Nov. 15, 2012
Final Stats
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- Missouri State outscored Arkansas-Little Rock by 10 points in the second half Thursday to earn a 78-68 victory over the Trojans in non-conference women's basketball play at the Jack Stephens Center in Little Rock.
The Lady Bears ripped off runs of 7-0 and 10-0 after the game was tied at 49-49 early in the second period to distance themselves from the home team and placed four scorers in double figures as both teams moved to 1-1 on the season.
Kenzie Williams (20), Bry Snow (15) and Hannah Wilkerson (13) all produced career-high scoring efforts and Whitney Edie notched her first career double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds.
Missouri State got off to a slow start with five turnovers on its first eight possessions, but still took a 9-7 lead on the ninth possession thanks to a Williams 3-pointer. In fact, the Lady Bears did not miss a shot of any kind for nearly six minutes to start the game, going 3-for-3 from the field and 6-for-6 from the free throw line for a 13-11 advantage before finally missing at the 14:12 mark.
The Trojans came back and took a four-point lead before the Lady Bears answered with an 8-0 run on four layups for a 23-19 lead with 8:51 left in the period. That advantage would be the largest for either club until halftime as four ties and nine lead changes followed on the way to a 42-42 deadlock at the break.
Missouri State used a three-point play from Edie and a Bry Snow layup to lead 47-44 with 18:48 to go in the game, then fended off a pair of UALR tying scores with a 7-0 run by Williams and Wilkerson to lead 56-49 at the 14:38 mark.
UALR scored two quick buckets to cut the gap to three points when the Lady Bears asserted themselves again, this time with a 10-0 run to lead 66-53 with just under 11 minutes to play. Missouri State pushed the lead to as many as 17 at 74-57 before UALR's Janette Merriex nailed three consecutive 3-pointers as part of an 11-0 run that finally ended when Edie hit a pair of free throws for a 76-68 score with 2:46 on the clock. The Lady Bears kept the home team from scoring again to account for the final margin.
Missouri State shot 42.9-percent (27-63) from the floor and held a 13-point margin at the foul line, shooting 22-for-27 compared to 9-for-14 for UALR.
MSU held a 46-34 rebounding margin, including 16 offensive boards, overcoming 21 turnovers in the process.
The Lady Bears return to action Nov. 20 when they face off with Gonzaga at 8:30 p.m. in the opening round of the Hardwood Tournament of Hope in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Missouri State will play three games in the event, which lasts through Nov. 22.
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