2025–26 Missouri State Lady Bears basketball team

2025–26 Missouri State Lady Bears basketball
CUSA tournament champions
NCAA tournament, First Round
ConferenceConference USA
Record23–13 (11–7 C-USA)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaGreat Southern Bank Arena
2025–26 Conference USA women's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Louisiana Tech 17 – 1   .944 26 – 7   .788
FIU 12 – 6   .667 21 – 11   .656
Middle Tennessee 11 – 7   .611 16 – 15   .516
Sam Houston 11 – 7   .611 18 – 13   .581
Liberty 11 – 7   .611 18 – 13   .581
Missouri State † 11 – 7   .611 23 – 13   .639
Jacksonville State 9 – 9   .500 16 – 16   .500
Delaware 6 – 12   .333 13 – 19   .406
Kennesaw State 6 – 12   .333 13 – 17   .433
UTEP 5 – 13   .278 13 – 17   .433
New Mexico State 5 – 13   .278 9 – 21   .300
Western Kentucky 4 – 14   .222 8 – 21   .276
† 2026 CUSA tournament winner
As of March 20, 2026

The 2025–26 Missouri State Lady Bears basketball team represents Missouri State University during the 2025–26 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Lady Bears, led by fourth-year head coach Beth Cunningham, play their home games at the Great Southern Bank Arena in Springfield, Missouri as first-year members of Conference USA.

Previous season

The Lady Bears finished the 2024–25 season 26–9, 16–4 in MVC play, to finish as MVC regular season co-champions, alongside Murray State.[1] They defeated UIC,[2] before falling to Belmont in the semifinals of the MVC tournament.[3] They received an at-large bid to the WBIT,[4] where they would defeat Oral Roberts in the first round,[5] before falling to eventual tournament champions Minnesota in the second round.[6]

Preseason

On October 9, 2025, Conference USA released their preseason poll. Missouri State was picked to finish fourth in the conference.[7]

Preseason rankings

Conference USA Preseason Poll
Place Team Votes
1 Louisiana Tech 128 (5)
2 Liberty 125 (5)
3 Middle Tennessee 123 (2)
4 Missouri State 107
5 Western Kentucky 96
6 FIU 74
7 Sam Houston 59
T-8 UTEP 57
Kennesaw State
10 New Mexico State 51
11 Delaware 36
12 Jacksonville State 23
(#) first-place votes

Source:[7]

Preseason All-CUSA Team

Preseason All-CUSA Team
Player Position Year
Faith Lee Forward Senior

Source:[7]

Roster

2025–26 Missouri State Lady Bears women's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Victoria Dixon 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) Sr Houston Christian Grand Prairie, Texas
G 1 JaNyla Bush 5 ft 3 in (1.6 m) RS Fr Link Academy St. Louis, Missouri
F 2 Lainie Douglas 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) So Blue Valley Northwest High School Overland Park, Kansas
G 3 Kendal Brueggen 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) Fr Hesston High School Hesston, Kansas
G 5 Zoe Canfield 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) So Kansas Topeka, Kansas
F 11 Faith Lee 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) Sr Little Rock Monroe, Louisiana
F 12 Tyra Robinson 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) Jr Western Carolina Little Rock, Arkansas
G 13 Maycee James 5 ft 7 in (1.7 m) Sr Pittsburg State Goddard, Kansas
F 15 Maiesha Washington 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) Fr Legion Prep Academy Fayetteville, Arkansas
G 20 Angel Scott 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) RS Sr Stephen F. Austin Edmond, Oklahoma
G 24 Kaemyn Bekemeier 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) Jr Republic High School Republic, Missouri
G 31 Audrey Hopkins 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) Fr Lincoln Christian School Tulsa, Oklahoma
G 32 Cady Pauley 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) Sr Virginia Milan, Missouri
F 33 Blake O'Grady 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) Jr Dexter Southfield School Brookline, Massachusetts
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: February 6, 2026

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
October 28, 2025*
6:30 pm 		Northeastern State W 75–57  –
  17 – Lee   8 – James   7 – James  Great Southern Bank Arena (1,797)
Springfield, MO
Non-conference regular season
November 3, 2025*
6:30 pm, ESPN+ 		Saint Louis W 70–66  1–0
  23 – Bekemeier   9 – Bekemeier   2 – Tied  Great Southern Bank Arena (2,030)
Springfield, MO
November 7, 2025*
6:30 pm, ESPN+ 		at UT Arlington W 69–53  2–0
  20 – Lee   9 – Bekemeier   6 – James  College Park Center (586)
Arlington, TX
November 11, 2025*
6:30 pm, ESPN+ 		at Southeast Missouri State W 67–57  3–0
  22 – Bekemeier   10 – Bekemeier   5 – James  Show Me Center (850)
Cape Girardeau, MO
November 15, 2025*
3:30 pm 		vs. Wichita State W 66–57  4–0
  14 – Lee   10 – Bekemeier   3 – Bush  T-Mobile Center 
Kansas City, MO
November 18, 2025*
6:30 pm, ESPN+ 		Georgia Southern W 69–58  5–0
  21 – Douglas   13 – Bekemeier   4 – James  Great Southern Bank Arena (2,080)
Springfield, MO
November 22, 2025*
2:00 pm, ESPN+ 		at Tulsa L 57−73  5−1
  19 – Bekemeier   7 – Bekemeier   2 – Washington  Reynolds Center (1,283)
Tulsa, OK
November 28, 2025*
3:00 pm, FloHoops 		vs. Florida State
Coconut Hoops Great Egret Division semifinals 		L 75−85  5−2
  16 – Douglas   6 – Tied   3 – Tied  Alico Arena (952)
Fort Myers, FL
November 30, 2025*
3:00 pm, FloHoops 		vs. Coppin State
Coconut Hoops Great Egret Division consolation 		W 77–56  6–2
  23 – Pauley   6 – James   4 – Bush  Alico Arena (868)
Fort Myers, FL
December 4, 2025*
6:30 pm, ESPN+ 		at Tulane W 72–66  7–2
  22 – Bekemeier   7 – Tied   5 – Pauley  Devlin Fieldhouse (657)
New Orleans, LA
December 7, 2025*
2:00 pm, ESPN+ 		Kansas L 70–73 OT 7–3
  21 – Bekemeier   9 – Douglas   3 – James  Great Southern Bank Arena (2,338)
Springfield, MO
December 13, 2025*
1:00 pm, ESPN+ 		Arkansas L 58–73  7–4
  18 – Bekemeier   7 – Brueggen   3 – Washington  Great Southern Bank Arena (2,862)
Springfield, MO
December 19, 2025*
6:30 pm, ESPN+ 		Gonzaga L 49–68  7–5
  13 – Pauley   7 – Bekemeier   3 – Washington  Great Southern Bank Arena (1,801)
Springfield, MO
December 22, 2025*
1:00 pm, ESPN+ 		Central Arkansas W 65−61  8−5
  24 – Bekemeier   14 – Bekemeier   5 – Bekemeier  Great Southern Bank Arena (1,569)
Springfield, MO
C-USA regular season
January 4, 2026
12:00 pm, ESPN+ 		at FIU W 80–69  9–5
(1–0) 		 19 – Washington   11 – Washington   7 – Bekemeier  Ocean Bank Convocation Center (85)
Miami, FL
January 8, 2026
6:30 pm, ESPN+ 		Kennesaw State W 67–61  10–5
(2–0) 		 26 – Bekemeier   11 – Bekemeier   3 – Tied  Great Southern Bank Arena (1,863)
Springfield, MO
January 10, 2026
12:00 pm, ESPN+ 		Jacksonville State W 63–47  11–5
(3–0) 		 31 – Bekemeier   14 – Bekemeier   4 – James  Great Southern Bank Arena (2,190)
Springfield, MO
January 15, 2026
8:00 pm, ESPN+ 		at UTEP W 71–64  12–5
(4–0) 		 21 – Bekemeier   6 – Douglas   3 – Bekemeier  Don Haskins Center (821)
El Paso, TX
January 17, 2026
1:00 pm, ESPN+ 		at New Mexico State L 56–63  12–6
(4–1) 		 17 – Douglas   8 – Washington   4 – James  Pan American Center (959)
Las Cruces, NM
January 22, 2026
6:30 pm, ESPN+ 		Louisiana Tech L 51–60  12–7
(4–2) 		 15 – Tied   7 – Bekemeier   3 – James  Great Southern Bank Arena (2,326)
Springfield, MO
January 30, 2026
6:00 pm, ESPN+ 		at Delaware W 79–54  13–7
(5–2) 		 17 – Douglas   12 – Bekemeier   5 – Bush  Bob Carpenter Center (754)
Newark, DE
February 1, 2026
1:00 pm, ESPN+ 		at Liberty L 52–60  13–8
(5–3) 		 24 – Bekemeier   7 – Bekemeier   3 – Tied  Liberty Arena (1,060)
Lynchburg, VA
February 5, 2026
6:30 pm, ESPN+ 		Middle Tennessee W 60–54  14–8
(6–3) 		 25 – Bekemeier   8 – Tied   3 – James  Great Southern Bank Arena (2,088)
Springfield, MO
February 7, 2026
1:00 pm, ESPN+ 		Western Kentucky W 75–52  15–8
(7–3) 		 21 – Bekemeier   8 – Douglas   6 – Bush  Great Southern Bank Arena (2,641)
Springfield, MO
February 12, 2026
6:30 pm, ESPN+ 		at Sam Houston L 67–74  15–9
(7–4) 		 21 – Bekemeier   11 – Douglas   3 – Brueggen  Bernard Johnson Coliseum (545)
Huntsville, TX
February 14, 2026
1:00 pm, ESPN+ 		at Louisiana Tech L 67–68  15–10
(7–5) 		 18 – Douglas   13 – Washington   8 – Bush  Thomas Assembly Center 
Ruston, LA
February 19, 2026
6:30 pm, ESPN+ 		Liberty L 43–55  15–11
(7–6) 		 19 – Bekemeier   11 – Washington   2 – Washington  Great Southern Bank Arena (2,225)
Springfield, MO
February 21, 2026
1:00 pm, ESPN+ 		Delaware W 83–57  16–11
(8–6) 		 28 – Douglas   12 – Douglas   5 – Tied  Great Southern Bank Arena (2,451)
Springfield, MO
February 24, 2026
6:30 pm, ESPN+ 		Sam Houston W 60–55  17–11
(9–6) 		 20 – Douglas   9 – Washington   4 – Washington  Great Southern Bank Arena (2,259)
Springfield, MO
February 26, 2026
6:30 pm, ESPN+ 		FIU W 69–38  18–11
(10–6) 		 20 – Douglas   13 – Douglas   4 – James  Great Southern Bank Arena (2,074)
Springfield, MO
March 5, 2026
6:30 pm, ESPN+ 		at Western Kentucky W 65-38  19–11
(11–6) 		 22 – Douglas   11 – Washington   5 – James  E. A. Diddle Arena (1,030)
Bowling Green, KY
March 7, 2026
2:00 pm, ESPN+ 		at Middle Tennessee L 75-86  19–12
(11–7) 		 18 – Brueggen   7 – Douglas   3 – Tied  Murphy Center (3,807)
Murfreesboro, TN
C-USA tournament
March 12, 2026
2:00 pm, ESPN+ 		(6) vs. (3) Middle Tennessee
Quarterfinals 		W 69-66  20-12
  15 – Bekemeier   11 – Bekemeier   7 – Washington  Propst Arena (3,528)
Huntsville, AL
March 13, 2026
8:00 pm, ESPN+ 		(6) vs. (2) FIU
Semifinals 		W 74-69  21-12
  22 – Bekemeier   11 – Washington   7 – Bekemeier  Propst Arena (2,187)
Huntsville, AL
March 14, 2026
4:30 pm, CBSSN 		(6) vs. (1) Louisiana Tech
Final 		W 43-38  22-12
  16 – Bekemeier   11 – Douglas   4 – James  Propst Arena (2,623)
Huntsville, AL
NCAA tournament
March 18, 2026
8:00 pm, ESPN2 		(16 FW3) vs. (16 FW3) Stephen F. Austin
First Four 		W 85–75  23–12
  22 – Bekemeier   13 – Bekemeier   4 – Tied  Moody Center (681)
Austin, Texas
March 20, 2026
3:00 pm, ESPN 		(16 FW3) at (1 FW3) No. 3 Texas
First Round 		L 45–87  23–13
   – –    – –    – –  Moody Center 
Austin, Texas
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Central.

Sources:[8][9]

References

  1. ^ "2024–25 Women's Basketball Standings". Missouri Valley Conference. Retrieved February 6, 2026.
  2. ^ "Missouri State women's basketball holds off UIC in MVC Tournament quarterfinals". Springfield News-Leader. Retrieved February 6, 2026.
  3. ^ "Belmont bounces Missouri State in MVC semifinals, likely keeping the Lady Bears out of the NCAA Tournament". Springfield Daily Citizen. Retrieved February 6, 2026.
  4. ^ "WBIT 2025 schedule, bracket: Game times, TV, streaming for women's tournament". USA Today. Retrieved February 6, 2026.
  5. ^ "Historic Season for #ORUWBB Comes to a Close in First Round of WBIT". The Summit League. Retrieved February 6, 2026.
  6. ^ "Minnesota Women's Basketball: Gophers defeat Missouri State to Advance to WBIT Quarterfinals". The Daily Gopher. Retrieved February 6, 2026.
  7. ^ a b c "WBB: 2025-26 CUSA Preseason All-Conference Team and Poll Announced". Conference USA. Retrieved February 6, 2026.
  8. ^ "2025–26 Women's Basketball Schedule". Missouri State. Retrieved February 6, 2026.
  9. ^ "Missouri State Bears 2025–26 Regular Season NCAAW Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved February 6, 2026.
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