SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State women’s basketball (23-7, 15-4 MVC) got back in the win column with a 72-47 victory over Illinois State (19-11, 13-6 MVC) here Thursday night at Great Southern Bank Arena.
The second-half defense from the Lady Bears was the difference-maker in this one. Holding an eight-point lead to begin the second half, Missouri State locked it down and outscored the Redbirds 34-17 in the final 20 minutes. The Lady Bears held Illinois State to just 19 percent (5-27) shooting from the field in the second half.
With the Lady Bear lead still at eight at the 7:34 mark of the third quarter, Missouri State made its big move of the night. Lacy Stokes took over and scored five consecutive points to jumpstart an 11-0 MoState run that pushed the Lady Bear lead up to 19 points. That run quickly stretched into a 15-2 surge that spanned over six minutes with Missouri State leading 56-37 after three quarters.
Illinois State opened the fourth period with a triple, but MoState answered right back with a Sarah Linthacum jumper and Stokes free throws to lead comfortably by 20 points with 7:30 remaining. Beginning at the 5:26 mark of the fourth, Missouri State allowed just two Illinois State points the rest of the way as the Lady Bears finished the game on a 10-2 surge to earn a 25-point, 72-47, victory.
The first half saw a much closer matchup with Missouri State holding a lead for the majority of the first quarter, but never by more than two possessions. Kiley Bess got things rolling at Great Southern Bank Arena with a trey, before a Stokes and-1 and Paige Rocca layup later gave the home squad an early four-point lead. From there, the squads continued to swap baskets back-and-forth as Missouri State led by three points after a quarter, 21-18.
The back-and-forth trend continued early in the second period with Missouri State’s lead never topping four points and the Redbirds cutting the lead to a single point to open the quarter. The momentum shift eventually took place in favor of the Lady Bears after Kyrah Daniels drained a three-pointer to light a spark that turned into 10 straight points for the Lady Bears to push the lead to double figures for the first time on the evening. Illinois State didn’t back down as they hit the last two shots of the half to make it an eight-point advantage for MoState at the intermission.
Stokes led the way with a game-high 17 points in addition to six rebounds, three assists and three steals. Kaemyn Bekemeier was the other Lady Bear in double figures with 12 points on the evening. Linthacum had a team-high seven rebounds, while Daniels and Lainie Douglas blocked three shots apiece.
Missouri State won the battle in the paint (36-24) and on the glass (40-30), while turning 16 Illinois State turnovers into 18 points on the other end. The Lady Bears shot 44 percent (28-64) for the game while holding the Redbirds to just 33 percent (19-57).
The Lady Bears will wrap up the regular season on Saturday, March 8 against Bradley. Tipoff at Great Southern Bank Arena is set for 1:00 p.m. and the game will stream on ESPN+.
