Northwest Missouri State women’s basketball junior Annie Mathews recorded a double-double with 12 rebounds and 11 points to lead the Bearcats to a 78-72 victory over Central Oklahoma on Saturday afternoon at Bearcat Arena. The win moves Northwest to 4-7 overall and 1-3 in MIAA play. Central Oklahoma drops to 7-5 overall and 2-3 in conference action.

Mathews was one of five Bearcats to reach double-figures in a balanced offensive attack. Monique Stevens added 15, Tember Schechinger had 14, Ariel Easton had 12 and Ashleigh Nelson had 11. Stevens helped fuel the attack with a game-best eight assists.

Central Oklahoma was paced by Jill Bryan, who had a game-high 28 points in 33 minutes of action. She also had four steals. UCO was unable to get on track from beyond the arc, going just 4-for-28 from deep. Northwest’s defense held UCO to 38.1 percent shooing. Conversely, Northwest hit 28-of-47 shots to shoot 59.6 percent for the game.

The Bearcats will host Northeastern State on Monday, Jan. 6, at 5:30 p.m. at Bearcat Arena.

— Northwest Sports Information —