Box Score (PDF)
The Northwest Missouri State women's basketball team dropped a heartbreaking 58-51 loss to Emporia State in Bearcat Arena.
Solid defense and rebounding kept the Bearcats within striking distance in the first quarter. Offensive struggles limited both teams' scoring in the first period, neither shooting above 35 percent from the floor.
Northwest started to pick up more offensive momentum in the second period, going on a 10-5 run to start the quarter and lead 20-17. While the Lady Hornets stayed close for the remainder of the quarter, a
Mia Stillman layup off one of
Jayna Green's four first half assists gave the Bearcats a 29-26 lead going into halftime.
Jaelyn Haggard provided the offensive spark in the third quarter, hitting back-to-back 3-pointers before
Mallory McConkey forced a steal that lead to two
Kylie Coleman free throws. The Bearcat offense kept rolling and the defense continued making stops as Northwest outscored Emporia State 18-14 in the quarter to lead 47-40 heading into the final period.
The seven-point Bearcat lead in the third quarter slowly flipped to benefit the visitors in the final period. The Lady Hornets used full court pressure and fast breaks to take a two-point lead with five minutes left in the game. A
Jillian Fleming layup tied the game up with three minutes left. Tre'Zure Jobe scored five of her game-high 25 points in the last minute to give the Hornets a 56-51 lead with 17.5 seconds left. Â
The Bearcats had a chance to pull within two, but a Haggard 3-pointer rimmed out and Emporia State used two more free throws to comfortably close out the game.
Northwest is back in action Thursday night in Bearcat Arena when they take on Newman at 5:30 p.m.
NOTES:
Jaelyn Haggard led the Bearcats with 14 points while
Kylie Coleman and
Molly Hartnett each contributed eight points ...
Jayna Green led the team with 10 rebounds ... Northwest shot 33.9 percent from the floor ... of the Bearcats 34 total rebounds, 13 were offensive ... the Bearcats held Emporia State to 37.5 percent shooting from the floor.
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