Springfield Standard

Missouri State University's women's basketball team secured its first road victory of the season with a 69-53 win over UT Arlington on Friday night in Arlington, Texas.

The Lady Bears entered the fourth quarter with their lead narrowed to eight points after a late third-quarter three-pointer and an early fourth-quarter basket by UT Arlington. Missouri State responded with a decisive run, as transfer Maycee James hit a jumper at the 8:58 mark that sparked a 14-point streak. During this stretch, Missouri State's defense held UT Arlington scoreless for more than four minutes and limited them to just 21.4 percent shooting from the field in the final quarter.

Senior Cady Pauley provided momentum at the end of the first quarter by hitting a three-pointer as time expired, giving Missouri State a two-point advantage. The Lady Bears then scored the first ten points of the second period, capping off a 13-0 run that extended their lead to twelve points. Contributions came from starters Kaemyn Bekemeier, who made a jumper; Pauley, who added free throws; and Faith Lee and Lainie Douglas, who each scored baskets. Freshmen Audrey Hopkins and Maiesha Washington also contributed with key shots to push Missouri State’s lead up to fourteen points.

UT Arlington closed out the first half on a seven-point run, reducing Missouri State’s lead to seven at halftime (33-26). The Lady Mavs continued their push early in the third quarter but were met by another ten-point run from Missouri State that restored their double-digit advantage.

Faith Lee led all scorers for Missouri State with 20 points on 10-of-20 shooting. Kaemyn Bekemeier followed closely with 19 points and nine rebounds. As a team, Missouri State outrebounded UT Arlington 39-26 and collected ten steals during the game. The Lady Bears shot 44 percent overall, including 36 percent from beyond the arc and converted 71 percent of their free throws.

With this win, head coach Beth Cunningham's teams remain undefeated—now at 38-0—when holding opponents below sixty points since she began leading Missouri State.

Missouri State will continue its road trip next week against Southeast Missouri (SEMO) on Tuesday, November 11. The game is scheduled for tipoff at 6:30 p.m. and will be available for streaming on ESPN+.