By TOMMY REZAC
St. Joseph Post
The Missouri Western women's basketball team took down Pittsburg State in an overtime battle 80-74 to open MIAA play on Thursday night at John Lance Arena in Pittsburg, KS.
Connie Clarke led the Griffons with 21 points and 11 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the season. Brionna Budgetts added 17 points, including the game-tying three-pointer with 12 seconds left in regulation.
Missouri Western never trailed in overtime, scoring 15 points over the final five minutes. Mary Fultz added 13 points. Johnni Gonzalez had 11. The Griffon women improve to 6-2 with their fourth straight win.
The Missouri Western men delivered a thriller as well, as the Griffons overcame a 13-point deficit, edging Pittsburg State 66-65 Thursday night on a go-ahead dunk from Taye Fields with three seconds left.
Missouri Western was down 60-51 with 2:46 to play. Fields finished the night with a season-high 20 points and 12 rebounds. Will Eames had 13 points and seven rebounds.
The Griffons win their third straight and improve to 4-2. The Missouri Western men and women are both on the road Saturday to face Missouri Southern in Joplin. The women tip at 1:30, the men at 3:30. Both games are on KFEQ (680, 95.3, 680kfeq.com).
Northwest women fall, Bearcat men dominate Missouri Southern
The Northwest Missouri State women's basketball team fell to No. 5 ranked Missouri Southern Thursday, 52-37 in Joplin. Evelyn Vazquez and Molly Hartnett each finished with nine points to lead the Bearcats. Northwest drops to 4-2 overall and 0-1 in conference play.
The No. 1 ranked Bearcat men, meanwhile, opened MIAA play with a 72-45 win over the Missouri Southern Thursday night to improve to 7-0 on the season. Bearcat senior Diego Bernard tied a career high with 25 points.
Both Northwest teams are back in action Saturday at Pittsburg State. The women tip at 1:30, the men at 3:30.