Springfield, Mo. - Needing a win to keep sole possession of first place in the Missouri Valley Conference, the Wichita State women's basketball came up short on the road at Missouri State, 85-67.  The Lady Bears moved into a tie for first place with the win over the Shockers.

The Lady Bears out-rebounded Wichita State, 48-23, and out-scored the Shockers in second-chance points, 23-5.  Missouri State also held the advantage in points off turnovers, 28-14.  Sophomore Karly Buer scored a career-high 27 points on the strength of 15-for-16 free throw shooting to top the Lady Bears.  Christiana Shorter added 13 points and 11 rebounds.

Missouri State pulled away with a 10-2 run midway through the second half to climb ahead, 61-48.  The Shockers scrapped to stay close but could not delete the deficit. 

Jessica Diamond again powered the WSU offense with 20 points on 8-of-16 shooting.  Jazimen Gordon added 15 points while hitting 6-of-10 from the floor. 

The Shockers jumped out to a 9-1 lead after Missouri State missed its first nine shots from the field.  The Lady Bears used relentless offensive rebounding and capitalized on Shocker turnovers to rally and eventually take a 10-point lead following a Jaleshia Roberson three-pointer.  Wichita State battled back but trailed at halftime, 34-28.  Missouri State out-rebounded WSU 26-11 in the first half.

The Shockers return home Friday, Feb. 17 for a 7:05 p.m. tipoff with Southern Illinois.