Springfield Standard

Missouri State University's women's basketball forward Faith Lee has been named to the Conference USA (CUSA) Women's Basketball Preseason All-Conference Team. The announcement was made as part of the league's preseason poll, which also placed the Lady Bears fourth in their first season competing in CUSA.

The preseason team includes 11 players, with Louisiana Tech's Paris Bradley selected as the Preseason Player of the Year. Lee joins Missouri State this year after transferring from Little Rock, where she led her previous team with an average of 14.2 points per game last season and earned a spot on the All-Ohio Valley Conference first team. She has faced Missouri State three times before, averaging nearly 20 points per game against them.

In the coaches' poll, Missouri State received 107 points, placing them behind Louisiana Tech (128 points), Liberty (125 points), and Middle Tennessee (123 points). The Lady Bears were ranked ahead of Western Kentucky and FIU in the top half of the conference standings. Other teams included in the poll are Sam Houston, UTEP, Kennesaw State, New Mexico State, Delaware, and Jacksonville State.

Beth Cunningham returns for her fourth season as head coach after leading Missouri State to a 26-9 record last year and sharing the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season title. The Lady Bears reached their eighth consecutive 20-win season and secured a postseason appearance in the WBIT tournament.

The current roster features seven returning players along with seven newcomers—four transfers and three freshmen. The Lady Bears will play an exhibition game against Northeastern State on October 28 before starting their regular season at home against Saint Louis on November 3 at Great Southern Bank Arena.

Season tickets are available through MissouriStateBears.com or by calling (417) 836-7678.

"Faith Lee was named to the Conference USA Women's Basketball Preseason All-Conference Team," according to today's league announcement.