Took care of business tonight in the Q 😤
Highlights from a WIN over Loyola!#MSULadyBears pic.twitter.com/WMP8NchhjN
— Missouri State Lady Bears (@MoStateWBB) February 28, 2021
SPRINGFIELD – Jasmine Franklin scored a career-high 25 points and added 11 rebounds Saturday afternoon to lead the 19th-ranked Missouri State Lady Bears to a 64-50 victory over visiting Loyola at JQH Arena.
Missouri State improved to 17-2 overall and 13-0 in Missouri Valley Conference play for the first time ever with the win, extending win streaks to 16 straight MVC games and 13 overall, the eighth-best overall streak in school history and longest since the 2018-19 also won 13 straight.
The Lady Bears didn’t trail in the game, but emerged from a close first half ahead 29-25, while Franklin and Abby Hipp scored 18 consecutive MSU points from late in the first quarter to early in the third before Elle Ruffridge buried a trey and hit a layup 76 seconds later for the Lady Bears’ largest lead at 36-27 with 7:05 left in the third.
MSU pushed the margin to 43-31 on a Franklin basket with 4:00 on the third-quarter clock, and the Ramblers (10-9, 8-7) clawed back to a four-point deficit on two different occasions before the Lady Bears pulled away, going on a 15-4 run over the next seven minutes.
Both teams shot 44 percent in a game between the MVC’s top two scoring defenses, and eight different Lady Bears had at least one of MSU’s season-high 14 steals.
Franklin shot 11-for-13 overall, matching a career high for field goals in her 22nd career double-double, while Emily Gartner had 13 and Abby Hipp scored 12 to help MSU to 42 points in the paint. Franklin also passed Kelly Mago and Jenni Lingor to move to ninth on MSU’s career rebounding list with 704.
The Lady Bears held a 36-25 rebounding edge to win that category for the 16th time in 19 games, while Loyola became MSU’s 17th opponent this season to score below its average.
The Lady Bears and Ramblers meet again Sunday at 5 p.m., with Senior Day ceremonies beginning shortly after 4:40.
