Box Score SPRINGFIELD, Mo.?With one minute remaining, Tahnee Balerio knocked down a three-pointer to give Missouri State a two point edge and help the Lady Bears defeat UALR 54-48 in front of a crowd of 5,308 at the Hammons Student Center in Springfield, Mo. The Lady Bears expanded their winning streak to six over the Trojans.
Jocelyn Love led the team with 13 points, while Kim Sitzmann knocked down 12 and led the team with six assists and four steals.
Anshel Cooper knocked down 10 points and brought down seven boards, while Nikya Hughes led the team with 10 rebounds.
After Missouri State (1-3) won the tip, the game remained scoreless until Cooper made a fast break away layup off of a Love block to put the Trojans (4-2) up 2-0.
A steal by Sitzmann followed by a jumper by Hughes put the Trojans up 4-0 with 16:15 remaining until the half.
At the 15:49 mark, the Lady Bears put up their first points with a jumper by Roxanne Stiles.
After the score tied at six, UALR knocked down six consecutive points and forced two turnovers to take the 12-6 lead.
UALR held Missouri State to eight points over the next five minutes while scoring eight points including back-to-back three-pointers by Sitzmann and Love for their biggest advantage of 12.
The Lady Bears cut the Trojan advantage to six with 6:34 remaining.
After a jumper by Cooper, Missouri State knocked down seven points to UALR's six to cut the Trojan lead to 26-21 for the half-time.
Missouri State opened the second half with Tiff Terwelp knocking down four straight points to pull the Lady Bears within one.
After both team exchanged baskets, the Lady Bears took their first lead at the 15:19 mark on a layup by Balerio. UALR regained their 36-33 lead with a layup by Love and a jumper by Cooper.
MSU and UALR exchanged leads back and forth until Balerio made a layup and one to give the Lady Bears a 42-40 lead.
Over the next minute, UALR knocked down five points including free throws by Cooper and Love to regain the 45-43 lead.
A three-pointer by Balerio with one minute remaining edged the Lady Bears over the Trojans 50-48.
Balerio knocked down four free throws in the remaining seconds for the 54-48.
UALR continues non-conference action on Saturday as they host Texas-San Antonio at the Jack Stephens Center. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.
