Missouri State Lady Bears at DePaul Blue Demons
· NCAA WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP PRES. BY CAPITAL ONE - CHICAGO REGION - 1st ROUND
89 - 78
No. 11 Missouri State stuns DePaul 89-78
The 11th-seeded Lady Bears apparently aren't done playing above expectations.
Alexa Willard and Danielle Gitzen each scored 20 points and Missouri State stunned sixth-seeded DePaul 89-78 on Saturday, snapping the Blue Demons' five-game winning streak in opening-round NCAA Tournament games.
Freshman Elle Ruffridge had a career-high 15 points for the surprisingly stout Lady Bears (24-9), tournament winners for the first time since 2001. They'll face No. 3 seed Iowa State, the host school, or New Mexico State on Monday after shooting 52.5 percent and hitting 11 3s in the upset over the Blue Demons.
"We're really excited," Missouri State coach Kellie Harper said. "We just had a lot of confidence, and they believed in each other."
Missouri State also used its superior size in racing out to a 42-33 lead by halftime, and Gitzen's 3 early in the third quarter pushed the Bears' lead to 55-40.
"Everyone did what they needed to do for it to be a success," Gitzen said.
Chante Stonewall and Ashton Millender each had 17 points for DePaul (26-8), which had won its previous 11 games. The Blue Demons trailed by as many as 21 points and shot just 10 of 35 on 3s.
"What you have to do to stay in (the NCAA Tournament) is simple. You have to defend. You have to rebound," DePaul coach Doug Bruno said.
THE BIG PICTURE
RUFFRIDGE'S TIME
THE NUMBERS
HE SAID IT
"We just were never able to catch (them)," Bruno said.
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How can I watch Lady Bears vs. Blue Demons?
- TV Channel: Lady Bears vs Blue Demons 2021 College Basketball, week , is broadcasted on ESPN2.
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Recent Plays
| 4th 0:00 |  |
End of Game | 89 - 78 |
| 4th 0:24 |  |
Rebekah Dahlman Turnover. | 89 - 78 |
| 4th 0:29 |  |
Brice Calip made Free Throw. | 89 - 78 |
| 4th 0:29 | |
Brice Calip made Free Throw. | 88 - 78 |
| 4th 0:29 | |
Foul on Rebekah Dahlman. | 87 - 78 |
Statistics
 MOST |
DEP |
|
|---|---|---|
| 32-61 | FG | 31-73 |
| 52 | Field Goal % | 42 |
| 11-20 | 3PT | 10-35 |
| 55 | Three Point % | 29 |
| 14-19 | FT | 6-10 |
| 74 | Free Throw % | 60 |
| 42 | Rebounds | 31 |
| 11 | Offensive Rebounds | 11 |
| 31 | Defensive Rebounds | 20 |
| 18 | Assists | 19 |
| 6 | Steals | 11 |
| 1 | Blocks | 4 |
| 19 | Turnovers | 12 |
| 1 | Team Turnovers | 0 |
| 19 | Total Turnovers | 12 |
| 0 | Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Total Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Points Off Turnovers | 0 |
| 0 | Fast Break Points | 0 |
| 0 | Points in Paint | 0 |
| 12 | Fouls | 21 |
| 21 | Largest Lead | 5 |
Game Information
Location: Ames, IA
Capacity:
2025-26 Conference USA Standings
| TEAM | CONF | GB | OVER |
|---|---|---|---|
| Louisiana Tech | 17-1 | - | 26-7 |
| Florida International | 12-6 | 5 | 21-12 |
| Missouri State | 11-7 | 6 | 23-13 |
| Liberty | 11-7 | 6 | 18-13 |
| Sam Houston | 11-7 | 6 | 18-13 |
| Middle Tennessee | 11-7 | 6 | 17-16 |
| Jacksonville State | 9-9 | 8 | 16-16 |
| Kennesaw State | 6-12 | 11 | 13-17 |
| Delaware | 6-12 | 11 | 13-19 |
| UTEP | 5-13 | 12 | 13-17 |
| New Mexico State | 5-13 | 12 | 9-21 |
| Western Kentucky | 4-14 | 13 | 8-21 |
2025-26 Big East Conference Standings
| TEAM | CONF | GB | OVER |
|---|---|---|---|
| UConn | 20-0 | - | 38-1 |
| Villanova | 16-4 | 4 | 25-8 |
| Marquette | 12-8 | 8 | 18-12 |
| Seton Hall | 12-8 | 8 | 19-13 |
| St. John's | 11-9 | 9 | 22-12 |
| Creighton | 11-9 | 9 | 16-15 |
| Providence | 7-13 | 13 | 15-18 |
| Georgetown | 6-14 | 14 | 14-17 |
| Butler | 6-14 | 14 | 12-19 |
| DePaul | 5-15 | 15 | 8-24 |
| Xavier | 4-16 | 16 | 11-19 |