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Missouri State Lady Bears got more late-game dramatics to top Illinois Chicago

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Missouri State Lady Bears got more late-game dramatics to top Illinois Chicago


The Lady Bears’ six-game homestand ended without a blemish as they’ve discovered consistency heading into their first road trip in over a month.

Missouri State (9-3, 3-0) escaped with a 51-50 win over Illinois Chicago (8-6, 1-2) on Saturday afternoon at Great Southern Bank Arena.

A Jade Masogayo go-ahead putback layup with 1.1 seconds remaining proved to be the difference. Illinois Chicago had an open look at a game-winner at the buzzer at the other end but the layup was short-armed.

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It marked the Lady Bears’ third one-possession win over their winning streak. The win came a week after Lacy Stokes got a layup at the buzzer to fall in a 54-52 win over Northern Iowa. The Lady Bears are 5-0 in games decided by five points or less.

Before the winning streak, the Lady Bears had yet to put together two wins in a row. Over the stretch, they’ve shown massive improvement and the ability to win close games. They look to keep momentum going during their central Illinois road trip to Bradley on Thursday before playing Illinois State on Sunday.

Missouri State Lady Bears basketball responds to slow start with 20-0 run

Unlike how the Lady Bears started in their 20-point win over Valparaiso on Thursday evening, MSU found itself down in a 9-2 hole through the first four minutes.

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That quickly changed as Missouri State finished the first quarter by scoring 20 unanswered points. Indya Green and Kyrah Daniels each scored seven points over the stretch while the defense forced UIC into eight-consecutive misses.

“I wasn’t pleased with how we started the game,” MSU head coach Beth Cunningham said. “That’s just something that can’t happen and we can’t continue to do it. We got hot on the offensive end for the floor and then started to get comfortable again. I don’t know what it is but I think more than anything that it’s mentality. It’s pedal to the metal and you just have to stay on it.”

UIC held MSU to five points in second quarter

Whatever UIC women’s basketball coach Ashleen Bracey said after the first quarter worked. The Flames held the Lady Bears to just five points in the second quarter after MSU scored 20 in the previous six minutes.

Missouri State didn’t score until Jade Masogayo got a layup to fall with 1:42 left in the half. Kyrah Daniels followed with a 3 before the break.

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The Flames didn’t make the biggest dent into the Lady Bears’ lead as it led 27-21 at halftime. UIC started with a 10-0 run to start the quarter but only made one shot from the field over the final 6:39.

Lady Bears pull off another win in dramatic fashion

Neither team led by more than five in the second half and the final 4:38 never had a difference of more than a possession.

With the Lady Bears leading by two with 18.6 seconds to go, UIC guard Jaida McCloud missed the backend of a one-and-one with the Flames grabbing the rebound. After a timeout with 16 seconds remaining, UIC guard Makiyah Williams fought in the paint to get the ball to go off the backboard and in with three seconds left for a one-point advantage.

After a Lady Bears timeout, down one, a lob into Daniels underneath the basket was deflected into Masogayo’s hands who scored a go-ahead putback layup with 1.1 seconds remaining.

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“Right place at the right time,” Masogayo said. “It just literally fell on my hands and I put it up.”

“It was just the way they pressure and overplay,” Cunningham added. “I felt like they overplayed. I thought we had (Daniels) and we threw it a bit short. If we threw it a bit higher, I think Kyrah probably would have had it there. But Jade was right there. It wasn’t exactly how it was designed but it ended up working out as a touch pass to Jade.”

A timeout advanced the ball up the court. A near-perfectly executed call gave the Flames an open look for a layup at the horn but the shot came up short.

Daniels led the Lady Bears with 15 points. No other Lady Bear scored more than nine as the team shot 35%. They held the Flames to 37.3% and came away with the win despite uncharacteristically losing the rebound battle by 10.

Up next

After six straight home games, the Lady Bears will hit the road for the first time since Dec. 6. They will travel to Bradley for a 6 p.m. game on Thursday before a 6 p.m. matchup at Illinois State on Jan. 14. Missouri State will return home Jan. 19 and 21 for games against Evansville and Indiana State.

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Wyatt D. Wheeler is a reporter and columnist with the Springfield News-Leader. You can contact him at 417-371-6987, by email at wwheeler@news-leader.com or X at@WyattWheeler_NL.





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5 tornadoes confirmed in central Illinois following weekend storms

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5 tornadoes confirmed in central Illinois following weekend storms


(WAND) – The National Weather Service confirmed five tornadoes touched down in central Illinois during Sunday’s storms. 

The tornado count for the WAND viewing area, which does not include all of central Illinois, is now at 61 as of June 22.

For reference, the area averages 20 tornadoes annually. 

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The NWS confirmed an EF-1 east of Neoga in Cumberland County, along with EF-0 tornadoes southwest of Stewardson in Shelby County and northeast of Toledo, also in Cumberland County. 

Additionally, the NWS office in St. Louis confirmed two EF-0 tornadoes south of Shobonier in far southern Fayette County. 

Shobonier is about 10 miles south of Vandalia.

Final details have yet to be released.

This is a developing story. 

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Jimmy Awards: Park Ridge, Tinley Park students to make Broadway debut

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Jimmy Awards: Park Ridge, Tinley Park students to make Broadway debut


CHICAGO (WLS) — The Jimmy Awards honoring “theatre kids” is happening on Monday night in New York City!

Jane Nuich from Park Ridge and Logan Arroyo of Tinley Park will represent Illinois. They’ll be competing against over 100 students from across the nation.

ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch

ABC7’s Hosea Sanders has been following their adventure that leads to a Broadway debut.

When asked if they’ve been intimidated about what’s to come, Arroyo said, “Yes, it’s scary. It’s a scary place, especially putting yourself out there on a stage or alone. I want to be an actor, and I will do whatever I can to do that.”

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Nuich added, “It’s a huge opportunity to work with industry professionals and with so many other talented young people. And you get to experience so much in New York in that short week. And it’s, I think, such a cool experience rather than a big competition.”

Sanders also Arroyo and Nuich what growing up in the Chicago area has done for their exposure and their goals.

“I think the immediate access to all of the theater that Chicago has to offer has been so incredible to me. As a young student of theater and young performer in theater, I think it’s been so educational to me, and so inspiring to be able to anywhere in Chicago in a quick moment from the suburbs to just see so much theater,” Nuich said. “I think it’s so comforting to know you’re surrounded by so many artists who are just as passionate as you. And I think that going into a career in this, it’s so incredible to be exposed to so many young performers who are so talented and passionate as this age.”

Arroyo added, “I’m so excited to be around people I care about and love this as much as I do.”

When asked what previous Illinois Jimmy winners have told the performs, Nuich said, “It goes by really fast, that a lot will happen, but it’s important to stay grounded and to take it all in and realize what a special experience it is, and you just keep working hard.”

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“My big dream is to do what I love and love myself for doing it,” Arroyo said.

Copyright © 2026 WLS-TV. All Rights Reserved.



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Video shows deadly tornado that hit southern Illinois, killing 2

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Video shows deadly tornado that hit southern Illinois, killing 2


A tornado caught on video tore through southern Illinois on Sunday, killing at least two people, hurting several others and destroying homes.

What we know:

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The tornado touched down shortly after 5 p.m. in northeastern Jefferson County and moved northeast, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.

Soon after, 911 dispatchers began getting calls about damaged homes, fallen trees, downed power lines and missing people.

Several police, fire and ambulance agencies responded to help search for people and clear damaged areas.

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By 9 p.m., officials said three homes had been completely destroyed, and many other buildings were damaged.

Two people died in separate homes that were destroyed by the storm. Both were single-wide mobile homes.

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Five people were taken to local hospitals with injuries that were not considered life-threatening.

What we don’t know:

Officials have not released the names of the two people who died.

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The National Weather Service has not yet said how strong the tornado was or how far it traveled.

Local perspective:

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Fallen trees blocked at least three roads across the area.

Power lines were knocked down in multiple places, but officials said power had been restored to most customers by Sunday night.

Authorities asked people to stay away from northeastern Jefferson County unless they had an emergency reason to be there.

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The backstory:

The storm came less than two weeks after another round of severe weather produced more than 20 tornadoes across parts of Illinois and northwest Indiana on June 11.

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What they’re saying:

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office thanked first responders and volunteers who helped with search and rescue efforts.

“We send our heartfelt condolences to the families of those lost in this tragic event,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.

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The Source: The information in this story came from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.

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