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SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State women’s basketball improved to 10-2 (1-0 MVC) on the season with a 55-38 victory against Loyola (8-4, 0-1 MVC) here on Friday afternoon at JQH Arena.
The victory marked the Lady Bears’ 20th consecutive Missouri Valley Conference victory, which is the second-longest conference win streak in program history. With the win, head coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton also improved to 29-1 at JQH Arena since taking over the Lady Bear program.
A Mya Bhinhar layup sparked an 8-0 run in the first quarter that helped jump start the Lady Bear offense against the Ramblers. Five Lady Bears scored in the first period, including freshman Isabelle Delarue who had a game-high three points after the first 10 minutes.
Missouri State, which ranks 15th in the nation in field goal defense, held Loyola to 15 percent shooting from the field in the first quarter on just two made field goals for the Ramblers.
MSU started the second quarter on a 10-0 run, which included a Brice Calip and-1 opportunity and a Paige Rocca three-pointer, to extend the lead to 15 halfway through the second period. Loyola answered with a couple of runs of their own, but the Lady Bears were able to hold the Ramblers to 21 percent (6-for-28) shooting from the field in the first half. Jackson was a force on the inside as she blocked three shots in the second quarter alone and matched her career high with four in the game.
Delarue led Missouri State with a career-high eight points in the first half as she helped the Lady Bears take a 26-18 lead into the break.
Jackson and graduate transfer Mariah White led the Lady Bears in the third period with six points each, while Calip and Rocca each went 2-for-2 from the free throw line in the quarter to help extend the lead back to 15 points heading into the final 10 minutes.
Delarue knocked down her third shot from behind the arc to open up the fourth quarter, giving MSU its largest lead of the afternoon at 18 points. Loyola had their best shooting quarter of the game in the fourth period at just 29 percent, but the Lady Bears were able to outscore the Ramblers in the final 10 minutes to open conference play with a dominant 17-point victory.
Delarue paced the Lady Bears on the afternoon with a career-high 13 points and five rebounds on 50 percent shooting, while senior Sydney Wilson matched her career high for the second consecutive game with 10 rebounds to pair with eight points and three steals.
The Lady Bears will be back in action on Sunday, Jan. 2 as they take on Valparaiso. First tip is set for 1 p.m.
