TOPEKA, Kan. -- The Northwest Missouri State women's basketball team secured its first overtime victory since Dec. 16, 2023, with a thrilling 66-61 OT win over the Washburn Ichabods at Lee Arena. The contest featured 13 ties and nine lead changes.
With two road wins this week, Northwest improves to 9-7 and 2-4 in the MIAA, as Washburn dips to 8-8 and 2-4 in conference action.
Caely Kesten delivered her fourth consecutive double-figure scoring performance and seventh career 20-plus point game with a team-high 22 points.
Molly Hartnett contributed 14 points, four rebounds, four assists, and two steals, while
Emree Zars added 11 points and three rebounds, also a perfect 6-of-6 performance at the free-throw line.
Northwest's defense was stellar, holding Washburn's Yiibari Nwidadah—the nation's leader in field goal percentage—to just 11 points on 5-of-16 shooting. The Bearcats forced 13 turnovers and capitalized at the free-throw line, shooting an impressive 88.9% (24-of-27) overall.
Emree Zars opened the scoring with a pull-up jumper just 90 seconds into the game. Washburn surged to a 12-6 advantage by the first media timeout, with Hartnett contributing four quick points. At the end of the first quarter, the Ichabods led 15-10.
In the second quarter, Kesten started to find her rhythm, hitting a three-pointer early to bring the Bearcats within two. Moments later, Kesten connected with
Kelsey Fields for a basket that tied the game at 20 with 7:42 remaining in the half.
Peyton Kelderman made an immediate impact off the bench, sinking her first three-pointer, followed by another triple from Kesten to give Northwest its largest lead of the game at 26-20. By halftime, the Bearcats trailed by just two, 31-29, with Kesten leading all scorers with 11 points in the first half.
In the third quarter,
Lindsey Kelderman's three-pointer put Northwest ahead by one with just over seven minutes remaining. However, Washburn consistently answered, keeping the Bearcats down by one heading into the fourth, 44-43. Both teams struggled offensively in the quarter, shooting a combined 7-of-25 from the field and 2-of-7 from beyond the arc (2-of-6 for Northwest). Fields recorded her third block to end the quarter - a new season-high.
Trailing by four early in the fourth quarter, Zars went to the free-throw line and converted both attempts.
Ella Moody tied the game at 47 with her first basket of the afternoon. Washburn's Gabi Giovannetti responded with a clutch three-pointer to regain a three-point lead with seven minutes left. Zars answered with a game-tying three that fired up the Bearcats' bench with just over four minutes remaining. The final minutes saw both teams trading buckets, with Washburn edging ahead 55-53 in a tightly contested finish.
Kesten sank two clutch free throws to record her seventh career 20-point game and tie the contest at 55 with two minutes remaining. Moments later, Fields grabbed an offensive rebound off a Kesten miss and scored on the put back to give Northwest a 57-55 lead.
On the defensive end, the Bearcats delivered a critical stop, forcing a Washburn miss with under 30 seconds left. With no timeouts remaining, head coach
Austin Meyer relied on a game-winning bucket. Northwest secured the rebound and put the ball in Kesten's hands for a potential game-winner, but her shot rimmed out, sending the game into overtime—the fourth time in the last ten matchups between the two teams.
In overtime, Kesten put the Bearcats on top quickly off the tip, followed by a Hartnett converted and-one with just three minutes to play in OT, leading 62-57. A pair of free-throws by Hartnett with 26.7 seconds to play gave the Bearcats a 66-61 edge. The score remained 66-61 when the final buzzer hit, giving Northwest its first overtime win since Dec. 16, 2023, against Emporia State (W, 55-48).
As a team, Northwest shot 37% (17-of-46) from the floor and 40% (8-of-20).
Up Next:
Northwest continues road action next week, taking on Nebraska-Kearney at 5:30 p.m., on Thursday, Jan. 16, followed by Fort Hays State at 2 p.m., on Saturday, Jan. 18.
