By TOMMY REZAC
St. Joseph Post
The Missouri Western women's basketball team led by as many as 10 points in the first half and led by six at halftime, but a 27-point third quarter lifted Pittsburg State to a 65-56 win over the Griffons at the MWSU Fieldhouse in St. Joseph Thursday.
Missouri Western (4-2, 0-1 MIAA) trailed by 17 with 7:10 to play and made somewhat of a rally, but ultimately fell short.
The third quarter was especially tough, as Pitt State shot 70.6% (12-of-17) in that period. Missouri Western was just 2-of-14 from the field in that same time.
The Griffons had a tough night shooting overall, connecting on 23-of-64 shots (35.9%), including just 3-of-13 from the free throw line.
Pitt State (6-0, 1-0 MIAA) outrebounded Missouri Western 40-33 and had 18 assists compared to just five by the Griffons.
Tiani Ellison led Missouri Western with 11 points. Connie Clarke had 9.
Sydney Holmes led four Pitt State players in double figures with 17 points.
Dating back to 2016, Pittsburg State has beaten Missouri Western in 12 of the last 15 women's basketball meetings.
Candi Whitaker interview
Full audio broadcast
Griffon men start strong in first half, hold off Pitt State late
The first 20 minutes were quite smooth for the Missouri Western men, as the Griffons shot 53.1% and led Pittsburg State 40-23 at halftime.
The Gorillas (2-3, 0-1 MIAA) made a strong charge in the second, getting back to within four points with 4:27 to play, but Missouri Western held on down the stretch for an 85-75 win on Thursday night at the MWSU Fieldhouse.
The Griffons (6-0, 1-0 MIAA) never trailed and shot a solid 52.7% from the field (29-of-55), including 8-of-23 from three.
Missouri Western scored 22 points off of 15 Pitt State turnovers. JaRon Thames led five Griffons in double figures with 21 points.
Reese Glover came off the bench for a season-high 15 points on four made three-pointers. Kiani Saxon scored 15 points as well, while Zion Swader had 14 and Julius Dixon added 13.
Max Alexander scored a game-high 31 points for Pittsburg State, who has lost eight of their last 10 meetings against the Griffons.
Pitt State made 19-of-23 free throws, while Missouri Western was 19-of-30. The Gorillas also outrebounded the Griffons 38-28.
Both Missouri Western teams stay home Saturday to host Missouri Southern. The women's game starts at 3:30, with the men's at 5:30.
Both games will be on KFEQ Radio (680, 95.3).
Will Martin, Kiani Saxon interview
Full audio broadcast
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