EDMOND, Okla. – For the first time this season, the Missouri women's basketball team (14-5, 6-4) has suffered consecutive losses after a heartbreaking defeat at Central Oklahoma (15-5, 9-3) 70-69 Thursday. The Griffons used a 22-4 run in the final seven minutes of regulation to take a 69-68 lead, but UCO got the game-winning put-back layup off an errant 3-point attempt with seven seconds remaining.
Trailing 64-47 with 7:14 left, head coach Candi Whitaker switched the Griffons to a zone defense that forced six-straight stops and allowed just one Broncho field goal. MWSU fed off the defensive stops to go on a 10-0 run that brought MWSU within seven. UCO's only field goal against the Griffon zone stopped its scoreless streak, but needed four bounces to rattle in. More stops and more baskets led to a Chris Wilson layup with 12 seconds left that gave MWSU a 69-68 lead, its first since the first half.
The Griffons got off to a hot start in the game, making four of their first five shots, but UCO nearly equaled the MWSU offensive effort. Missouri Western's largest lead of the game came with 3:43 left in the first quarter by seven. Central Oklahoma used a 10-0 run between the end of the first quarter and the beginning of the second quarter to take a 22-19 lead and held the lead through the quarter to go to halftime up 32-27.
NOTABLES
- MWSU outscored UCO 26-16 in the fourth quarter after getting outscored 22-16 in the third.
- The Griffons were limited to 23% shooting (3-13) in the second quarter after going 7 for 14 in the first.
- UCO outscored the Griffons 40-28 in the paint despite being outrebounded by MWSU, 40-31.
- The Griffons committed 22 turnovers in the game, tying their season-high, but scored 19 points off 18 UCO turnovers while the Bronchos scored 17 off MWSU's giveaways.
- Corbyn Cunningham scored 11 fourth quarter points to lead the Griffons with 18 total, going 8 for 9 at the free throw line. Cunningham just missed her fifth-straight double-double and sixth-straight double-digit rebound effort with nine.
- Wilson, in her first action in almost three weeks led the Griffons with 10 rebounds and scored six points.
- Katrina Roenfeldt scored 17 points on 6 of 12 shooting from the field and led MWSU with six steals, four in the fourth.
- Anastacia Johnson dished out a career-high and team-high five assists while scoring 10 points.
UP NEXT
The Griffons travel up I-35 to take on Newman (9-12, 4-8) on Saturday. The Jets dropped their third straight, 70-67 in double overtime on Thursday to Northwest Missouri State.
--- MWSU Athletics ---