VALPARAISO, Ind. – Missouri State women’s basketball fell to 9-6 (4-2 MVC) following a 77-68 loss at Valparaiso (3-11, 1-5 MVC).
A tough second half for the Lady Bears proved to be costly as they dropped their second Missouri Valley Conference contest of the season.
After leading 39-35 at the half, MSU and Valparaiso entered into a second-half battle. Neither team gained more than a five-point lead in the third quarter as Isabelle Delarue eventually knocked down two free throws to cut Valparaiso’s lead to two heading into the final period on the road.
The beginning of the fourth quarter saw a quick momentum swing as the Lady Bears reeled off a six-point run with a Delaure and-1 giving MSU the lead. However, the Beacons knocked down two free throws to once again tie the game, and then Valpo’s Ilysse Pitts, who had a game-high 24 points, connected on a three to give the Beacons a lead that would last the rest of the game. The Beacons ultimately outscored the Lady Bears 42-29 in the second half.
The first half saw a much different Lady Bears squad that used a 7-0 run over the final 1:16 of the first, including a Taylor Woodhouse layup and three-pointer at the buzzer, to give MSU a six-point lead after a quarter.
Valparaiso answered in the second quarter with five and seven-point runs to keep the game close in the first half, narrowly outscoring the Lady Bears, 18-16, in the second period. However, two Aniya Thomas triples helped MSU maintain the lead in the first half as it led 39-35 at the break. Sydney Wilson had a game-high 12 points and three assists in the first half, while as a squad the Lady Bears went 5-for-6 from three-point range and a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line.
Wilson led the way for the Lady Bears with a career-high 22 points on 9-for-10 shooting from the field while going 2-for-2 from behind the arc. Kennedy Taylor logged her eight consecutive double-figure scoring performance with 15 points, while Thomas contributed 11 points for her seventh straight game of 10 or more points.
As a team, the Lady Bears shot 51 percent from the field, 56 percent from three and 87 percent from the free throw line*
Missouri State will continue its road swing next week as the Lady Bears travel to take on Belmont on Friday, Jan. 20. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. in Nashville.
