TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — Missouri State overcame a 10-point second-half deficit and out-scored Indiana State 16-5 in the fourth quarter Sunday afternoon for a 49-46 victory over the Sycamores at the Hulman Center.
The Lady Bears remained perfect in Missouri Valley Conference road games, improving to 10-10 overall and 6-3 in league contests at the halfway mark of the schedule.
Missouri State fell behind 7-0 and did not lead until Liza Fruendt’s 3-pointer capped a personal 7-0 run for the junior and put the Lady Bears ahead 45-43 with 3:02 to play.
Fruendt’s trey capped a rally that begin during a second quarter in which the Lady Bears forced 11 Sycamore turnovers, but were slowed by poor shooting and unable to get closer than 27-23 at the half.
Indiana State (10-10, 4-5) grew its lead to 10 points at 35-25 with 6:30 left in the third quarter, and maintained a double-digit margin to 39-29 before entering the final period with a 41-33 advantage.
It was all Lady Bears after that, with Danielle Gitzen cutting the gap to 41-38 with a fast-break layup at the 6:24 mark, and Fruendt scoring the first seven points of a 9-0 run that ended with Audrey Holt’s offensive rebound and score for 47-43 with 1:53 to play.
The Sycamores answered with a 3-pointer, and Holt knocked down a pair of free throws with 68 seconds left for what turned out to be the final 49-46 score. Holt finished with 12 points, six points and four steals, and the Lady Bears owned a 17-7 rebounding edge in the fourth quarter and swiped a season-high 13 steals.
Fruendt led all scorers with 18 points to go with seven rebounds and four assists, adding three steals to help MSU force 24 turnovers compared to 12 giveaways of its own.
The Lady Bears travel to Wichita State on Sunday, Feb. 5 for a 2 p.m. contest.
