Former Missouri forward Sarah Linthacum has found her new home after announcing Wednesday she will join the Missouri State Lady Bears.
Linthacum, a Jefferson City High School graduate, entered the transfer portal following her junior season with the Tigers when her minutes and production steeply dropped from the uptick they took in her sophomore season.
After playing in 15 games and starting none as a freshman, Linthacum played in 30 and started six as a sophomore, raising her scoring average from 0.7 points per game to 1.6 to go with 2.0 rebounds per contest as a sophomore. But Linthacum did not start a game as a junior, while playing in 23. She scored 13 total points and brought down 25 rebounds for an average of 1.1 per contest.
“Sarah is a skilled post player with size who can run the floor, rebound and finish around the rim,” Missouri State coach Beth Cunningham said in a release Wednesday announcing the transfer. “She has high energy, great character and is going to be a great addition to our program, both on the court and in our community. We are excited to add her to our Lady Bear family.”
The forward will join a Lady Bears team that went 23-10 last season with a 15-5 record in Missouri Valley Conference play.
Missouri State made it to the championship of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, but lost 76-75 to Drake on a buzzer-beater in the title game. The Lady Bears then dropped a 74-69 decision at Illinois in the first round of the Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament to end their season.
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Dennis Gates and the Missouri Tigers have started working the transfer portal once again.
Missouri got a commitment Wednesday from Northern Kentucky guard Marques Warrick, a 6-foot-2, 185-pound senior originally from Lexington, Ken.
Warrick is the first to commit in a week Gates has said he expects to land multiple transfers.
The guard will play his fifth college season with the Tigers after becoming Northern Kentucky’s all-time leading scorer at 2,246 career points and leading a team that won the Horizon league in 2022-23.
Warrick averaged 19.9 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.2 steals per game in his senior season with the Norse. His 657 points scored tied him for 31st in Division I and he was picked for the All-Horizon League First Team.
He has been a key player for the Norse all four of his seasons, starting 23 games as a freshman, 30 as a sophomore, 35 as a junior and 33 last year with scoring averages of 15.8, 16.8 and 18.8 in his first three seasons, respectively.
Warrick also was Henry Clay’s all-time leading scorer with 1,909 points in his high school career and averaged 23.2 points per game as a senior.