ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Missouri State women’s basketball improved to 3-1 on the season with a 91-68 road victory at Saint Louis (2-4) here Saturday afternoon.
Despite a close start to the game, it wouldn’t last for long as the Lady Bears took control in the second quarter and didn’t look back.
Just one point separated Missouri State and SLU at the end of the first quarter with a free throw making the difference in a 16-15 game. Early in the second period, the Billikens made a couple of free throws to get the game back within a point, but that’s when the Lady Bears rallied and went on a run.
Missouri State used a six-point surge, mostly at the free throw line, to help spark an even bigger 18-2 run. Following a SLU jumper, Lacy Stokes reeled off five straight points, coming courtesy of a triple and a fastbreak layup off a Zoe Stewart steal, to force a Billikens timeout with the lead extended to 10 points. Out of the timeout, Stokes and Kyrah Daniels poured in seven more points as Daniels capped the drive with her first of four three-pointers for the game. Less than a minute later, Kaemyn Bekemeier drained a trey to give the Lady Bears their largest lead of the first half at 18 points. As the half neared its end, the Billikens were able to connect on five of their last six field goal attempts to creep back into this one and cut the Lady Bear lead to 10 points, 43-33, at the intermission.
Stokes contributed a team-high 13 first-half points to mark her fourth consecutive game in double figures to begin the season. Bekemeier logged six points in the second quarter on 2-for-2 shooting from beyond the arc to help propel MoState to the lead at the half.
Out of the break, the Lady Bears held the Billikens to just 30 percent (3-for-10) from the field and 0-for-4 from three-point range as they outscored SLU 21-12 in the third. After slowly extending its advantage throughout the third period, MSU scored 10 points over the final 2:00 with eight coming at the free throw line. Freshman Lainie Douglas was responsible for the final four points in the third as MSU carried a 19-point, 64-45, advantage to the final frame.
The Lady Bear offense went 10-for-19 from the field and a perfect 5-for-5 from behind the arc in a 27-point fourth quarter en route to victory. Daniels was phenomenal in the fourth, pouring in 15 points (6-for-9 FG) and going a perfect 3-for-3 from deep, while Cady Pauley also found her stroke and knocked down two triples plus a couple of free throws for an eight-point outburst in the period. Pauley polished off the win with five consecutive points that pushed MSU’s lead to a game-high 25 points with under a minute remaining.
Daniels paced Missouri State with a career high 26 points (11-19 FG, 4-6 3FG), while Stokes also posted a 20-point outing with 21 points, nine rebounds, seven steals and five assists. Bekemeier added 13 points on a perfect shooting day (4-4), Linthacum contributed 11 points and a career-high six assists and Pauley secured her first double-figure scoring performance as a Lady Bear with 10 on the afternoon in addition to posting career highs with six boards and four assists.
As a team, the Lady Bears knocked down 11 three-pointers, marking their most in a game this season. MoState forced 21 Billiken turnovers and turned those into 28 points, in addition to winning the battle on the boards, 41-25. For the day, Missouri State shot 46 percent from the field, 65 percent from three and 67 percent from the free throw line.
Missouri State will jet off to paradise next week to participate in the Paradise Jam located in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. MoState kicks off its tournament stay on Thursday, Nov. 28 with a 4:30 p.m. (CT) matchup against Gonzaga.
