By TOMMY REZAC
St. Joseph Post
WICHITA, KS - Missouri Western used a 10-0 run in the second quarter and a 20-0 run in the third to put away Newman in a 70-37 blowout win at Fugate Gymnasium in Wichita Thursday.
Playing in their first road game in over a month, the Griffons (13-3, 7-3 MIAA) were without head coach Candi Whitaker Thursday due to COVID-19 protocol. Assistant Emily Wacker was the acting head coach, as the Griffons broke a two-game losing skid and got their first road win in 2022.
"This kind of felt good to get some bounce back," Wacker said, "make some shots and get a little bit of a rhythm again."
Missouri Western got off to a 10-2 start, but Newman (2-16, 0-12 MIAA) hit back, trailing only 13-9 after the first quarter.
The Griffons took a double-digit lead for the first time off of a Jordan Cunningham three-pointer, giving MWSU a 30-18 lead with 2:36 to go until halftime.
It never got closer than that.
Another three by Brionna Budgets in the final minute of the second quarter put the Griffons ahead 35-18 at halftime. After letting Newman score the first two points of the third quarter, the Griffons reeled off a monstrous 20-0 run in less than six minutes, putting the game away for good.
Western led 59-27 entering the fourth after outscoring the Jets 24-9 in the third quarter.
"I thought we competed really hard on the defensive end," Wacker said. "Once we got locked in there, that created offensive opportunities for us on the other end."
Fifteen Griffons played and 12 of them scored Thursday. Budgets scored a game-high 18 points, tying her season-high with four made three-pointers. Connie Clarke had nine points and a team-best seven rebounds.
Corbyn Cunningham scored eight, while Jaelyn Haggard scored seven points - all of that coming in the third quarter.
Missouri Western is back on the road to face Central Oklahoma (11-7, 7-5 MIAA) Saturday. Tip-off in that game is set for 1:30.
"(UCO) is a team we haven't faced yet," Wacker said. "So, we'll need to learn some new personnel and understand what they're trying to accomplish. It's a big test. UCO is a really good basketball team, so we'll need to be ready to go."
The Bronchos fell at home to Northwest Missouri State, 79-69, Thursday. The Missouri Western men did not play Thursday, nor will they Saturday.
The Griffon men are back in action at home on Monday, Jan. 24 to face Fort Hays State in a make-up game. Tip-off in that one is set for 3:30 at the MWSU Fieldhouse. Both games will be carried on KFEQ Radio (680, 95.3).
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