FORT MYERS, Fla. – Missouri State bolted to an early double-digit lead on Wake Forest Sunday afternoon at the Gulf Coast Showcase, but it was all Demon Deacons after that as Wake rallied to hand the No. 24/25 Lady Bears a 68-59 upset loss inside Alico Arena.
Abby Hipp tied a career high with 16 points, Brice Calip added 15, and Jasmine Franklin grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds, but the Lady Bears (2-1) were undone by 37 percent overall shooting and a 1-for-12 showing from beyond the arc, as Wake (2-1) shot 46 percent from the field, 7-for-16 from long range and made 11 more free throws than Missouri State.
Missouri State scored three seconds after the opening tip and led 12-2 on a Hipp basket with 6:24 left in the first quarter as senior connected on her first six shots. Wake Forest hit a 3-pointer as time wound down in the first period and never trailed again, leading 20-18 after the opening quarter and 30-26 at intermission after MSU shot 4-for-20 in the second quarter.
Wake Forest went ahead 46-34 with a triple at the 4:27 mark of the third quarter and grew the margin to 55-40 early in the fourth before an 8-0 MSU run capped by an Elle Ruffridge 3-pointer with 5:57 left made it 55-48.
A Franklin free throw pulled the Lady Bears within two possessions at 61-55 with 1:09 remaining, but Wake put the game away at the foul line.
Missouri State’s first 34 points came in the paint and the Lady Bears did not get to the foul line until late in the third quarter, scoring fewer than 66 points for just the second time in the last two seasons. MSU won the rebounding battle by a 44-27 margin, grabbed 20 offensive boards, and attempted 22 more shots from the floor than the Demon Deacons.
Missouri State will be back in action Dec. 7 with a 7 p.m. game against Lincoln at JQH Arena. MSU’s originally scheduled home opener with Tulsa on Dec. 5 will no longer be played. Information related to single-game tickets purchased for the TU game will be released in the coming days.
