Missouri State punched its ticket to the NCAA Tournament after defeating Louisiana Tech 43-38 in the Conference USA Women’s Basketball Championship game.
The Lady Bears improved to 22-12 with the victory over Louisiana Tech, which finished the season at 26-6.
The win secured Missouri State’s 18th NCAA Tournament appearance and the program’s 12th conference tournament championship. It also marks the first NCAA Tournament berth under head coach Beth Cunningham.
Kaemyn Bekemeier was named the CUSA Tournament MVP after leading the Lady Bears with 16 points and nine rebounds in the title game. Lainie Douglas joined her on the CUSA All-Tournament Team, finishing with 15 points, 11 rebounds and a career-high seven blocks. Douglas’ seven blocks rank tied for fifth in a single game in program history, while Missouri State’s 12 total blocks tied for third-most in a game.
Missouri State relied heavily on defense in the championship game, holding Louisiana Tech to just 12 points in the second half and the Lady Techsters’ lowest scoring output of the season.
The Lady Bears erased a halftime deficit by opening the third quarter with a 6-0 run to take the lead and later pushed the advantage to six entering the fourth quarter. After both teams struggled offensively down the stretch, Louisiana Tech cut the lead to three with 33 seconds remaining, but Missouri State sealed the win at the free-throw line.
Bekemeier led Missouri State early as well, scoring nine of the team’s 12 points in the first quarter during a tightly contested opening period that featured six lead changes.
Missouri State will learn its NCAA Tournament destination during the Selection Show. The Lady Bears will host a watch party at Great Southern Bank Arena, with doors opening at 6 p.m. and the selection show beginning at 7 p.m.
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