Lexi Hughes scored 18 of her season-high 22 points in the second half to help the Lady Bears rally from an eight-point third-quarter deficit for a 65-60 victory at Wichita State Sunday afternoon inside Koch Arena.
Missouri State (11-10, 7-3 Missouri Valley Conference) halted the Shockers’ (10-11, 5-5) five-game winning streak on the way to a sixth consecutive conference road win.
Hughes scored 13 points in the game’s final 13 minutes to cap a 7-for-12 shooting day, beginning with a 3-pointer with 2:58 left in the third quarter after Wichita State matched its largest lead of the game 20 seconds earlier at 46-38.
MSU opened the fourth quarter on a 7-0 run to lead 52-48 thanks to baskets by Danielle Gitzen, Audrey Holt and Lee Ann Polowy, and the Shockers briefly regained a 55-54 lead when Hughes answered with a three-point play with 4:55 left, added a 3-pointer at the 2:42 mark, and sealed the game with four free throws in the final 18 seconds after the Shockers pulled even at 60-60 with 1:24 left. Aubrey Buckley drew two critical charges in the final 2:43 to aid in the win.
Liza Fruendt scored all 15 of her points in the first half, including a three-point play with 23 seconds left that followed a pair of Buckley free throws to cut WSU’s first eight-point lead to 30-27 at intermission.
Freshman Alexa Willard scored two quick buckets in the second half for a 9-0 run and 31-30 lead, but the Shockers regained the advantage 25 seconds later and did not trail until Holt’s basket early in the fourth quarter.
The Lady Bears shot 48 percent in the second half and 22-for-56 for the game, and held the Shockers to 35.5 percent overall and 3-for-15 from long range. MSU owned a 40-37 rebounding edge, with Fruendt and Shameka Ealy grabbing six apiece. Fruendt added four assists as well.
MSU returns home Friday for a 7 p.m. contest against Southern Illinois.
