The Missouri State Lady Bears became the first 3-seed to win the Missouri Valley Conference postseason tournament Sunday in Moline, Ill. Saturday they're planning on becoming just the 7th 13-seed to win an opening round game in the NCAA Women's Tournament.
WHO: 13 Missouri St (24-9, 14-4 MVC) vs. 4 Texas A&M (21-9, 11-5 SEC)
WHERE: Reed Arena (12,989) in College Station, TX
WHEN: Sat. Mar. 19, 3:00 pm (Central)
WATCH: ESPN 2 (Paul Sunderland, Chiney Ogwumike) or ESPN3.com
LISTEN: KTXR 101.3 FM (Tom Ladd, Lynne Miller) or RadioSpringfield.com
LIVE STATS: NCAA.com
History: The Lady Bears are making their 14th NCAA Tournament appearance and own a 14-13 record in the event with Final Four appearances in 1992 and 2001 and a Sweet Sixteen trip in 1993.
About the Lady Bears: Missouri State brings a seven-game win streak into postseason play, during which the Lady Bears have won by an average score of 70.1-48.3 while holding opponents to 31.5 percent shooting overall and 21.1 percent from beyond the arc.
Vs. the SEC: MSU owns a 2-1 record against SEC competition in 2015-16, including road wins at Ole Miss and Arkansas.
Vs. the Aggies: Missouri State is 2-1 all-time against Texas A&M with home wins in 1991 and 2005 and road loss in 1980.
Scouting Texas A&M: Texas A&M is 21-9 overall and tied for second in the SEC standings with an 11-5 league mark. The Aggies are ranked 18th in both the Coaches and AP polls. TAMU is led senior guards Courtney Walker and Courtney Williams, who average 18.1 and 12.5 points, respectively, as all-SEC selections, while Jordan Jones is all-SEC pick with 168 assists on the year. As a team, the Aggies average 70.8 points and allow 61.0 while shooting 44.2 percent overall, 29.1 percent from long range and 70.7 percent from the charity stripe. Texas A&M head coach Gary Blair ranks 14th all-time with 716 career wins and led the Aggies to the 2011 national championship.
Pep Rallies: A pep rally will be held from 12-2 p.m. on Saturday at the Student Recreation Center (797 Olsen Blvd) across from Reed Arena. The Lady Bears and staff will make an appearance on their way to the arena before the 3 p.m. tip-off. After an MSU win, Monday's pep rally would take place three hours prior to tip-off at the same location.
Watch Party: Missouri State will host a watch party for Saturday's game beginning at 2:30 p.m. in the upstairs area of Big Whiskey's downtown (311 Park Central E).
Meet the Lady Bears:
| Name |
|---|
| Ht. | Yr. | Hometown (Prev School) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gitzen, Danielle |
Guard | 5-10 | FR | Victoria, Minn. (Chanhassen High) |
| 2 | Hughes, Lexi | Guard | 5-8 | JR | Kansas City, Kan. (Bishop Miege High) |
| 3 | Polowy, Lee Ann |
Guard | 5-7 | SO | Jefferson City, Mo. (Blair Oaks High) |
| 4 | Williams, Kenzie |
Guard | 5-11 | RS SR | Mt. Vernon, Mo. (Mt. Vernon High) |
| 5 | Fruendt, Liza |
Guard | 5-10 | SO | Batavia, Ill. (Batavia High) |
| 12 | Chvatal, Hillary |
Forward | 6-1 | SR | Atwood, Kan. (Rawlins County High) |
| 13 | Holt, Audrey | Forward | 6-1 | SO | Columbia, Mo. (Rock Bridge High) |
| 21 | Buckley, Aubrey | Forward | 6-2 | SO | Springfield, Mo. (Parkview High) |
| 22 | Snow, Tyonna |
Guard | 5-10 | SR | Blue Springs, Mo. (Blue Springs High) |
| 34 | Swartz, Rachel | Forward | 6-3 | JR | Stanwood, Wash. (Stanwood High) |
| 40 | Osemenam, Onye |
Forward | 6-3 | JR | Brooklyn Park, Minn. (Maranatha Christian Academy) |
| 41 | Vander Weide, Grace |
Guard | 5-11 | FR | West Des Moines, Iowa (Valley High) |
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