OPINION|
Sometimes it’s all about substance more than style, where the beauty comes through winning, and the end game is not so much about looking great while making the long season’s journey.
The Missouri State women’s basketball team might not have taken a scenic route toward earning the program’s 18th NCAA Tournament appearance, but the grind and persistence over multiple months paid off.
A dash of grit, plenty of sweat and a strong mindset that centered around defense is how this team — which will oppose Stephen F. Austin in a First Four game in Austin, Texas on March 18 — settled in to win the championship in Missouri State’s first Conference USA Tournament.
The NCAA Tournament ticket seemed a longshot a month ago, when the Lady Bears lost three straight as the regular-season finish line started to come into view. But it’s a credit to the team and its coaching staff that Missouri State rebounded to win four of its final five down the stretch before sweeping to the tourney title as a No. 6 seed.
This is a team that lost all five starters from its final season in the Missouri Valley Conference, which resulted in a regular-season championship. It’s a team that had some predictable growing pains back in December, losing three in a row at home to Kansas, Arkansas and Gonzaga by an average of 10.7 points.
MSU women’s basketball head coach Beth Cunningham speaks in front of a lowered video board to fans gathered at a watch party for the announcement of NCAA Tournament selections. (Photo by Jym Wilson)
But even in those pre-Christmas games, coach Beth Cunningham often used the word “gritty” to describe her team as it paid its dues along the way. Often struggling to find offense behind emerging star Kaemyn Bekemeier, Missouri State would find its identity on the defensive end, and that is what carried it to the C-USA tourney title.
The Lady Bears held the opposition to an average of 51.6 points in seven victories since Feb. 21. During the title game in Huntsville, Ala., where Missouri State turned the tables after two regular-season losses to Louisiana Tech, it held the No. 1 seed to 12 second-half points on 22.7% shooting.
Each team scored two points in the first nine minutes of the fourth quarter. The Lady Bears toughed it out to finish off the 43-38 victory, a game that might have been hard to watch but was easy to celebrate for Missouri State fans.
The only downside to the first NCAA Tournament berth in Cunningham’s four seasons is the seed. The Lady Bears were assigned a “play-in” game against fellow No. 16 seed Stephen F. Austin, with the winner advancing into the main bracket to face top regional seed Texas on March 20.
Missouri State apparently paid for coming out of a lowly regarded conference (C-USA ranked 16th in NET among 31 conferences) and its lack of a victory against a Quad 1 (top 25 opponent at home, top 35 neutral court or top 45 road) or Quad 2 (26-55 at home, 36-65 neutral or 46-80 road) opponent. The Lady Bears went 2-2 against Quad 3 teams (56-90 home, 66-105 neutral or 81-30 away). Twenty of the team’s wins came against Quad 4 teams.
So it’ll take a little extra work, against an offensively inclined Stephen F. Austin team, to get a shot at slaying a giant in the form of top seed Texas. Even if it winds up being a short trip, the NCAA trip is a special one for all the Lady Bears — particularly Bekemeier.
Kaemyn Bekemeier carries the trophy from the MSU Lady Bears’ 2026 CUSA women’s basketball tournament championship win onto the court at Great Southern Bank Arena. (Photo by Jym Wilson)
Just two years ago, an excellent Lady Bears team lost at the buzzer to Drake in the Valley Tournament title game. Bekemeier, who grew up in nearby Republic dreaming of someday playing in the big tourney for the Lady Bears, said this week will help take some of that bitter memory away.
“That one definitely stung. It’s been haunting us since the day it happened,” Bekemeier said in a post-game interview after the win over Louisiana Tech. “To be able to step into the conference this first year (and win), it’s a dream come true. It’s special to me and the team.
“We did it for each other. There wasn’t one person who did it all. We have heart for the game, a heart for each other and a heart for this coaching staff. We’ve been together since June and to see it pay off, it’s so surreal, but we’re not done yet.”
Lyndal Scranton is a Springfield native who has covered sports in the Ozarks for more than 35 years, witnessing nearly every big sports moment in the region during the last 50 years. The Missouri Sports Hall of Famer, Springfield Area Sports Hall of Famer and live-fire cooking enthusiast also serves as PR Director for Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Missouri and is co-host of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast. Contact him at Lscranton755@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @LyndalScranton. More by Lyndal Scranton