MARYVILLE, Mo. - The Northwest Missouri State University women's basketball team posted a 66-62 triumph over the visiting Pittsburg State Gorillas at Bearcat Arena.

Northwest moved its mark to 11-2 overall and 6-1 in MIAA play, while PSU fell to 9-5 overall and 4-4 in league action.

The matchup featured 19 lead changes and neither team possessed a lead of more than seven points throughout the contest.

Northwest's Mallory McConkey led the Bearcats in scoring with 16 points. Evelyn Vazquez came off the bench to chip in with nine points. Kelsey Fields grabbed a game-high nine rebounds.

Northwest used a 5-0 run to end the first quarter to take a 22-17 lead after 10 minutes of play. Northwest buried 9-of-13 shots (69.2%) in the opening quarter.

Evelyn Vazquez scored on a layup to start the second quarter and complete a 7-0 that gave Northwest its largest lead of the game at 24-17 with 9:37 to play before halftime. The Gorillas responded with a 10-2 run to take a 27-26 lead with 6:41 to play in the second quarter. Northwest trailed 31-30 before embarking on a 6-0 spurt to take a 36-31 advantage with 3:15 on the clock. Northwest would take a 39-38 lead at the break.

PSU bounced out to a seven-point lead of its own at 53-46 with 2:24 left in the third quarter. Northwest used an 8-1 run to draw even at 54-54 on a jumper from Vazquez with :23 left in the third. PSU sank a pair of free throws with :04 left in the third to take a 55-54 lead through three quarters.

Northwest's defense locked in during the fourth quarter. The Bearcats forced the Gorillas into missing their first 10 shots of the quarter. Northwest took a 60-55 lead when McConkey sank two free throws with 3:26 left in the game. PSU scored its first points of the fourth on a jumper from Kareena Gerber with 1:36 remaining in the game. McConkey kept the Gorillas at bay as she drained a jumper in the lane with :31 left to push the lead back to five at 64-59. PSU's Tristan Gegg hit her fifth three-pointer and tallied her 27th point on a triple with :22 left to pull within two. Molly Hartnett made a pair of free throws with :17 to polish off the Bearcat victory.

The Bearcats return to action Thursday at Washburn. Tip is set for 5:30 p.m. at Lee Arena.

NOTES: Northwest snapped a 17-game losing streak against Pittsburg State ... it was the first victory for head coach Austin Meyer against the Gorillas ... Northwest shot 43.4% from the floor ... PSU shot 38.6% from the floor ... Northwest moved to 8-1 at home this season ... it is the most home wins for Northwest since an 8-8 mark in the 2013-14 season ... Peyton Kelderman knocked in a three-pointer to extend her streak to 13 straight games with at least one made three-pointer.