LOS ANGELES – The Missouri State Lady Bears women’s basketball team improved to 3-1 on the season with a 67-41 victory against the USC Trojans (3-1) on Saturday in Los Angeles.
The victory improves MSU to 34-5 in their last 39 true road games and also marks the ninth-straight season in which the Lady Bears have defeated a Power Five program.
After recent offensive struggles, the Lady Bears got off to a hot start in California, shooting 50 percent from the field in the first quarter. Sixth-year senior Brice Calip lit an offensive spark early, sinking consecutive three-point baskets to begin the game. The offensive dominance continued as the Lady Bears reeled off 10 points to lead 16-2 more than halfway through the first period.
Senior Jasmine Franklin hit a milestone in the first quarter, surpassing 1,000 career points with her second basket on the day. Franklin became the 30th Lady Bear to eclipse the 1,000-point mark in program history.
The Trojans did not record a field goal until the 3:13 mark in the first quarter and shot just 13 percent in the first 10 minutes.
Missouri State kept the pressure on in the second period, scoring the first 11 points out of the first quarter break. In the middle of the 11-0 run, Calip was fouled on a three-point shot and converted the four-point play, igniting the Lady Bear bench.
With their offense clicking, the Lady Bears continued to dominate on the defensive end. MSU held USC to 12 points on 4-for-11 shooting in the second period to take a 44-20 lead into the break. The Trojans were held to just 23 percent from the floor in the first half and the Lady Bears did not allow a three-point basket.
Coming out of the break, Missouri State kept the momentum on both ends of the court. The Lady Bears were able to hold USC to just 7 points on 3-of-15 shooting in the third period to take a 26-point lead in the final 10 minutes.
In the last period, the Lady Bears were able to extend their lead to a game-high 30 points near the halfway mark to ultimately secure the 67-41 victory against the Trojans.
Franklin recorded her third double-double in four games with a season-high 23 points and 11 rebounds on the afternoon. Mya Bhinhar also logged a career-high nine rebounds.
Calip also dropped a season-high in points with 22 and connected on 4-of-6 shots from behind the arc. With the victory, Calip has been victorious in 100 career games as a Lady Bear, which is the fourth-most wins for a player in program history.
Freshmen Taylor Woodhouse and Lindsey Byers saw their first regular season playing time as Lady Bears in the final quarter.
Missouri State will be back on the court Friday, Nov. 26 and Saturday, Nov. 27 at the San Juan Shootout in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The Lady Bears take on Virginia Tech at 9 a.m. CT on Friday, before concluding the tournament against LSU at 11:15 a.m. CT on Saturday.
Tickets for all home games are available at MissouriStateBears.com or through the Old Missouri Bank box office at JQH Arena, (417) 836-7678, during regular office hours.
