SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State women’s basketball (8-3) closed out its non-conference slate with a blowout win, 92-54, over Southern Miss (4-7) here Friday afternoon at Great Southern Bank Arena.
The Lady Bears extended their win streak to four games with another dominant performance. Southern Miss led by two points twice in the opening couple of minutes, but once the Lady Bears grabbed the lead at 7:26 they never relinquished it.
Kiley Bess got things rolling for the Lady Bears, scoring nine of the team’s first 12 points to push the lead out to six points early. After trading a few baskets, Kaemyn Bekemeier sparked a 9-2 run for MoState that increased the lead to 10 points. However, a Lady Eagles three with 0:06 left in the first made it a 23-16 game after one in Springfield.
Near the midway point of the second quarter, Southern Miss got back within six points following back-to-back layups from Melyia Grayson (6 pts., 7 reb.), but the Lady Bears went to work and quickly stretched the lead. Zoe Stewart used consecutive buckets to spark a 14-2 Missouri State run that Lacy Stokes capped with a triple at the 1:33 mark. Stokes’ trey gave the Lady Bears an 18-point advantage, their largest of the first half, as they eventually carried a 43-26 lead into the intermission.
Bess once again played the role of the sparkplug as she drained her second triple to open the second half, which increased the lead to 20 and set a 7-0 run in motion. The trio of Kyrah Daniels, Paige Rocca and Cady Pauley helped extend the lead to 29 points with 3:56 on the clock before USM answered with a triple. Missouri State went right back on the attack as posts Lainie Douglas and Tyra Robinson bookended a 6-0 surge that propelled the lead to 32 points. Southern Miss once again got the last bucket of the frame, but the Lady Bears had things firmly in hand as they led 66-36 heading into the fourth quarter.
Five different Lady Bears contributed to a 17-5 run that covered the first 5:40 of the fourth period to give Missouri State its largest lead of the game at 42 points. Bekemeier, Robinson and Stewart were the main contributors down the stretch for the Lady Bears as MoState cruised to its largest win of the season, a 38-point victory, to remain undefeated at home this season.
Missouri State had four players score in double figures, led by Bess with 14 points on 6-for-7 from the field and 2-for-3 from deep. Bekemeier followed with 13 points and seven rebounds while also contributing four assists and two steals. Stokes posted 12 points, seven rebounds and five steals. Robinson was the final Lady Bear in double figures with 10 points and three rebounds in nine minutes as she saw her first extended playing time since returning from injury.
As a team, the Lady Bears dominated in multiple areas including rebounding (47-28), points from turnovers (31-15), paint points (42-26) and bench points (43-13). Missouri State shot 50 percent from the field (34-68), while holding Southern Miss to just 35 percent (20-57).
Missouri State will return to action on Sunday, Dec. 29 when the Lady Bears open Missouri Valley Conference play on the road at UIC. Tipoff in Chicago is set for 3:00 p.m.
