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Down 15 early in the fourth quarter, the latest postseason run for Missouri State women's basketball looked like it was going to end unceremoniously.
But if you've been watching the Lady Bears all season long, you knew they weren't going to go down without a fight.
Over the final 10 minutes of the season, the Lady Bears got stops, hit big shots and somehow got the game within a score. Led by sophomore Kaemyn Bekemeier and the six stitches above her eye, they gave themselves a chance to continue their WBIT run.
"This team never quit," Lady Bears coach Beth Cunningham said. "They just battled all the way to the end, and it's just indicative of how these kids played all year."
The Lady Bears' run was a little too late. On Sunday afternoon, they fell 78-71 to Minnesota in the second round of the Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament at Great Southern Bank Arena.
The loss ended the Lady Bears' season and the careers of four seniors, including star point guard Lacy Stokes, one of the best two-year players and point guards in the proud program's history.
It also began what promises to be a busy offseason for the program, starting with the opening of the transfer portal on Monday. The Lady Bears will attempt to load up as they head into their first season of Conference USA competition come November.
"We've set the standard and showed how things should go," Stokes said. "(Underclassmen) completely bought into it and I could just see them all just raising that bar."
There's no telling what could happen over the next several weeks when the Lady Bears attempt to retain players who may enter the portal. Last season, Missouri State lost its entire frontcourt. This year, it's already known they're going to have to add pieces all over.
Replacing Stokes at point guard will quickly come into focus. Cunningham has continued to speak highly of JaNyla Bush, who redshirted this season after offseason ACL surgery, but more insurance and experience will likely be needed.
The backcourt will also lose program mainstay Paige Rocca and Kiley Bess to graduation. The frontcourt will lose starter Sarah Linthacum after she contributed at a high level in her lone season after transferring from Mizzou.
"We had a great group of seniors with leadership," Cunningham said. "A lot of times, you're only as good as your young kids and how they come along."
Cunningham has a lot to look forward to if she's able to retain the young stars on her roster.
Bekemeier, who just finished her sophomore career after a standout career at Republic, was among the program's breakout stars this season. She was named the Missouri Valley Conference's Sixth Person of the Year and figures to slide into an every-night starter role next year.
She led the Lady Bears with 18 points on Sunday, just days after exiting the team's first-round win over Oral Roberts with a large cut over her eye and a chipped tooth. Luckily, the dentist with whom she has a Name, Image and Likeness deal was in attendance for the game, left and performed a 10 p.m. tooth repair. She said there was no scenario in which she'd miss the game.
Kyrah Daniels has been a starter since the second half of her freshman season. She took another step in 2024-25 and should continue to be one of the team's best players heading into a new league.
Lainie Douglas, a freshman, might have been the team's biggest surprise this season as a rotational post player with Linthacum, who was selected to the MVC's All-Freshman team. If it wasn't for Linthacum's presence, she would have been worthy of starting this season.
"It's going to be their turn, and they're ready," Cunningham said. "We're not in the position we're in without those young kids. It's their turn, and I think they're ready for it now."
Cunningham is aware of the challenges that the portal will bring. This season, she often said how unique of a group it was, considering how much it loved being around each other and the selflessness within. In today's college landscape, she said, that's hard to come by.
She will now go into the offseason ahead of her fourth year in charge of the program, hoping to create a similar group that can challenge in a new league and make its first NCAA Tournament since 2022.
Work for 2025-26 begins Monday.
"As busy as we are during the season, we almost appreciate the season because the offseason can be 10 times busier than in-season, as crazy as that sounds," Cunningham said. "We're going to try and retain and put ourselves in a position to be in the best position possible to be successful."
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Missouri State women's basketball begins offseason before joining Conference USA
Continue reading...
But if you've been watching the Lady Bears all season long, you knew they weren't going to go down without a fight.
Over the final 10 minutes of the season, the Lady Bears got stops, hit big shots and somehow got the game within a score. Led by sophomore Kaemyn Bekemeier and the six stitches above her eye, they gave themselves a chance to continue their WBIT run.
"This team never quit," Lady Bears coach Beth Cunningham said. "They just battled all the way to the end, and it's just indicative of how these kids played all year."
The Lady Bears' run was a little too late. On Sunday afternoon, they fell 78-71 to Minnesota in the second round of the Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament at Great Southern Bank Arena.
The loss ended the Lady Bears' season and the careers of four seniors, including star point guard Lacy Stokes, one of the best two-year players and point guards in the proud program's history.
It also began what promises to be a busy offseason for the program, starting with the opening of the transfer portal on Monday. The Lady Bears will attempt to load up as they head into their first season of Conference USA competition come November.
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"We've set the standard and showed how things should go," Stokes said. "(Underclassmen) completely bought into it and I could just see them all just raising that bar."
There's no telling what could happen over the next several weeks when the Lady Bears attempt to retain players who may enter the portal. Last season, Missouri State lost its entire frontcourt. This year, it's already known they're going to have to add pieces all over.
Replacing Stokes at point guard will quickly come into focus. Cunningham has continued to speak highly of JaNyla Bush, who redshirted this season after offseason ACL surgery, but more insurance and experience will likely be needed.
The backcourt will also lose program mainstay Paige Rocca and Kiley Bess to graduation. The frontcourt will lose starter Sarah Linthacum after she contributed at a high level in her lone season after transferring from Mizzou.
"We had a great group of seniors with leadership," Cunningham said. "A lot of times, you're only as good as your young kids and how they come along."
Cunningham has a lot to look forward to if she's able to retain the young stars on her roster.
Bekemeier, who just finished her sophomore career after a standout career at Republic, was among the program's breakout stars this season. She was named the Missouri Valley Conference's Sixth Person of the Year and figures to slide into an every-night starter role next year.
She led the Lady Bears with 18 points on Sunday, just days after exiting the team's first-round win over Oral Roberts with a large cut over her eye and a chipped tooth. Luckily, the dentist with whom she has a Name, Image and Likeness deal was in attendance for the game, left and performed a 10 p.m. tooth repair. She said there was no scenario in which she'd miss the game.
Kyrah Daniels has been a starter since the second half of her freshman season. She took another step in 2024-25 and should continue to be one of the team's best players heading into a new league.
Lainie Douglas, a freshman, might have been the team's biggest surprise this season as a rotational post player with Linthacum, who was selected to the MVC's All-Freshman team. If it wasn't for Linthacum's presence, she would have been worthy of starting this season.
"It's going to be their turn, and they're ready," Cunningham said. "We're not in the position we're in without those young kids. It's their turn, and I think they're ready for it now."
Cunningham is aware of the challenges that the portal will bring. This season, she often said how unique of a group it was, considering how much it loved being around each other and the selflessness within. In today's college landscape, she said, that's hard to come by.
She will now go into the offseason ahead of her fourth year in charge of the program, hoping to create a similar group that can challenge in a new league and make its first NCAA Tournament since 2022.
Work for 2025-26 begins Monday.
"As busy as we are during the season, we almost appreciate the season because the offseason can be 10 times busier than in-season, as crazy as that sounds," Cunningham said. "We're going to try and retain and put ourselves in a position to be in the best position possible to be successful."
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Missouri State women's basketball begins offseason before joining Conference USA
Continue reading...
