FORT WORTH, Texas – Missouri State women’s basketball improved to 3-4 on the season with a 63-59 win over TCU in Fort Worth on Friday night.
The victory marked the 10th consecutive season in which the Lady Bears have defeated a Power Five opponent with 18 such wins over that span.
Winning big on the boards, making clutch free throws down the stretch and capitalizing on a dominant third quarter were MSU’s keys to success as they secured the victory over the Horned Frogs (4-5).
After leading by as many as 13 points in the second quarter, TCU cut MSU’s lead to five points heading into halftime. The Lady Bears didn’t let that slow them down as they came out firing in the second half, extending their lead back to 10 points with under five minutes remaining in the third. Following a TCU jumper, Sydney Wilson sparked a dominating 11-1 run across the final 3:44 of the third period to give the visiting Lady Bears an 18-point advantage with 10 minutes remaining in the game.
Isabelle Delarue connected on a jumper to open the fourth quarter and put the Lady Bears up by 20. However, the Horned Frogs would make things very interesting down the stretch, outscoring MSU 28-14 in the final period.
A seven-point and six-point surge by TCU that ate nearly four total minutes off the clock brought the Horned Frogs back within seven of the Lady Bears with just 2:16 remaining. From there, the two teams were in a chess match, with Wilson ultimately knocking down five of MSU’s six made free throws in crunch time to leave Fort Worth with the victory.
Missouri State got off to a fast start against the Horned Frogs. After Delarue tied the game at five points each at the 6:23 mark of the first quarter, the Lady Bears went on a 12-2 run over the remainder of the quarter to own a 10-point, 17-7, advantage after a period. Delarue was MSU’s leading scorer in the first with five points while Indya Green pulled down six of 20 Lady Bear rebounds.
TCU was able to answer in the second quarter as it matched MSU’s 17-point first period total. Aniya Thomas extended the Lady Bears’ lead to 13 with a three-pointer to open the second period, but the Horned Frogs responded with a 15-2 surge over a nearly seven-minute span to tie the game at 22-22. MSU quickly went back up by four points, and after a TCU layup, Paige Rocca knocked down her first triple of the night to give the Lady Bears a five-point, 29-24, lead at the half.
Thomas was MSU’s leading scorer on the night with 15 points in addition to five rebounds and three assists on the night. Wilson and Green each recorded double-doubles, marking their first and third of the season, respectively. Green tallied 12 points and 14 rebounds, while Wilson had 13 points to go with 10 rebounds.
As a squad, the Lady Bears outrebounded the Horned Frogs, 53-34, including a 21-8 advantage on the offensive glass. MSU forced 16 TCU turnovers, scoring 13 points off those turnovers, while also owning a 15-9 advantage in second-chance points.
The Lady Bears will return home next Saturday, December 17 to take on UT Martin at Great Southern Bank Arena. First tip is set for 1 p.m. CT.
