Box Score (PDF)

The Northwest Missouri State women's basketball team fell to No. 5 Fort Hays State, 70-47. The loss keeps the Bearcats out of the MIAA tournament after COVID-19 forced the conference to hold an eight-team tournament instead of hosting ten teams this year. 

The Tigers held the Bearcats scoreless in the first five minutes while scoring eight points from four different players. Northwest finally put points on the floor with two Molly Hartnett free throws, trailing 14-2 with 3:05 left in the first quarter. Caely Kesten hit three-pointers on back-to-back possessions to pull the Bearcats within 17-10, but a Fort Hays layup at the buzzer gave the visitors the 19-10 lead at the end of the quarter.

The Tigers continued their dominance over the Bearcats in the second quarter, going on a 15-3 run in the first five minutes and forcing two shot clock violations on Bearcat possessions. Fort Hays took a commanding 42-19 lead into halftime.

Fort Hays continued to limit Bearcat offensive possessions, forcing Northwest to shoot just under 40 percent while going 11-for-30 from the floor in the second half. Jillian Fleming scored all seven of her points in the second half while Hartnett and Zoie Hayward chipped in five points each to lead Northwest.

Molly Hartnett led the Bearcat offense with 10 points and three assists while Fleming followed with seven points on 3-of-7 shooting. Jayna Green led the team with six rebounds and four blocks.

The Bearcats end their season with a 7-15 record, the most MIAA wins since the 2013-14 season.