Bolivar, Mo. - The SBU women knocked off the defending national champion #20 Emporia State Lady Hornets in Bolivar, 75-67. "I believe this team can do a lot of things" head coach J.C. Carter stated after the victory, "they were really excited, and need to be excited. This team works hard."

The Bearcats ability to drive the lane, and hit clutch three point shots lifted them to victory over the Lady Hornets.  "We attacked more offensively" coach Carter said after the game.  The Bearcats had five women in double figures, including Whitney Malone, who had a double-double, scoring 12 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. Ashleigh Gallio was the Bearcats leading scorer with 15 points on 4 of 6 shooting from the field, and 8 of 10 shooting from the stripe. Gallio also had 5 assists, and 1 block to go along with her excellent shooting night.  Jaquavia Couch had a great game, scoring 12 points, and pulling down 7 rebounds. Courtney Heady and Chasity Prince both scored 11 in the win.

"Our defense was decent in the first half" coach Carter said, "once we started hitting our shots, our defensive intensity went up."  The Bearcats were able to hold Emporia State to 32.8% shooting from the field (20-61) and 28.6% shooting from beyond the arc (8-28).

As a team, the Bearcats shot 43.8% from the field, including 68.2% in the second half, 38.5% from beyond the arc, and 77.8% from the stripe.

The Bearcats will look to continue to build their momentum as they face Washburn on Saturday February 12, 2011. Tip-off is set for 1:30 p.m. at Meyer Sports Center in Bolivar.