By TOMMY REZAC
St. Joseph Post
The Missouri Western women's basketball team lost to No. 5 Fort Hays State, 77-69, Thursday night atthe MWSU Fieldhouse.
The Griffons have lost four straight, falling to 6-15 overall, while the Tigers clinched at least a share of the regular season title with a record of 19-2.
Mychaell Gray scored a career-high 15 points to lead Missouri Western, wile Logan Hughes added 12. Asia McCoy and Brionna Budgetts also scored in double figures with 10 points each, while Camille Evans added seven points, a career-high seven assists and eight rebounds.
The Missouri Western men and women round out the regular season Saturday with home games against Nebraska-Kearney. The women tip at 1:30, with the men at 3:30. Both games will be carried on KFEQ (680 AM, 95.3 FM) with coverage starting at 1 p.m.
No. 1 Bearcat men roll UNK
The top-ranked Northwest Missouri State men's basketball team (20-1) shot a sizzling 67.8% from the floor in a 95-59 rout of Nebraska-Kearney Lopers at Bearcat Arena Thursday.
The victory gave Northwest its 20th win of the season, marking the 10th consecutive season the Bearcats have reached 20 or more victories.
It's also the 10th, 20-win season for head coach Ben McCollum, tying the school record of 10, 20-win seasons set by Steve Tappmeyer.
Bearcat junior and Lafayette St. Joseph alum Diego Bernard put on a stat-stuffing performance with a game-high 21 points, seven assists, six rebounds, two steals and a blocked shot. Bernard went 9-of-13 from the field, which featured 3-of-5 from three-point range.
No. 5 Lopers escape the Northwest women Thursday
The Northwest women's basketball team narrowly missed an opportunity to upset No. 3 Nebraska-Kearney Thursday, falling to the Lopers 53-50.
Molly Hartnett led the Bearcats with 19 points.
Both Northwest teams finish the regular season Saturday at home against the Fort Hays State. The women tip at 1:30, followed by the men at 3:30.
Missouri Western Lacrosse to debut Friday
The Missouri Western women's lacrosse team is set to make its debut Friday night under the lights against Culver-Stockton at Spratt Stadium. The contest will start at 6 p.m.
Missouri Western announced the addition of women's lacrosse in November 2019 as the school's 17th NCAA Division II varsity sport.
After more than 15 months of work to get the program up and running, head coach Rachel Benzing will finally get to showcase her team.
Benzing will make her head coaching debut for the Griffons after helping start lacrosse programs at Lynn University and Maryville University as an assistant coach. She played at Maryland-Baltimore County and then finished up at Lindenwood.
The Griffons will play in the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC). They are the first public institution in the state of Missouri to have women's lacrosse. No other MIAA school has it yet.
Benzing has put together a 24-player roster from all over the country with a mix of transfers and freshmen.
Rutgers transfer Mackenzie Porter will likely be in goal for Missouri Western, while the Griffons will rely on transfers Jordan Shughrue (Mount Olive) and Karlin York (Oklahoma Baptist) to make an impact. Benzing expects many freshmen to contribute this season, including Jazmine Servance and Jorja Schooler.
Missouri Western volleyball opens its season this weekend
The Griffon volleyball team opens its spring schedule on Friday as they play three games at the Newman Crossover in Wichita, Kansas.
Missouri Western will play two games Friday, squaring off with Central Oklahoma at 11:30 a.m., and then they'll play Newman at 7:00 p.m.
The Griffons wrap up the weekend with a game against Oklahoma Baptist at 2 p.m. Saturday.
These games will be the first for the Griffons since the MIAA Tournament in November 2019. The fall season was canceled due to COVID-19.
Marin Carbin is in her seventh season as the head coach at Missouri Western with a 133-89 overall record.
The Griffons were 17-13 in 2019 and they finished fifth in the MIAA with an 11-9 record in league play. Western returns two of its top three hitters from that team, as senior Ali Tauchen (3.37 k/s) and sophomore Allie Kerns (2.28) are back.
Two other sophomores in Karly Tharp (1.83) and Danielle Moje (1.55) return as well with a lot of experience from their freshman seasons. Senior defensive specialist Lindsey Hartline is also back this season, as she averaged 1.95 digs per set in 2019.
Bearcat softball opens 2021 season
The Northwest Missouri State softball team is set to play their first games of the season this weekend at the Drury Invitational in Springfield.
The Bearcats take on Southwest Baptist at 1 p.m. Friday before they meet William Jewell at 4 p.m.
On Saturday, Northwest meets Illinois-Springfield with the first pitch at 1 p.m. before their final game against Drury at 4 p.m.
Northwest is ready to go after COVID-19 forced the 2020 season to shutdown halfway through, leaving the Bearcats with a 9-13 record.
The first six games of the 2021 season were also canceled due to poor weather.
You can follow St. Joseph Post on Twitter @StJosephPost.