Winter break was busy for the Missouri State men’s and women’s basketball programs.

It wasn’t their prettiest victory of the season, but as winning teams do, No. 18 Missouri State Lady Bears found a way to win despite not being at their best on Wednesday night.

The Missouri State Lady Bears have come full circle since last year. 

Whenever sophomore Mya Bhinhar took the court in her first start as the Missouri State Lady Bears new point guard, she admitted there were nerves in the team’s exhibition game against Lincoln on Oct. 28. 

The Missouri State Lady Bears continued their fight for respect and proved why they are perhaps the mid-major team to beat in the country. 

After traveling nearly 8,500 miles over the season’s first two weeks, the Missouri State Lady Bears returned to JQH Arena to host Santa Clara on Friday night. 

In her first media day press conference last month, Missouri State Lady Bears head coach Amaka “Mox” Agugua-Hamilton felt her team was slighted after being predicted to finish second in the Missouri Valley Conference preseason polls. 

The feeling around the Missouri State Lady Bears is all too familiar through the first five games of the regular season.

The Amaka Agugua-Hamilton era and the Lady Bears’ quest to return to the NCAA Tournament officially commenced on Tuesday afternoon in Minneapolis.