Although it held Quincy to 34 percent shooting from the field, the Northwest Missouri State women’s basketball team fell to the Lady Hawks Wednesday evening in Maryville, 58-44.

The loss moves the Bearcats to 0-3 this season, while the Lady Hawks improve to 3-0 overall.

Tember Schechinger led the Bearcats with 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting, her second double-digit performance this season. The senior guard also grabbed four rebounds and made three steals.

Tanya Meyer led the team with eight boards while scoring eight points, all in the second half. Defensively, the Sioux City, Iowa native swatted two blocks and made one steal.  Shelby Mustain came off the bench to score nine points for Northwest, seven of which came in the third quarter. After sinking 4-of-5 shots from the field Wednesday, the junior now leads the team in shooting percentage this season (11-for-18, 61.1 percent).

Following a Quincy layup off an offensive rebound, the Bearcats found themselves trailing by 15, 30-15, four minutes into the second half. Tember Schechinger hit a layup on a nice pass from Shelby Mustain and drilled a trey off a pass from Bailey Smith after a Lady Hawk missed a shot from close range, making the score 30-20. Quincy responded with a triple of its own, sparking a big Northwest run. Mustain dropped in layups on consecutive possessions, first with her right hand on an over-the-top pass from Macy Williams and then with the right on a dish from Maria Dentlinger. The junior sunk a free throw after being fouled on the second shot to narrow the deficit to 33-25. Another defensive stand allowed Williams to drain a 10-foot jumper, forcing a Lady Hawk timeout and completing a 7-0 Bearcat rally.

The Bearcats will return to action Saturday when they travel to Kansas City, Mo. for a meeting with Rockhurst. The tip is scheduled for 1 p.m.

— Northwest Athletics —