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A late third-quarter run helped the Lady Bears distance themselves from Southern Illinois and lead them to the Missouri Valley Conference semifinals.
No. 17 Missouri State (21-2, 16-0) knocked out Southern Illinois (9-16, 6-13) with a 70-59 quarterfinal win Friday at the TaxSlayer Center in Moline, Illinois.
The Lady Bears will play the winner of Friday afternoon's matchup between Northern Iowa and Bradley. The semifinal game will be played at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
Early injury scares and a lack of shots falling plagued the first half for the Lady Bears — although they were able to hold a small lead at the break.