Missouri State women’s basketball (7-3, 1-0) pushed its win streak to four games with a 54-52 last-second victory over Northern Iowa (1-9, 0-1) here Saturday afternoon at Great Southern Bank Arena.
With the two-point victory, MSU improved to 4-0 on the season in games decided by five points or less, and the Lady Bears have won their last three matchups by a combined four points.
Junior point guard Lacy Stokes served as the hero on the afternoon, driving in for the game-winning layup at the buzzer to propel the Lady Bears to victory over the Panthers and start 1-0 in Missouri Valley Conference play.
The Lady Bears didn’t take their first lead in the game until the 3:18 mark in the fourth quarter on a Kyrah Daniels three-pointer to give MSU a narrow one-point lead. After a UNI free throw to tie the game at 50-50, Daniels once again came up clutch, knocking down a jumper to go ahead by two with 1:10 remaining.
After advancing the ball, UNI’s Maya McDermott (19 points) tied the game yet again with 0:05 seconds after getting a tough jump shot to fall. The Lady Bears then took their chance to advance the ball following a timeout with just enough time to draw up one final play.
From there, Stokes worked her magic and got a contested shot off right before the buzzer, watching it fall through basket as she slid across the across the floor for the two-point victory.
Prior to the fourth quarter, UNI managed to hold on to the lead but the Lady Bears kept fighting to stay within striking distance and make their run when it counted most.
Northern Iowa jumped on the Lady Bears early, taking a 7-0 lead to begin the game before both teams settled in and swapped buckets. After a quarter in Springfield, the Lady Bears trailed 18-11 after shooting just 31 percent from the field in the opening stanza.
The second quarter saw more of a defensive battle as MSU outscored UNI, 11-8, in the period. After trailing by as many as 10 points on two occasions in the second, Missouri State forced seven Panther turnovers and pulled together a 6-0 run over the final 2:48, capped by a massive triple from Angel Scott, to cut the UNI lead to 26-22 at the half.
Despite never grabbing the lead in the third, the Lady Bears showed their resiliency and made it a one-possession game on multiple occasions before finally finding a way to capture the late lead in the fourth.
Kennedy Taylor led the way for MSU with her second double-double of the season, posting 13 points and 13 rebounds while shooting 50 percent (6-12) from the field. Jade Masogayo followed with 11 points, five boards, three assists and two blocks. Daniels also posted a double figure scoring performance with 10 points, four rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks to round out her game.
As a squad, the Lady Bears outscored the Panthers in the paint, 26-20, and forced 16 UNI turnovers on the afternoon. MSU shot 38 percent from the field, 44 percent from three and 50 percent from the line in the victory.
Missouri State stays at home next week as MVC action continues. The Lady Bears welcome Valparaiso on Thursday, Jan. 4 for a 6:30 p.m. contest at Great Southern Bank Arena. The game will stream on ESPN+.
