Feb. 7, 2014
Box Score
Springfield, Mo. - Bailey Farley, making her first appearance in five games following an injury, scored a career-high 17 points as Loyola fell to Missouri State this evening, 66-41, at the JQH Arena in Springfield, Mo. The Lady Bears move to 11-10 overall (6-4 Missouri Valley), while the Ramblers slide to 9-13 (5-5).
Missouri State raced out to a 10-4 lead in the opening minutes, connecting on its first two three-point attempts. Cate Soane answered for Loyola, cutting the lead down to four (10-6) at the 14:43 mark of the first half. That would be as close as Loyola could get for the remainder of the half. Following a Troy Hambric three pointer with 11:22 remaining in the half, the Ramblers were held scoreless for nearly seven minutes. The Lady Bears took advantage of that drought and raced out to a 20-point lead before Ayrealle Beavers got Loyola back on the board (29-11) with 4:50 left in the half. A three from Bry Snow pushed the lead back out to 20 (36-16) as the two teams headed into halftime.
The Ramblers struggled to find any rhythm in the game's opening 20 minutes, being held to under 26% from the field (7-of-27). Hambric led the team with five points in the half as Loyola was held to its lowest first half scoring output of the season.
Both teams struggled mightily to open the second stanza. A pair of free throws from Soane finally opened up the scoring in the half at the 16:59 mark. The Ramblers were only able to get as close as 18 in the half, as Missouri State extended the lead over 20 for good (41-20) on a three from Lexi Hughes with 15:38 to play. The homestanding Bears cruised to the finish line from there, picking up their fourth consecutive victory.
Farley was the only Rambler to finish in double-figures on a cold shooting night for the Maroon & Gold. Loyola finished at just under 22% (14-of-65), a season-low, in the loss. No Missouri State players finished in double-figures but every Lady Bear to play in the game scored.
Loyola returns to action on Sunday afternoon when it faces off with the Wichita State Shockers. Tip-off is set for 2:05 p.m. from the Koch Arena in Wichita, Kan.
