By TOMMY REZAC
St. Joseph Post
Corbyn Cunningham was a rebound shy of a double-double on Friday night as she helped lead Missouri Western to a 76-68 win over Sioux Falls in the Hillyard Women's Basketball Tipoff Classic at the Missouri Western Fieldhouse.
Cunningham had a stellar night, scoring a game-high 24 points to go with nine rebounds, two assists and a steal.
Grad student and Northwest transfer Jaelyn Haggard was also a potent force for the Griffon offense, scoring 23 points on 5-of-9 shooting from three.
Missouri Western led 36-22 at halftime, but the Cougars (0-1) closed the gap a couple of times, trailing only 46-42 late in the third and then just 67-64 late in the fourth, but the Griffons made enough free throws in the final minute to pull away.
Missouri Western controlled the offensive glass on the night, holding a 21-9 advantage, and the Griffons forced 26 turnovers as well.
The Griffon women close out their weekend Saturday, taking on Southeastern Oklahoma State. Tipoff is set for 3:30 p.m. Coverage starts at 3, or immediately following Griffon football coverage on KFEQ Radio (680, 95.3).