Last year, the No. 3 seed Lady Bears were upended in their MVC tournament opener by Evansville. This year, the team arrived in Moline, Illinois with the No. 2 seed resolved to avoid that fate this time around.
Aubrey Buckley scored a team-high 18 points as Missouri State escaped with a 76-68 win over Bradley at TaxSlayer Center. The Lady Bears advance to the Hoops in the Heartland semifinal and will take on Northern Iowa or Illinois State on Saturday afternoon. MSU swept the season series against both the Panthers and Redbirds.
“I know last year’s game (against Evansville) was in the back of their heads, and it’s impossible for it not to be,” said MSU assistant coach Jon Harper on the postgame radio show.