COLLEGE BASKETBALL / NCAA WOMEN’S TOURNAMENT : Southwest Missouri State Keeps Rolling, 94-71 : Midwest Regional: Bears use balanced attack and fan support to crush Mississippi and reach Final Four.

Soon to be arriving in Los Angeles, the Southwest Missouri State women’s basketball team, and a good chunk of the population of Springfield, Mo.

The Bears, hailing from the unheralded Gateway Conference, wore out another opponent Saturday, routing Mississippi, 94-71, to advance to next weekend’s Final Four at the Sports Arena.

Look for Bear-crazed Midwesterners arriving in vans carrying placards and slogans of support for their team.

A thousand or so of the 3,566 in attendance at the University of Colorado Gym, waving their lily-white pom-poms and screaming at the top of their lungs, vowed to bring their act to the West Coast sometime next week.

And who knows? They could be cheering on the next national champion.

The Bears (30-2) will face Western Kentucky (26-7) Saturday in a Final Four semifinal.

And if their performance Saturday night is any indication, the Hilltoppers could be in for a long night.

Southwest Missouri State, the No. 8 seeded team in the Midwest Regional, seems to be gaining momentum with each outing.

First it was No. 7-ranked Iowa, then the 83-57 drubbing of UCLA and now a whipping of a No. 5 Mississippi team that had been holding its opponents to less than 61 points per game.

“We haven’t given up 90-something points in I don’t know how long,” Mississippi Coach Van Chancellor said. “They played so inspired. They just drilled it.”

What the Bears did was overcome a 10-2 deficit, open a 10-point halftime lead, outshoot the Rebels (29-3) 61% to 39% and outrebound them, 44-28.

“It’s hard to beat that any way you go,” Chancellor added.

It’s also hard to beat a team that can use its entire roster effectively.

The Bears had nine players who played 17 minutes or more. They had six who scored in double figures--Charity Shira and Karen Rapier leading the way with 16 apiece.

So frustrated were the Rebels by the versatile attack of the Bears that they sent them to the foul line 39 times. The Bears responded by making 31 free throws.

Three Mississippi players fouled out in the second half, leaving the Rebels little chance to climb back into the game.

“Midway through the half we had become so unglued we were unable to do a lot of things,” Chancellor said.

Several Rebel players admitted being worn down as early as the third quarter.

The Bears led by 25 points with 6:58 remaining and never let up.

“We’ve lived and died on ball pressure,” Southwest Missouri State Coach Cheryl Burnett said. “We were not about to stop.”