ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – The Northwest Missouri State women's basketball team (10-11, 3-8 MIAA) came up short in a tense back-and-forth battle to Missouri Western, 69-66, Saturday at the MWSU Fieldhouse.
The Bearcats and Griffons exchanged leads eight times and were tied 10 times during Saturday's hard-fought contest.
Molly Hartnett matched her career-high for the second-consecutive game, leading all scorers with 28 points. Hartnett grabbed seven rebounds and dished out three assists to go along with her scoring total.
Caely Kesten added 11 points on 5-of-9 shooting, marking her ninth-straight double-digit scoring performance, as
Brooklyn Stanley scored a career-high seven points on 3-of-3 shooting.
Missouri Western (13-6, 8-3 MIAA) opened the game with a 9-0 run before
Aaliyah Riley delivered a beautiful touch pass to
Sadie Maas, putting Northwest on the board. The Griffons led 11-4 at the first media timeout, capitalizing on four early Bearcat turnovers.
Out of the break, Kesten knocked down her first three-pointer of the afternoon, followed by a Hartnett floater to trim the deficit to two. Hartnett took control of the Bearcat offense in the first quarter, scoring six points on a perfect 3-of-3 shooting. Despite her efforts, Northwest trailed 22-16 after one.
After an MWSU three-pointer,
Brooklyn Stanley answered with her seventh triple of the season. Moments later, Hartnett found
Lindsey Kelderman on the wing for Northwest's fourth three of the first half, cutting the deficit to one with 7:49 remaining.
Kesten pulled up for a mid-range jumper, giving the Bearcats their first lead of the afternoon just under the seven-minute mark. Maas secured an offensive rebound off a Riley missed free throw, setting up Kelderman for her second three-pointer of the game to cap a 13-3 Northwest run in under four minutes. MWSU called a timeout as the Bearcats took a 33-30 lead with five minutes to play in the half.
Northwest closed the first half on an 8-0 run to take a 41-36 lead, fueled by an impressive 64% shooting performance (16-of-25) from the field and a 5-of-9 mark from beyond the arc. Graduate guards Hartnett and Kesten led the charge, combining for 25 of the Bearcats' 41 first-half points.
MWSU opened the second half with a 9-2 scoring run, leaving Northwest trailing by two with 7:09 remaining. Hartnett recorded her 21st career 20-point performance with a basket at the 2:40 mark. MWSU then connected on a three-pointer with just under two minutes left, taking a 54-53 lead into the final quarter.
Kelderman was red-hot from long range, hitting a three to tie the game at 59 with 5:40 remaining. Zars gave the Bearcats a 61-59 lead with a turnaround hook shot on the baseline at the 4:40 mark. MWSU responded with a quick 6-0 run, forcing a Northwest timeout, and holding a 65-61 lead with 2:53 to play.
After the timeout, Fields found Hartnett for her first three-pointer to pull within one. A foul call gave MWSU a trip to the free-throw line with 45.6 seconds to play, converting on both shots to take a 68-66 lead. Kelderman had a clean look that hit the front iron, as MWSU secured the rebound and was put in the double bonus. MWSU's Alyssa Bonilla went one-of-one from the line. Fields put up a corner three that nearly went in in the closing seconds, as the Griffons secured their seventh straight win against the Bearcats with a 69-66 victory in St. Joseph.
Despite the setback, Northwest shot 47.3% (26-of-55) from the floor. The Bearcat bench outscored the Griffons, 13-2.
Missouri Western won the rebounding battle, 33-32, as well as turnovers 11-8.
UP NEXT
Northwest will begin its Oklahoma road trip with Central Oklahoma on Thursday, Feb. 6 at 5:30 p.m. The Bearcats will then travel to Rogers State on Saturday, Feb. 8 at 1:30 p.m.
