By TOMMY REZAC
St. Joseph Post
KANSAS CITY - Missouri Western hit only five of its first 16 shot attempts in the first quarter, and that was the tone setter of the day.
The Griffons (25-5) never could get going offensively, while Pitt State shot north of 47% and the Gorillas went on to win 75-55 in an MIAA tournament semifinal in Kansas City Saturday.
Missouri Western, whose 15-game winning streak came to an end, missed 47 field goals, shooting 20-of-67 in all. The Griffons were also 4-of-21 from three.
Pitt State (23-7) was an efficient 24-of-51 from the field, as the Gorillas connected on 15 of their first 29 shots in the first half.
Pitt State also dominated on the glass all day, outrebounding Western 47-31, including 40-20 on the defensive boards. The Gorillas knocked down 22-of-25 at the free throw line, while Western was 11-of-15.
Western trailed by as many as 25 points, got it to within 60-46 with 7:50 to play, but Pitt State would go back up by 20 just a couple of minutes later to seal the deal.
Karenna Gerber led the Gorillas with 20 points, going 10-of-13 at the foul line. Grace Pyle had 15 points. Macie Mays had 13.
Johnni Gonzalez led Missouri Western with 12 points. Connie Clarke and Tiani Ellison had nine. The Griffons are denied their first trip to the MIAA tournament championship since 2007.
Pittsburg State, who was 0-7 against the Griffons in MIAA tournament play in women's basketball prior to Saturday, are in the tournament championship on Sunday at 1 p.m.
The Gorillas, who reached the title game in 1992 and 2016, have never won the MIAA tournament.
Missouri Western's season is not over.
Projected as the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Central Region tournament in the latest regional rankings, the Griffons will find out their official seeding during the NCAA Division II women's basketball selection show, which is Sunday, March 10 at 9:30 p.m. central on NCAA.com.
Candi Whitaker postgame
Full audio broadcast
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