Missouri State's 2OT win over Racers showed why Lady Bears have bright future under Beth Cunningham
When Missouri State hired Beth Cunningham to replace Amaka Agugua-Hamilton this past offseason, she wasn't absorbing an NCAA Tournament-ready roster or a young team that appeared to be destined for greatness over the next several seasons.
Cunningham appeared to have a rebuild on her hands with only one starter who had contributed to the latest great era of Lady Bears basketball to go along with two players who contributed on the NCAA Tournament team from a year ago.
She had to build, but confidence didn't lack in her ability to get it done. Her resume spoke for itself as someone who helped guide one of the greatest offenses in the history of women's college basketball. She added an experienced guard to go along with young, unproven players at the post but they were highly touted at one point.
Early in the 2022-23 season, it appeared it was going to take time. The team started 2-4 and had suffered setbacks to opponents the Lady Bears faithful were used to seeing them beat over previous years. Patience looked like it was going to be needed.
Fast forward to now and the Lady Bears have won 10 of their last 13 games, including their last eight. They're one game out of first place in the Missouri Valley Conference and the growth of the team is night and day now compared to what it was when the Lady Bears took the court against Mizzou in early November.
The Lady Bears are alive and well. The present and future under Cunningham are something for Missouri State fans to get excited about.
"They're unbelievable," Cunningham said of her team. "We've been through a lot. Not many were very familiar when we first got together back in the summer and I think it's a group that really appreciates each other. They're great, good teammates and they've sacrificed for each other. It's special to see them in these moments and step up and make those play for each other."
Missouri State (17-7, 12-3) in its 92-86 double-overtime win over Murray State (12-12, 5-10) on Friday night at Great Southern Bank Arena was the perfect example of how far the team has come while each player who had meaningful minutes down the stretch had a big moment while showing their individual development from opening night to now.
Four of the players who stepped up were brought in over the offseason while two program mainstays showed their growth in critical moments.
Graduate senior Sydney Wilson's go-ahead 3 with 1:20 left in second overtime followed her game-tying layup. She scored seven of the Lady Bears' final eight points to come away with the win. In her five seasons with the program, which has included three NCAA Tournament appearances and a pair of trips to the Sweet 16, she couldn't remember a time when she's had a clutch moment like that before.
Wilson has been known as a defensive stalwart and someone who, offensively, will make the right plays and somehow finds herself in the right place at the right time. But with the game in the balance, Wilson hit one of the biggest shots of her career.
"We went through some adversity throughout the entire game and we just stuck together," Wilson said. "Everyone hit their shots at the end and it was just fun all around."
Wilson's moment wouldn't have happened without Aniya Thomas' moment in the first overtime. Murray State went on a 4-0 run to put the Lady Bears down by three before Thomas, with a hand in her face, threw up the deep game-tying 3-point shot with 16.9 seconds left.
Thomas, a Kansas transfer before the season, finished with a team-high 23 points and has been a double-digit scorer in all but four games this season. She's the team's leading scorer and starting point guard for a roster that needed veteran ballhandling and leadership when Cunningham first took over.
"It's about taking the opportunity when you have it," Cunningham said. "Then it's stepping up and making plays. I can't say enough about them. I certainly appreciate their effort and how focused and driven they've become. I'm just so happy that they've been able to reap the benefits of all their hard work."
The two weren't the only ones who enjoyed their big moments.
Murray State had its chances to come away with a win at the buzzer at the end of regulation and the end of the first overtime. At the end of regulation, Colorado transfer Kennedy Taylor drew a charge on the Racers' game-winning attempt and forced overtime. She finished with 10 points and 11 boards and certainly has a case to be the Valley's newcomer of the year with eight double-doubles to her name.
True freshman Jade Masogayo also continued her breakout run by scoring a career-high 19 points with 11 rebounds. She's scored 10 or more points in 10 of the last 12 games to go along with three double-doubles. There's a reason Agugua-Hamilton tried to bring her to Virginia and she's showing that she can be one of the better players in the Valley for years to come.
"I think she's had a different mentality," Cunningham said. "She's had a different focus. She understands that we need her to not only be a great passer and great defender but she can really score in this league. That's one of the biggest things we've seen is her having a more dominant personality when she gets the ball in the paint."
Capping off what appears to be an elite frontcourt in the Valley that could stay together for the rest of this year and following two is Indya Green, a juco transfer and former Kickapoo star, who scored nine points and grabbed seven rebounds. She has six double-doubles and is second in boards on the team with the seventh-best rebound margin in the nation.
Paige Rocca, a junior who has been with the program her entire career, scored 15 points with three 3's, including a late 3 in regulation when every point was needed. She also hit a jumper in the second overtime to respond to a Racer 3 to start the period to cement her career-high scoring output. Her development has been noticeable this season.
"We're just having fun," Wilson said. "When we have fun, we just play together and everything clicks for us. Obviously, we're all new to our system and we were just trying to get along and playing with each other. But as we played games and got to know how to flow with each other and pass with each other, it just kind of started clicking and here we are."
Missouri State might or might not win the MVC this year and it still needs some help to do so — if the Lady Bears are able to continue the run they're on now. The last team they lost to, Belmont on Jan. 20, comes to Springfield for a 2 p.m. game on Sunday.
No matter how the season shakes out, what can't be taken away from the Lady Bears is the growth they've shown from one game to the next and how far ahead of schedule they appear to be. Under Cunningham, it appears there is plenty of excitement to be had in the present and future.
Perhaps this great era of Lady Bears basketball isn't quite finished.
"We went through a lot of ups and downs and had to learn some tough lessons," Cunningham said. "But when you get to a point and persevere and win a game like this, all those little things stand out. All those things that you preach all year that are difference-makers come to fruition in a game like this. I'm so tremendously proud of them."
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's future under Beth Cunningham appears to be bright
