MARYVILLE, Mo. – With 1.6 seconds left and the game tied, Northwest Missouri State women’s basketball team was in position for its first MIAA victory.
Junior Taylor Shull looked for one teammate and then another and finally she zipped a pass to sophomore Shelby Mustain, who tossed in the game-winning basket at the buzzer.
“Where were my teammates,” Mustain said of her thoughts immediately following the basket. “I am ready to celebrate.
“We were in the locker room and it felt like we won the national championship. We wanted that win so bad. It was such a team effort and such a team win. I just couldn’t wait to get to my teammates.”
The 66-64 victory by Northwest over Southwest Baptist Wednesday evening at Bearcat Arena was a case of a team tired of losing conference games.
“We have seen a lot of growth in the last week to week and a half with our players,” Northwest coach Michael Smith said. “It was nice to do this in front of Bearcat nation. Our crowd was great tonight.
“More importantly, I’m just glad our kids stayed composed. I felt like when they made some runs, we didn’t force it and try to make a five-point shot. We slowly came back and got a bucket at a time and put ourselves in position and got some stops when we needed them.”
Northwest didn’t back down when it trailed by 13 points in the first half, nor did the Bearcats wilt when they were down 58-49 with 8:13 to go.
“We were going to fight and give it our all,” said Northwest senior Ariel Easton, who finished with 20 points and seven rebounds. “Something we stressed to everyone is when you are out there, leave everything on the court.”
A layup by freshman Tanya Meyer, who sparked Northwest late in the first half, ignited the Bearcats again.
Junior Tember Schechinger followed with a basket, helping Northwest close to 58-53 with more than 6 minutes left.
Even though Northwest held the lead for less than two minutes in the contest, the Bearcats played with the confidence of a team who held a lead most of the game.
Schechinger pulled Northwest to within two at 64-62 with 2:59 left. At that point, it was obvious the Bearcats were not going to be denied a win.
A little over a minute later, Mustain tied the game at 64-64. Over the last four minutes, Northwest played stellar defense. Southwest Baptist final points came with 4:05 left in the game.
Northwest played winning basketball on both ends of the court. The Bearcats shot 52 percent from the field in the game.
“Hearing that statistic made our team light up because earlier in the season everyone was struggling with their confidence,” Mustain said. “Over the last few games we have been playing better. Our confidence has gone up.
“We all trust each other shooting the ball and knowing that it is going to be a quality shot and more than likely it is going to go in.”
Defensively, Northwest held Southwest Baptist to 33 percent from the field in the second half.
“At the end of the day, our players made plays and that is the growth we are making as a team,” Smith said.
Just when it looked like silly turnovers were going to send Northwest into halftime with another double-digit deficit, the Bearcats rose up and played their most inspired basketball in the final 3 minutes of the first half.
Northwest trailed 37-24 and was in bad shape with 3:12 left in the first half. The amazing turnaround that led to a 38-37 halftime lead for Northwest started with a three-point play by Meyer.
Meyer followed with her first three-point field goal of her young career, pulling Northwest to within seven at 37-30.
“It was huge,” Easton said Meyer’s baskets. “We let down our energy a lot in the first half and that kind of killed us. When she hit those two shots it brought that spark back.”
Morgan Walker took over and scored on consecutive buckets. Easton brought the Bearcats to only one point behind with a basket and Schechinger sent Northwest into halftime with a one-point lead on a layup.
— David Boyce, Northwest Athletics —