Missouri State scored the final five points of the game, all from the foul line, to top Drake by a 65-61 score Saturday afternoon in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament semifinal round at iWireless Center.
Audrey Holt hit the go-ahead foul shots with 17 seconds remaining, and freshman Danielle Gitzen grabbed a huge rebound and sealed the game at the line with the final two of her career-high 14 points with three ticks left to secure a spot in the title game for the 15th time in school history. The Lady Bears (23-9) will take on top-seeded UNI (22-9) at 2 p.m. Sunday in search of its 10th championship and the league’s automatic NCAA Tournament bid.
Missouri State opened the game on a 9-0 run and trailed for just 21 seconds in the first half on the way to a 32-31 advantage entering the locker room after Drake (22-9) beat the horn with a long 3-pointer to end the period.
The Bulldogs made it a 7-0 run by scoring the first four points after intermission for a 35-32 lead, and the Lady Bears made only one of their first 15 shots in the third quarter before Gitzen drained a triple with 38 seconds left for a 44-all tie.
Liza Fruendt knocked down a trey with 7:15 remaining for MSU’s first lead since halftime at 50-48, beginning a see-saw final few minutes that saw six lead changes and five ties before the final buzzer.
Fruendt added another triple for 54-51, and Drake countered with a 6-0 run to lead 57-54 before Gitzen hit a pair of foul shots to put MSU ahead 60-59 with 1:55 to play. The Bulldogs got the lead back 10 seconds later, and Onye Osemenam banked home a free throw with 1:15 left for a 61-61 tie.
Missouri State followed with stops on Drake’s final three possessions, capping another exceptional defensive performance by holding the MVC’s top offensive team to 19 points under its average and 34.5 percent shooting on a .470 season average.
Tyonna Snow led MSU with 19 points and a career-high 13 rebounds for her fifth double-double of the year, while Gitzen shot 2-of-2 from the floor and 9-for-10 at the line. Fruendt added with 11 points.
Kenzie Williams dished out five assists, and the Lady Bears committed only seven turnovers compared to 16 for DU, ending the game with a 16-0 advantage in points off turnovers. Drake held a 47-43 rebounding lead, though MSU grabbed 19 offensive boards to help overcome 30.6 percent shooting. MSU also went 15-for-18 at foul line, all coming in the second half.
