SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State women’s basketball secured a 58-44 victory against Missouri S&T in the team’s only preseason game before the start of the regular season next week.
The Lady Bears got off to a bit of a slow start offensively, trailing by two after a quarter of play. Sophomore Isabelle Delarue led MSU with four points in the opening period, while newcomers Indya Green and Jaiden Bryant each grabbed four rebounds.
MSU found its stride with an 8-0 run to begin the second quarter with six points in the run coming courtesy of Kennedy Taylor. Later in the period, freshman Jade Masogayo sparked a 7-0 Lady Bear surge as Taylor Woodhouse followed her with a three-pointer and Ifunanya Nwachukwu polished the run off with a jumper to give MSU its first double-digit lead.
After Missouri S&T closed the gap to seven with a three-ball, Delarue ended the quarter by grabbing an offensive board and scoring the put-back layup as time expired in the first half to put MSU up 29-20 at the break. Delaure was the leading scorer for MSU with eight first-half points, followed by Taylor with six.
Coming out of the half, Bryant scored MSU’s first seven points on 3-for-3 shooting from the field to keep the MSU lead at nine. The Miners were able to get back within five points before returners Delarue and Paige Rocca scored six consecutive points to end the third period, including a Rocca three-pointer with 0:02 remaining.
Holding an 11-point lead as the game entered the final 10 minutes, the Lady Bears swapped baskets with the Miners to begin the final period. Back-to-back buckets from Rocca near the midway point of the fourth gave MSU its largest lead of the night at 14 points. From there, Missouri State held Missouri S&T at bay to earn a 58-44 victory here at Great Southern Bank Arena.
The Lady Bears outrebounded the Miners 50-34, while outscoring the visitors 38-22 in the paint. MSU had three double-digit scorers in Delarue (13), Rocca (12) and Taylor (10), while three Lady Bears tied for a game-high eight rebounds (Taylor, Bryant, Nwachukwu).
Missouri State will open up the 2022-23 regular season at home on Monday, November 7 against in-state rival Missouri. First tip is set for 6 p.m.
