012-13: MSU retired a jersey in honor of Cheryl Burnett on Feb. 3. The Lady Bears set an MVC record with 68 rebounds in a Dec. 1 win against Northern Kentucky, including 30 on the offensive glass, the most in school history.

2013-14: Kellie Harper is hired as head coach in April 2013, and the Lady Bears grabbed a signature win against Missouri at home eight months later. Bry and Tyonna Snow combined for 46 points against Bradley on Feb. 9, the most ever by sisters at Missouri State.

2014-15: Missouri State won 10 straight games late in the season to advance to the MVC title game and earn a WNIT appearance. The Lady Bears beat Mizzou for the second straight year, and Kenzie Williams scored her 1,000 career point in February on the way to eighth place on MSU’s scoring list.

2015-16: The Lady Bears won their 10th MVC Tournament title for a trip to their 14th NCAA Tournament and a 24-10 record. Kenzie Williams earned first-team all-MVC honors and Tyonna Snow earned the MVC Player and Defensive Player of the Year awards. Missouri State earned non-conference road wins over a pair of SEC schools, Arkansas and Ole Miss.

2016-17: Liza Fruendt scored 46 points on March 2 at Drake, the fifth-most in school history. The Lady Bears advanced to the WNIT, and picked up Power Five wins at Kansas and against Arkansas in JQH Arena, the latter thanks to a Lexi Hughes buzzer-beater.

2017-18: Missouri State went 15-3 in MVC play for the school’s most league wins since 2005. The senior class of Aubrey Buckley, Liza Fruendt, Audrey Holt and Lee Ann Polowy played in the postseason all four seasons, going 21-12 as a senior class with a second round WNIT trip. Before falling at TCU in that second round contest, the Lady Bears handed Louisiana Tech its first ever postseason home loss, as the Lady Techsters were 40-0 all-time in such games in Ruston prior to MSU’s 63-59 win on March 15.

2018-19: Season 50 was truly a special one, as the Lady Bears returned to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2001. Missouri State picked up three straight top-25 wins for the first time in school history, defeating No. 21 Drake in the MVC Tournament final, 24th-ranked DePaul in the NCAA first round and No. 13 Iowa State on its home floor in the second round. The Lady Bears’ season ended with a close loss to sixth-ranked Stanford in the Sweet 16 in Chicago, good for a 25-10 final record after a 1-7 start to the year. MSU also posted some of the longest overall, conference and road win streaks in school history during the season.

Decade 6: The 2020s

2019-20: The first season under head coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton was a memorable one for several reasons. The Lady Bears set a school record with 26 regular-season wins, going 26-4 overall and 16-2 in MVC play for their 13th regular season title. Missouri State spent most of the season in the top 25, ending the year ranked 19th in the USA Today Coaches Poll, 23rd in the AP, and 8th in the NCAA RPI, the highest finish ever for an MVC team. The season came to an abrupt end on March 12 when the MVC and NCAA Tournaments were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

2020-21: Missouri State made it consecutive trips to the Sweet Sixteen and finished with 23-3 record, tying for the fewest losses in school history and posting the second-best winning percentage at MSU. The Lady Bears set a school record with a plus-10.8 rebound margin, allowed 57.2 points for the second-lowest defensive average in school history, and were ranked in every Coaches Poll of the year and 13 weeks by the Association Press. Brice Calip was the MVC Player of the Year, Jasmine Franklin picked up MVC Defense Player of the Year honors, and Amaka Agugua-Hamilton repeated as MVC Coach of the Year.

2021-22: The Lady Bears made their 17th NCAA Tournament appearance, including their third straight, after finishing the season with a 25-8 record and placing second in the MVC regular season standings with a 14-4 ledger. Missouri State picked up a First Four Round victory over 11th-seeded Florida State in Baton Rouge, before dropping a close contest to sixth-seeded Ohio State, 63-56. MSU ranked 10th nationally in scoring defense, holding opponents to just 53.9 points per game, which is also the second-lowest defensive average in program history. Brice Calip earned her second MVC Defensive Player of the Year honor to become just the fifth player in the league to win the award multiple times, while Abi Jackson was named the MVC’s Most Improved Player.