A three-point first quarter led to a blowout win by Missouri State over WKU Women’s Basketball Saturday afternoon, 75-52.

The Lady Toppers shot an ice-cold 7% from the field in the first quarter, falling into an 18-point hole.

The Bears used strong first and fourth quarters, scoring 47 points combined in those periods, to pull away from WKU, which shot 6-28. Missouri State’s largest runs were an 18-0 run in the first and a 24-9 run in the fourth.

The loss is the seventh in a row for the Lady Toppers.

After scoring just three points in the first quarter, the Lady Toppers, led by senior Zsofia Telegdy’s nine points, outscored the Bears 24-12 in the second to bring the halftime score to 33-27. All nine of Telegdy’s points came in the second quarter, all from beyond the arc. It was the team’s most efficient quarter offensively as they shot 66.7% from the field.

The Lady Toppers shot 36% from the field in the first half, the same as the Bears, but the 21-3 first-quarter advantage was truly the difference for Missouri State. They forced eight WKU turnovers and won the rebound advantage 22-15.

The third quarter was another statistically strong one for the Lady Toppers, who shot 41.7% from the field. Despite forcing eight turnovers and only committing three, WKU committed nine personal fouls, leading to nine made free throws for Missouri State. The Bears shot 30% from the field in the third quarter, but used their 12-3 rebound advantage to outscore WKU 16-14.

In the final frame, just three Lady Toppers scored, with the team as a whole shooting 33.3% from the field. Missouri State used 61.5% shooting from the field and 66.7% shooting from beyond the arc to score 26 points in the quarter. The Bears finished them off on a 24-9 run in the final nine minutes of the game.

The loss drops WKU to 5-17 (1-10 Conference USA). The Lady Toppers are 2-11 on the road this season.

WKU will host Kennesaw State at Diddle Arena on Thursday, Feb. 12 at 11 a.m.