SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (11-20-2006) ? The Arkansas State Lady Indians (2-2) used a smothering defense and double figure nights from
Adrianne Davie, Ashley Anderson, and
Ali Carter to defeat the Missouri State (0-3) Lady Bears 67-54 Monday night at the John Q. Hammons Center in Springfield.
Davie finished with a double-double on the night, scoring 21 points and pulling down 10 rebounds, Anderson added 16 points and Carter scored 10.
ASU forced 24 turnovers in the game, and held Missouri State's Tahnee Balerio, who came into the game averaging 18.5 points, to just 10 on the night - zero in the first half. Balerio did not score until she hit a three with just over 14 minutes remaining.
The victory came on one of the toughest home courts in the country. Missouri State holds a 237-33 record on its home court since the 1989-90 season.
“The whole plan was to work on Balerio, to wear her out,” said ASU head coach Brian Boyer. “We have watched Rudy Sims for over three years, and I sometimes still underestimate how good of a defender she is. Rudy was right in her face. We worked in Jazmine Taylor and Brittney Hiles, and they did a good job on her as well. That's where it all started for us tonight, with our guards putting pressure on Balerio.”
Arkansas State went on a 9-0 run midway through the first half to take a 15-6 lead, and led 27-19 at the half. ASU's eight-point cushion at the break was helped by six steals, 12 points from Davie and eight from Ashley Anderson.
Anderson scored the first eight ASU points of the second half to push the Lady Indian lead to double digits, and when Missouri State head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson called for a timeout at the 17:24 mark, ASU had built the lead to 35-23. Following a bucket by Missouri State's Tiff Terwelp, Arkansas State's Caroline Starr sank a three pointer from the left corner and Davie sank a pair of free throws to stretch the Lady Indian lead to 40-25. Arkansas State maintained the double-digit lead until the eight-minute mark, when Missouri State began to make a push.
With just under seven minutes to play, the Lady Bears had whittled the ASU lead to 49-42 on a pair of free throws by Balerio, then guard Roxanne Stiles penetrated and sank a short jumper at the six-minute mark to make it 49-44.
Sims answered with a jumper for ASU, followed by a three from Carter, and with five minutes to play the Lady Indian lead was back to 10 at 54-44.
The Lady Bears pulled to within seven twice in the next three minutes, then got to within six on a putback by Davida Moore, but Carter answered with another three and Sims drove for a layup with 1:10 remaining to put the lead back to 11 at 62-51. Davie converted a three-point play with 44 seconds remaining to put the game away.
“It hard to describe how tough it is to play here,” said Boyer. “And when Ali Carter stepped up and nailed the three late in the game, it was like she was in Pocahontas in the gym by herself.”
In addition to the double-digit nights from Davie, Anderson and Carter, ASU got seven points from Starr, six points and six assists from Sims, five from Hiles and two from Taylor.
Missouri State was led by 14 points from Stiles.
The Lady Indians return home Friday night for a matchup against the twelfth-ranked Purdue Lady Boilermakers. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.
