Abi Jackson turns in career game in Missouri State Lady Bears win over Bradley
After the Lady Bears' 66-46 win over Bradley, head coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton told the team how proud she was of them and then singled out Abi Jackson.
Jackson had just finished a career game by scoring 22 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. She's playing at the level Agugua-Hamilton knew she was capable of when she recruited the transfer from Auburn.
The team followed. The Lady Bears often hype her up during the game but Jackson had moments throughout the team's 20-point win that led to the crowd giving her a standing ovation as she was taken out in the final minutes with the win secured.
Jackson broke down.
"It was a really cool moment," Agugua-Hamilton said. "That's just something I feel like she can do. She can average a double-double."
Missouri State (13-3, 4-1) used a big second half, led by Jackson, to defeat Bradley (3-12, 0-6) on Thursday night at JQH Arena. The win is the team's second straight after it snapped the program's 20-game Missouri Valley Conference winning streak just a week ago at Northern Iowa.
Jackson scored eight points in the first half before following up with 14 in the second. She grabbed 10 rebounds for her third double-double in the last four games.
"It's just pushing through for my teammates," Jackson said. "With two of them out, I feel the need to play like this."
Jackson was praised as the team's most improved player throughout the offseason but she was still going to need to battle her way onto the court heading into the year with All-MVC caliber players Jasmine Franklin and Abby Hipp returning to the team's frontcourt.
She showed glimpses of what she could be here and there in the early part of the season. After Hipp tore her ACL on Nov. 20, Jackson was inserted into the starting lineup in the team's Nov. 26 win over Virginia Tech — in which she broke out and scored 18 points.
Jackson was in and out of the starting lineup but she was inserted into more of a prominent role after Dec. 21's win over Toledo in which Franklin, too, tore her ACL and was ruled out for the rest of the season.
Since then, Jackson has started every game. She's averaging 14 points and 8.8 rebounds since conference play began.
"She had to step up and she's definitely stepped up," senior Sydney Wilson said. "We've all been hyping her up and she is just continuing to play with confidence and that's what we're going to continue to see from her."
The Lady Bears trailed at the end of the first quarter on Thursday but Jackson took over. She scored the team's first eight in the second to put the team back on top. She then scored the Lady Bears' first four and final five of the third quarter to stretch their lead up to 17.
Add on five more points in the fourth quarter and the Lady Bears came away with a 20-point victory to put them on a two-game winning streak with Illinois State (9-8, 5-1) set to visit JQH Arena on Saturday at 2 p.m.
"She's just a phenomenal kid and she's just flourishing right before our eyes," Agugua-Hamilton said. "She just wants to make this her best year yet. It's been a long time coming and I'm very happy for her."
Wyatt D. Wheeler is a reporter and columnist with the Springfield News-Leader. You can contact him at 417-371-6987, by email at wwheeler@news-leader.com or Twitter at @WyattWheeler_NL. He's also the co-host of Sports Talk on Jock Radio weekdays from 4-6 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Missouri State basketball: Lady Bears blow Bradley out in second half
