MSU Lady Bears first quarter explosion leads to win over Valpo
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — There was no need for dramatics or a game-winning shot at the buzzer for the Lady Bears in this one. Missouri State dominated from the opening tip en route to its fifth straight win.
Missouri State (8-3, 2-0) cruised to a 67-47 win over Valparaiso (1-10, 0-2) on Thursday night at Great Southern Bank Arena. A strong first quarter set the tone for the remainder of the game as MSU jumped to a 2-0 start to Missouri Valley Conference play.
The win snapped a three-game streak in which the Lady Bears won by one or two points. It’s only the second time MSU has won by double-digits this season to go along with the 70-60 win over Tulane on Dec. 1.
First quarter sets tone for Missouri State Lady Bears
The Lady Bears held Valparaiso to one made shot in the first quarter before taking a commanding 20-5 lead after the first 10 minutes.
MSU started the game 7 for 11 from the field with Paige Rocca leading the way with five points and a made 3. Eight different Lady Bears scored in the first quarter.
Valparaiso committed seven firstquarter turnovers with the Lady Bears turning them into 11 points. It was a night and day difference between how MSU started when it found itself down seven early in its comeback win over Northern Iowa on Saturday.
“Over the last few games, we haven’t come out and had the starts that we really wanted to,” Rocca said. “We wanted to come out, set the tone and be aggressive.”
The Beacons didn’t make their second field goal until there was 6:50 left in the second quarter to cut MSU’s lead to 25-7.
Valparaiso tries to make it a game
Valparaiso is a high-volume 3-point shooting team. The problem is, the Beacons don’t make too many which is why they remain a one-win team.
On their eighth 3-point attempt of the night, the Beacons finally made their first. It came with 8:49 left in the third quarter to cut the Lady Bears’