FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Northwest Missouri State women's basketball team suffered a 64-45 setback to Colorado Mesa University Mavericks in its opening game of the NSU Holiday Invitational at Rick Case Arena.  
 
Colorado Mesa improved to 7-3 overall on the season, while Northwest dropped to 7-4.  
 
Senior Kelsey Fields led the Bearcats with 11 points on an efficient 4-of-6 shooting and 3-of-4 on free throws. Northwest struggled offensively, shooting 28.8% from the field and just 4-of-25 from beyond the arc. Colorado Mesa shot 46.4% and connected on 4-of-13 three-pointers. The Mavericks outrebounded the Bearcats, 43-30, a season-low for Northwest.  
 
Northwest started strong, scoring on its first two possessions with baskets from Fields and Caely Kesten. Molly Hartnett's three-pointer tied the game at 11 with 2:44 remaining in the first quarter. Colorado Mesa pulled ahead 15-11 late in the period, but Kesten's buzzer-beating layup cut the deficit to 15-13 at the end of the quarter.  
 
The second quarter saw the Mavericks close the half with a 13-0 run, outscoring Northwest 15-7 in the frame. The Bearcats went scoreless for nearly eight minutes and entered halftime trailing 30-20. Shooting woes plagued Northwest, as they shot 28.1% from the field and just 2-of-14 from three-point range in the first half. Fields led Northwest with six first-half points on perfect shooting, while Hartnett added five, and Kesten chipped in four.  
 
In the third quarter, Northwest finally got to the free-throw line at the 7:31 mark when Evelyn Vazquez went one-of-one, ending a scoring drought of over 10 minutes. A Fields basket midway through the quarter trimmed the deficit, but Colorado Mesa maintained a 43-32 lead heading into the final period.  
 
Vazquez hit her second three-pointer of the season in the fourth quarter to spark some energy, but the Bearcats couldn't mount a sustained run. Colorado Mesa's consistent offensive performance secured the 64-45 victory.  
 
The Mavericks' Olivia Reed delivered a double-double performance, leading all scorers with 33 points and grabbing 18 rebounds.
 
Up Next:
Northwest will wrap up the NSU Holiday Invitational facing host school Nova Southeastern at 1 p.m. (CT) on Friday, December 20 at Rick Case Arena.