MOLINE, Ill. – Missouri State had a long wait before its Missouri Valley Conference quarterfinal tipped off at 8:35 Friday night.
It took even longer for the third-seeded Lady Bears to hit their stride against No. 6 Indiana State.
After a sluggish first quarter, Missouri State took control by the midway point of the second period, going on to a 70-45 victory and a Saturday semifinal date with No. 2 seed and nemesis Drake.
Drake defeated Missouri State twice this season — by seven points at JQH Arena and by 24 points in Des Moines. The Bulldogs had no trouble in their quarterfinal on Friday, with an 89-53 victory over Evansville.