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By David Boyce

MARYVILLE, Mo. - For the third straight MIAA game, Northwest Missouri State women's basketball team came tantalizingly close to picking up its first conference win.
 
And for the third straight time the Bearcats failed to make that one winning play to give them that victory. Despite a spirited effort, Northwest lost 61-57 Saturday afternoon at Bearcat Arena.
 
"We've been stressing coming out patient but still being aggressive offensively as a team and defensively we have done a great job of being ready to play in the first half and play through those first two quarters," said Northwest interim coach Buck Scheel.
 
"But we are coming out at halftime a little flat and sluggish and in the end that is really what is costing us because we don't have any momentum early to feed off. It feels like we are fighting from behind right from the get go. It is something we have talked about and it is something we need to change and get better at."
 
The moment the game slipped away occurred when Northwest held a 54-50 lead with about 4 minutes left. Baskets by senior Tember Schechinger and Shelby Mustain gave Northwest the four-point lead.
 
The momentum didn't stay with the Bearcats for long. Central Oklahoma, which improved to 10-2 overall, scored the next 10 points for a 60-54 lead. It started with a three-pointer by Central Oklahoma freshman Bailey Taylor.
 
"It happened really quickly," said Schechinger, who finished with a game-high 15 points. "We were getting kind of nervous about things. That three put us down a little bit, but there was a lot of time left. We figured we would get back in there."
 
Trailing 60-54, Northwest fought back with a three-point play by Schechinger. The Bearcats got the ball back and attempted a long three-pointer that went off the rim.
 
After another good defensive stand, Northwest had one more shot with 30 seconds left, but the Bearcats failed to score and were forced to foul.
 
Scheel said the game was lost in the third quarter. Northwest started the third quarter with a 10-point lead and watched it quickly evaporate to a 38-37 deficit midway through the quarter.
 
The Bearcats responded, scoring the next seven points for a 44-38 lead, but Central Oklahoma's confidence was much higher. The Bronchos trailed only 45-43 entering the fourth quarter.
 
Through the rest of the fourth quarter, Northwest never played with the same confidence it had in the first half.
 
"We need to come out with fire in the third quarter," said Meyer, who finished with 13 points. "The last three or four games we have played, we have been right there.
 
"The third quarter has killed us every time. We are trying to get over that. Coming out with fire will help us get over the hump."
 
Northwest scored 21 points in the first quarter, held Central Oklahoma to only two field goals in the second quarter and went into halftime ahead 35-25.
 
Early in the first quarter, the Bearcats rode the hot hand of Jaylah Jackson, who consistently hit the 15-foot, baseline jumper. Her second one gave Northwest a 7-5 lead.
 
The Bearcats never trailed again in the first half because after Jackson cooled down, Northwest warmed up from the outside. A three-pointer by Meyer increased Northwest's lead to 18-12 lead and Taylor Shull followed with another three-pointer, making it 21-12.
 
Central Oklahoma stopped the run with a three-pointer at the buzzer and then the Bronchos scored the first four points in the second quarter, closing to 21-19.
 
Northwest quickly tightened its defense and the shots started falling again. The Bearcats went on a 12-2 run and built a 33-21 lead. Eight players scored for Northwest in the first half.