ST. JOSEPH – The Missouri Western women's basketball team (17-5, 9-4) trailed No. 18 Central Missouri (18-4, 12-1) 2-0, 22 seconds into Saturday's game. They never trailed again. Missouri Western used a 19-0 run and went on to end the Jennies 15-game winning streak 67-57.
Missouri Western handed Central Missouri its first MIAA loss of the season and its first since Feb. 9 of last year. It also snapped a streak of seven straight MWSU losses to the Jennies. The win with Newman's loss on Saturday clinched the team's spot in the MIAA Women's Basketball Championships to be held March 4-8 at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri.
All five Griffons starters scored in double figures with Corbyn Cunningham and Chris Wilson both turning in double-doubles. The Griffons shot 53% from the field in the first quarter with UCM going 2 of 9 for 22%. The third quarter wasn't much different, where MWSU shot 46% while limiting the Jennies to 28% shooting.
NOTABLES
- The win was the second this season for MWSU over a ranked opponent after defeating then No. 10 Fort Hays 60-57 on Jan. 23.
- Missouri Western led for 38:56 of the game, leading by as many as 20 points with two different 18-point leads.
- The Griffons outscored the Jennies by 10 in the paint and had 17 second chance points to the Jennies' nine.
- MWSU held Morgan Fleming to five points on 1 of 7 shooting. Fleming was averaging 15 points per game.
- Katrina Roenfeldt went 5 of 9 from 3-point range and led the Griffons with 17 points and five assists.
- Cunningham scored 13 points with 11 rebounds.
- Kylee Williams was 3 of 6 from 3-point range and scored 11 points.
- Wilson had 10 points and 11 rebounds. Anastacia Johnson also scored 10 points.
UP NEXT
The Griffons go back on the road to take on Pittsburg State (12-9, 8-5) on Feb. 12. The Gorillas' 82-75 at Washburn on Saturday was their second in a row.
--- MWSU Athletics ---