SPRINGFIELD – The Missouri State Lady Bears led by 41 points at the half and cruised to a 107-33 exhibition victory against the Missouri Baptist Spartans Monday night at JQH Arena.
Missouri State jumped out to an impressive 14-0 lead to begin the game with Abby Hipp and reigning MVC Player of the Year Brice Calip accounting for the game’s first 12 points.
Reigning MVC Defensive Player of the Year Jasmine Franklin racked up 11 points in the second quarter and was a menace on the defensive end, collecting seven steals in 15 minutes on the floor in the first half and eight total thefts in the game.
MSU shot 54.8 percent from the field in the first half, scoring 54 points while holding Missouri Baptist to just 13 points in the opening 20 minutes. Paige Rocca was also a standout in the first half, going a perfect 3-for-3 from behind the arc. Newcomers Mariah White, Isabelle Delarue, Taylor Woodhouse and Ifunanya Nwachukwu all saw their first action for the Lady Bears in the first half.
The hot-hand switched to Sydney Wilson coming out of halftime, as the senior guard scored nine of the first 11 points of the second half. Wilson ended the night with a game-high 19 points (8-of-10 FG), to go along with three rebounds and two assists in just 17 minutes played.
Nwachukwu, a junior transfer, showed her versatility in the final 10 minutes, scoring six of her eight points in the fourth quarter. Freshman Lindsey Byers also made her Lady Bears debut, recording three assists in nine minutes on the floor.
The Lady Bears showed their depth with 10 different players scoring against the Spartans, and seven of the 10 turning in double-digit performances. MSU flexed its defensive prowess, grabbing 20 steals to the Spartans’ one and outrebounding Missouri Baptist 44 to 26.
From the opening tip, Missouri State never surrendered the lead and stretched their largest lead of the night to 74 points late in the fourth quarter.
MSU will wrap up its exhibition slate on Friday, Nov. 5 at 6 p.m. at JQH Arena against Lincoln. The Lady Bears tip off the regular season at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 9 at Little Rock.
