Fans gathered outside JQH Arena, lined up on both sides of the sidewalk to cheer on the Lady Bears as they left for the airport Thursday afternoon.
The Lady Bears advanced to the Sweet 16 Monday after beating Iowa State 69-60.
According to the Missouri State website, this is the first time the Lady Bears have seen the Sweet 16 since 2001 and only the fourth time in school history. They take on second-seeded Stanford at 5:30 p.m. Saturday in Chicago. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2.