Missouri State women’s basketball senior Paige Rocca knocked down a game-winning 3-pointer with 10.9 seconds remaining in overtime to lift the Lady Bears to a win over Drake.
The 82-79 win saw the Lady Bears rally from a 14-point deficit late in the third quarter to take a two-game lead atop the Missouri Valley Conference standings with four games remaining.
Rocca was responsible for the game-tying shot at the horn when the Lady Bears rallied to beat Drake in overtime on Jan. 24.
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Missouri State women’s basketball gets more heroics from Paige Rocca
Missouri State trailed by 14 with 2:08 left in the third quarter but made four consecutive 3’s before the break to head into the final period down by two.
The Lady Bears faced a two-point deficit with 13 seconds left and Drake at the line, but the Bulldogs missed both shots. It set up a game-tying jumper from Kyrah Daniels at the other end. Drake star Katie Dinnebier missed an open layup at the buzzer, sending the game to overtime.
Down two with 10.9 seconds remaining, Paige Rocca, who sank a 3 at the horn to send the previous matchup between the two to overtime, nailed another 3 to put the Lady Bears up by one.
Drake turned the ball over at the other end before a pair of Lacy Stokes free throws with about four seconds left. The Bulldogs didn’t get a game-tying shot attempt off before the horn.
Stokes finished the game with 20 points, while Kaemyn Bekemeier added 17. Dinnebier scored 33 for the Bulldogs.
How MSU Lady Bears win impacts the MVC standings
The Lady Bears are now two games ahead of Drake atop the league standings, with both having four games remaining on their schedule. The Bulldogs will be tied with the winner of Sunday’s game against Belmont and Murray State. They could also be tied with Illinois State if it beats Bradley.
MVC standings after Thursday night’s games
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1. Missouri State, 14-2
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2. Drake, 12-4
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T3. Belmont, 11-4
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T3. Murray State, 11-4
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T3. Illinois State, 11-4
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Up two games on Drake, the winner of Sunday’s Belmont-Murray State matchup, and perhaps Illinois State, the Lady Bears still have some work to do heading into their final four games. They’ll travel to play the Racers and Bruins next week.
The Lady Bears beat Belmont 57-55 and Murray State 85-78 on Jan. 2 and 4.
Remaining Missouri State women’s basketball schedule
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Feb. 27: @ Murray State, 6 p.m., ESPN+
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March 1: @ Belmont, 4 p.m., ESPN+
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March 6: vs. Illinois State, 6:30 p.m., ESPN+
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March 8: vs. Bradley, 1 p.m., ESPN+
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Missouri State women’s basketball beats Drake in overtime
