By TOMMY REZAC
St. Joseph Post
BIRMINGHAM, AL - A historic and memorable season for Missouri Western women's basketball ends in just the program's third ever Elite Eight appearance.
The No. 7 seed Griffons (24-10) got down by 11 in the first half, trailed by 20 entering the fourth and fell to No. 2 seed Grand Valley State 67-44 on Monday afternoon at Bill Harris Arena in Birmingham.
Coming off of a Central Region title last Monday and a full week's rest, Missouri Western was unable to recreate their March magic against the Lakers.
Grand Valley (31-2) got off to a 9-2 start in the opening minutes. Western hit back, though, and only trailed 18-13 at the end of one.
The Lakers then led 32-17 with 2:54 left in the first half before the Griffons answered with a 6-0 run and only trailed 34-23 at the break.
For the first five minutes of the third quarter, each team only put up five points and Western was still in it, trailing 39-28 with 4:44 left in the third.
Grad transfer Jaelyn Haggard then made a pair of free throws to cut it to 39-30, but Grand Valley then reeled off a 12-0 run late in the third to eventually lead 54-34 entering the fourth.
"We felt like we were in the game, even though we weren't shooting it well," Missouri Western assistant coach Emily Wacker said. "Just needed to be able to start knocking some down and getting scores in a row. Stringing them together, and we couldn't do it and you see that."
The Griffons struggled to make baskets throughout, shooting just 15-of-51 on the day, including 3-of-14 in the final quarter and a 2-of-14 effort from beyond the arc.
Grand Valley State held Western to a season-low 44 points - just the third time all year the Griffons were held under 50 points.
"We were getting stops," Wacker said. "But ultimately, we couldn't put the ball in the hole all night and that made it tough. We didn't execute to the level we'd like to and that came back to bite us."
Senior Corbyn Cunningham led Western in her final game with 16 points on 8-of-10 shooting. Sophomore Brionna Budgets had nine, freshman Alyssa Bonilla scored eight and Haggard had seven.
Grand Valley shot 25-of-58 on the day, and finished with four players in double figures. Junior Emily Spitzley scored a game-high 20 points on 3-of-7 shooting from three. Hadley Miller, Hannah Kulas and Ellie Droste each scored 10.
Both teams committed 20 turnovers, but Western was outscored in the paint 34-20 and the Lakers outrebounded the Griffons 41-31.
The final game stings, but big picture, the 2021-22 season was a program changer for Missouri Western women's basketball.
Most wins and the first NCAA tournament berth in six years. First Sweet 16 in 25 years. First Elite Eight in 27 years. All after just six wins a season ago.
Three seniors - Cunningham, Haggard and Mychaell Gray depart, but four starters and 13 total players on the current roster are set to come back next year.
Needless to say, the future is bright for Missouri Western women's basketball.
"This should be nothing but fuel to keep getting better," Wacker said of the season. "The expectation has been set. The bar has been set. This is is the level we want to compete at. So, I'm excited. We need some rest, but excited for a great offseason and to continue to get better.
"Especially when you think about where we were a year ago. Really, really proud of this team and the individuals who put in so much work."
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