Wichita State earned a season sweep over Missouri State, as the Shockers downed the Lady Bears, 73-65, behind solid bench play.  Illinois State tallied its 20th win in four consecutive seasons, extending its winning streak to 13 straight, following an 80-63 decision over Southern Illinois.  Indiana State won its third straight contest in MVC action, completing the series sweep over Evansville, 71-50.

WICHITA STATE 73, MISSOURI STATE 65
WSU (14-11, 6-8 MVC); MSU (17-8, 9-5 MVC)

WICHITA, Kan. - Sophomore guard Haleigh Lankster came off the bench to lead Wichita State with 15 points in a 73-65 Missouri Valley Conference win against the Missouri State Bears Saturday at Charles Koch Arena.

A crowd of 2,109 came out for the Shockers' annual WBCA Pink Zone game and watched Wichita State improve to 14-11 overall and 6-8 in the league standings.

The win, which included 31 points from the Shockers' bench, ended a three-game losing skid for Wichita State and gave the Shockers their second win against the Bears this season. The Shockers beat the Bears, 92-85, in overtime Jan. 23 in Springfield, Mo.

Missouri State dropped its second-straight game, falling to 17-8 overall and 9-5 in the Valley. Bears' freshman forward Christiana Shorter led all scorers with 17 points.

Junior guard Sheena Johnson added 14 points for the Shockers. Freshman forward Michelle Price scored eight of her 11 points in the second half and added a game-high four steals. Senior guard Marisah Henderson and freshman guard Jessica Diamond led with six assists each.

Diamond led Wichita State to an early 4-0 lead in the game's first minute with a jumper and layup. The Bears went on to take the lead about three minutes into the game, which they maintained the throughout much of the first half.

Missouri State built up their largest lead of the first half, 19-12, 11:30 into the game. The Shockers responded with a 10-4 run to cut the Bears' lead to one point.

Wichita State later tied the game, 29-29, on a jumper from Lankster and soon went on to take their first lead since the game's opening minutes.

Two free throws from Johnson with 1:14 remaining in the half, followed by a three-pointer from Lankster boosted the Shockers to a 37-33 halftime lead.

Lankster led the Shockers with 11 points in the first half.

The Shockers used a 14-2 run early in the second half to build up their largest lead of the game, 55-44. Junior guard Morgan Boyd had five points during the run, followed by four points each from freshman center Jazimen Gordon and Lankster.

The Bears took their last lead of the game, 42-41, on a layup from Casey Garrison about three minutes into the second half. Wichita State led the rest of the way.

Missouri State cut the Shockers' lead to three points with about eight minutes left in the second half, but the Shockers responded again with a run, 8-2, to take a nine-point lead with about 5:30 remaining in the game.

The Bears committed 18 turnovers, which led to 24 points for Wichita State. The Shockers also outscored the Bears, 12-4, in fast-break points.

Eighteen of Wichita State's  37 rebounds came in the offensive end.

Saturday's win opened a three-game homestand for the Shockers, who host Evansville at 7:05 p.m. Friday and Southern Illinois at 2 p.m. Feb. 28 at Charles Koch Arena.


ILLINOIS STATE 80, SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 63
ILS (20-5, 13-1 MVC); SIU (4-21, 3-12 MVC)

CARBONDALE, Ill. - Illinois State (20-5, 13-1 MVC) recorded a historic win at Southern Illinois (4-21, 3-12 MVC), beating the Salukis, 80-63, Saturday afternoon. The Redbirds reached the 20-win plateau for the fourth-consecutive season for the first time in program history.
The 20-win season is the 13th in Illinois State basketball history. The Redbirds extended their winning streaks to 13 games overall, tied for the third longest in school history, and 11 Valley games, tied for the second-longest ever.

Ashleen Bracey tied her career-high of 26 points for the third time this season, shooting 8-of-12 from the floor, including three three-pointers, and 7-of-8 from the free throw line. She also had a career-high five steals. The Redbirds recorded 12 steals and forced 19 SIU turnovers.

Maggie Krick had 12 points and a season-high seven assists. Nicolle Lewis chipped in nine points, four rebounds and two steals. She also played in the 134th game of her career, breaking the Illinois State record held by Deb Benak since 1983.

Bracey scored 13 points in the first 10 minutes, matching SIU's entire output as a team and helping the Redbirds double up the score, 26-13. She made four of her first six shots and hit four-straight free throws to start the game.

Krick, Katie Broadway and Hannah Spanich all hit crucial threes as the Redbirds maintained their 13-point edge into halftime, 42-29. ISU shot 7-for-14 on three-pointers in the first half, with six different players connecting from long range.

Bracey started out the second half just as strong, making two three-pointers in less than a minute, as ISU pushed its lead to 52-36 at 16:22.A jumper by Krick two minutes later put the Redbirds ahead by 20, 58-38.

Southern Illinois cut the lead down to 12 points midway through the half, but never got any closer. The Redbirds led by double-figures the entire second half.

Christine Presswood led the Salukis with 23 points, connecting on five three-pointers. Stephany Neptune had 14 points and eight rebounds.

Illinois State returns home Thursday to host Bradley at 7:35 p.m.


INDIANA STATE 71, EVANSVILLE 50
INS (14-11, 5-9 MVC); UE (4-22, 1-14 MVC)

EVANSVILLE, Ind. - The Indiana State women's basketball team earned its first Valley sweep of the season in dominant fashion Saturday afternoon, posting a 71-50 win over Evansville. In front of 1,565 fans at Roberts Stadium, the Sycamores improved to 14-11 (5-9 MVC) and are now on a three-game winning streak after victories this week over Wichita State and Southern Illinois.

Junior Kelsie Cooley led ISU with a season-high 18 points, shooting 8-for-11 from the field. The forward added five rebounds, three assists, a pair of steals and a block. Her performance highlighted the team's 57.4 percent shooting effort, marking their best field goal percentage of the season.

Sophomore Deja Mattox added a career-high eight rebounds with 13 points, going 3-for-4 from long range. Senior Kelsey Luna also had 11 points for her fourth straight double-figure scoring game, while sophomore Brittany Schoen chipped in a trio of 3-pointers for nine points.

Defensively, the Sycamores held the Purple Aces to just 30 percent shooting. Indiana State outrebounded its opponent, 38-26, led by 10 boards from sophomore Shannon Thomas.

After UE's Samantha Heck hit a three to open the game, Cooley put her team on the board with a shot inside. Luna then hit a triple, and Cooley added five more points before Schoen drained her first trey of the game to go up by seven. A 3-pointer apiece from Mattox and sophomore Chelsea Buher, along with a jumper by freshman Moriah Hodge, gave ISU its first double-figure lead of the day at 26-14.

With 5:25 to go, two buckets by Luna and a Taylor Whitley layup gave the Sycamores a 17-point advantage. Another three by Mattox and a final shot by Cooley capped the half at 41-21, and ISU entered the locker room with 63 percent shooting as a team from behind the arc.

Whitley and Thomas got the Sycamores going with a pair of shots in the second half, spotting their team the largest lead of the game at 24. Despite the Purple Aces going on a 14-4 run, ISU never surrendered and went back up at 63-41 on a three-point play by Cooley. Mattox contributed another 3-pointer, and Buher closed the day with a triple of her own, sealing the win at 71-50.

Evansville was led by Amy Gallagher's 20 points, while Samantha Heck added 14.

Indiana State returns to Hulman Center for its final homestand of the season, hosting Northern Iowa on Friday, Feb. 26 at 7:05 p.m. (ET). The Sycamores then plan Bradley on Sunday, Feb. 28 at 2:05 p.m., and Senior day festivities honoring Kelsey Luna, Sarah Paul and Laurence Rivest will follow the game.