SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (Interstat) — Lainie Douglas recorded a double-double with 28 points and 12 rebounds to lead Missouri State to an 83-57 women’s basketball victory over Delaware on Saturday at JQH Arena. The Lady Bears, who improved to 16-11 overall, never trailed in the Conference USA contest. Kendal Brueggen added 14 points and five assists for Missouri State. The Blue Hens fell to 12-15. Douglas, a 6-foot-3 sophomore from Overland Park, Kansas, led a decisive performance that saw the Lady Bears sweep the season series after a 79-54 win last month.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (Interstat) — Lainie Douglas scored 28 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead Missouri State to a decisive 83-57 victory over Delaware in a Conference USA women’s basketball game Saturday at JQH Arena. The Lady Bears, improving to 16-11 overall, used a dominant first-half run to seize control and never looked back, avenging a recent three-game losing streak. The Blue Hens fell to 12-15. Douglas, a 6-foot-3 junior from Overland Park, Kansas, was efficient and commanding, hitting 10 field goals and adding two assists and a block to her double-double performance in just 25 minutes of action. She spearheaded a Missouri State attack that capitalized on Delaware’s mistakes, scoring 19 points off 19 Blue Hens turnovers. The most important stretch of the game came late in the first quarter and extended into the second, turning a competitive start into a comfortable Missouri State lead. After Delaware’s Lay Fantroy hit a 3-pointer to tie the game at 6-6, the Lady Bears unleashed a 16-2 run over the next four and a half minutes. The surge was fueled by defensive pressure, leading to easy transition baskets. Faith Lee and Maycee James recorded steals that led directly to layups, and Douglas scored six points during the burst, including a turnaround jumper. Kaemyn Bekemeier capped the run with a 3-pointer off an assist from Kendal Brueggen, giving Missouri State a 22-8 advantage with 40 seconds left in the opening period. Delaware, which shot just 31 percent from the field for the game, could not mount a significant response. The Blue Hens trimmed the deficit to 11 points early in the third quarter, but the Lady Bears answered with a 7-0 spurt, highlighted by a Douglas jump shot and free throw, to push the lead back to 18 and effectively end the threat. Missouri State’s offensive balance proved overwhelming. Bekemeier, a sophomore from Republic, Missouri, added 19 points and six rebounds. Brueggen, a senior guard from Hesston, Kansas, filled the stat sheet with 14 points, five assists and four rebounds. Lee contributed eight points, five rebounds, three assists and a block. The Lady Bears excelled in the paint, outscoring Delaware 32-14, and were nearly flawless from the free-throw line, making 21 of 23 attempts. They also outworked the Blue Hens on the glass, securing 11 offensive rebounds that led to 11 second-chance points. Fantroy led Delaware with 18 points, four rebounds and three steals. Jiya Perry added eight points and five rebounds, while Ande’a Cherisier came off the bench to score nine points. The Blue Hens struggled with ball movement, managing only six assists against their 19 turnovers. Missouri State’s defense was relentless, matching its assist and block totals with 11 steals, constantly disrupting Delaware’s offensive sets. The Lady Bears’ offensive rating of 109.3 points per 100 possessions starkly contrasted with Delaware’s mark of 73.5, underscoring the efficiency gap. The win snapped a brief skid for Missouri State, which had lost its previous three games. Delaware has now lost two straight following a win over New Mexico State on Feb. 12. Missouri State is scheduled to host Sam Houston on Tuesday. Delaware will return home to face Western Kentucky on Thursday.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (Interstat) — The Missouri State Lady Bears will look to complete a regular-season sweep and solidify their Conference USA standing when they host the Delaware Blue Hens in women’s basketball on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026, at JQH Arena. Missouri State (15-11, 8-5 CUSA) dominated the first meeting, a 79-54 road victory on Jan. 30. The Lady Bears have since gone 3-4 but remain in the upper tier of the conference. They are coming off a 55-43 home loss to Liberty on Thursday, where leading scorer Kaemyn Bekemeier managed 19 points but the team struggled offensively. Bekemeier, who scored 16 in the win over Delaware earlier this season, has been a consistent force. She averages 21.4 points over her last seven games, including a 25-point performance against Middle Tennessee on Feb. 5. Delaware (12-14, 6-7) arrives seeking to halt a two-game skid and avenge its lopsided January loss. The Blue Hens are reeling from a 62-36 defeat at Florida International on Thursday, a game in which they shot just 23.6% from the field. Forward Lay Fantroy, the team’s key player, posted 11 points, six rebounds and three blocks in that loss. Fantroy has been a bright spot during conference play, notching a 20-point, 16-rebound effort at Jacksonville State on Feb. 7 and a double-double against Florida International on Feb. 1. Her defensive presence, averaging multiple blocks in recent weeks, will be crucial against Bekemeier and the Lady Bears’ attack. The matchup hinges on Delaware’s ability to rebound from an offensive collapse and contain Bekemeier. Missouri State aims to leverage its home court and potent scorer to sweep the series and improve to 9-5 in conference play. Delaware, sitting just below .500 in CUSA, needs a signature road win to bolster its late-season trajectory. Tipoff is set for Saturday afternoon at JQH Arena in Springfield.