The Northwest Missouri State women's basketball team dropped a 55-37 loss against Missouri Western Saturday afternoon.
 
Northwest drops to 7-7 overall and 2-6 in the MIAA.
 
Northwest got off to a quick 4-0 start before the Griffons got on the board. Caely Kesten gave the Bearcats an 8-3 lead as she knocked down a three-pointer a few possessions later. After a few more trips down the court, Evelyn Vazquez gave Northwest its largest lead of the game so far as she got a layup to drop to give the Bearcats a 10-5 lead.
 
With just under a minute left in the quarter, Jayna Green recorded her second block of the game which tied her for the most blocks in a career at Northwest with 122.
 
Northwest held a 10-7 lead over Missouri Western after the first quarter. In the quarter, the Bearcats held the Griffons to just three made field goals.
 
Missouri Western had a solid second quarter as they outscored Northwest 18-3 to take a 25-13 lead into halftime. The Griffons connected on 54.5 percent of their field goals in the quarter.
 
At the half, Kelsey Fields led all players with nine rebounds and Molly Hartnett led the Bearcats with six points.
 
After three quarters, Missouri Western led 51-25.
 
Northwest outscored the Griffons 12-4 in the fourth quarter, but Missouri Western came away with a 55-37 victory.
 
Molly Hartnett led Northwest in scoring with eight points. Caely Kesten came off the bench and added seven points. Kelsey Fields recorded her third straight double-digit rebounding game as she finished with 10.
 
Northwest will hit the road to take on Central Oklahoma Thursday, Jan. 12. Tip is set for 5:30 p.m. in Edmond, Oklahoma.