Entering Missouri State's road game against Southern Illinois about a month ago, the Lady Bears weren't paying too much attention to the little details of the defensive game plan.
They had a high-powered offense and were able to put up big numbers every time they stepped on the floor. It was good enough in closer wins over Loyola, Drake and Valparaiso.
But it wasn't against the Salukis.
An inspired Southern Illinois team beat the nationally-ranked Lady Bears on a shot right before the final buzzer on Jan. 17. The loss dropped MSU out of the Associated Press Top 25 Poll and into second place in the Missouri Valley Conference.