SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (Interstat) — The Arkansas women’s basketball team used a dominant first half to secure a 73-58 road win over Missouri State on Saturday at JQH Arena. The Razorbacks built a 29-17 halftime lead, holding the Lady Bears to just six first-quarter points. Missouri State rallied with 26 points in the fourth quarter but could not overcome the early deficit. Jenna Lawrence led Arkansas with 17 points and eight rebounds. Kaemyn Bekemeier scored a game-high 18 points for Missouri State in the loss. Arkansas improved to 9-3 overall. Missouri State fell to 7-4. Attendance was 2,862.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (Interstat) — The Arkansas women’s basketball team constructed a dominant early lead and weathered a late Missouri State rally to secure a 73-58 victory on Saturday at JQH Arena, overcoming significant pregame odds in the process. Despite being projected by National Statistical’s ELO system with just a 19.3% chance to win, the Razorbacks improved to 9-3 on the season. The Lady Bears fell to 7-4. The most important part of the game was Arkansas’s suffocating first-half defense, which built an insurmountable advantage. The Razorbacks held Missouri State to a mere six points in the first quarter and 17 for the entire first half, taking a 29-17 lead into the break. The Lady Bears struggled profoundly against Arkansas’s pressure, shooting just 17 of 58 from the floor for the game and committing 18 turnovers. Jenna Lawrence led Arkansas with 17 points and eight rebounds. Bonnie Deas added 12 points and eight rebounds, while Emily Robinson and Ashlynn Chlarson each contributed 10 points. Robinson played the entire 40 minutes. Missouri State was paced by Kaemyn Bekemeier’s game-high 18 points. Kendal Brueggen added eight points, seven rebounds and two assists. The Razorbacks controlled the interior, outscoring Missouri State 36-16 in the paint and holding a commanding 15-5 advantage in offensive rebounds. Arkansas shot 40.8% from the field but connected on only 3 of 22 attempts from three-point range. Missouri State was not much better from deep, making 6 of 19. After establishing their large halftime lead, the Razorbacks extended it to 50-32 by the end of the third quarter. Missouri State mounted a spirited comeback attempt in the final period, outscoring Arkansas 26-23 behind 11 points from Bekemeier, but the deficit was too large to overcome. The Lady Bears never got closer than 15 points in the quarter’s final five minutes. Arkansas’s efficiency metrics underscored their control. The Razorbacks scored 73 points on 81 possessions for an offensive rating of 90.0, while Missouri State managed only 58 points on 83 possessions, an offensive rating of 69.6. The attendance was 2,862. Arkansas next hosts Missouri-Kansas City on Wednesday. Missouri State will welcome Gonzaga on Friday.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (Interstat) — A pair of surging women’s basketball teams will meet Saturday when the Arkansas Razorbacks visit the Missouri State Lady Bears at JQH Arena. Arkansas (8-3) enters on a high note after a dominant 77-46 victory over Jackson State last Sunday. The Razorbacks’ offense was powered by a season-high 24 points from guard Harmonie Ware, who added three assists. Forward Bonnie Deas recorded a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Missouri State (7-3) looks to bounce back from a narrow 73-70 overtime loss to Kansas, also last Sunday. The Lady Bears were led in that contest by guard Kaemyn Bekemeier’s 21-point effort. She has been a consistent offensive force, scoring 22 and 21 points in her last two games, respectively. The matchup features two efficient backcourt players. Ware, Arkansas’s key scoring threat, is averaging 16.3 points over her last three games. Bekemeier leads Missouri State’s perimeter attack, coming off a week where she averaged 21.5 points. Both teams have shown resilience early this season. The Razorbacks’ three losses have come against SMU, Harvard and Texas Tech. The Lady Bears’ defeats were against Kansas, Florida State and Tulsa, with two of those losses by a combined 11 points. Arkansas holds a slight edge in record, but Missouri State boasts the home-court advantage in one of the region’s toughest venues. The Razorbacks will aim to control the tempo with their scoring depth, while the Lady Bears will rely on Bekemeier’s hot hand and a defense that held Kansas to 39% shooting. This non-conference clash serves as a final tune-up before both teams dive into their respective league schedules after the holiday break. Arkansas begins Southeastern Conference play on Jan. 1, while Missouri State opens Conference USA action on Jan. 4. Tip-off is set for Saturday, Dec. 13, in Springfield.