One year ago, the Missouri State Lady Bears came within 40 minutes of reaching the NCAA Tournament.
Those hopes ended in an 85-71 loss to Wichita State in the championship game of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.
The Lady Bears will take another crack at it this weekend at the iWireless Center in Moline, Ill., as the league tournament moves to a new venue.
It starts Thursday night with a pair of play-in games, and third-seeded Missouri State’s quest begins at 8:35 p.m. Friday against No. 6 Indiana State.
Three starters and nine players return from that team, including first team All-MVC picks Kenzie Williams and Tyonna Snow.