By David Boyce, Northwest Athletics
EDMOND, Okla. – Senior Tember Schechinger went over 1,000 career points for Northwest Missouri State with her first three-pointer midway through the first quarter.
But the most impressive part for Schechinger occurred after Northwest suffered a 78-63 loss Thursday evening at Central Oklahoma.
Schechinger, who finished with 20 points, was unable to halt the emotion that welled up inside her. A few tears flowed when she talked about going over the 1,000-point mark.
Those tears showed just how much being part of the Northwest women’s basketball team means to her.
“It was one of the goals I had coming here as a freshman,” Schechinger said. “I knew if I worked hard, took my time and let my teammates help me, I knew I could get it.
“But I would trade the 1,000 points for a win tonight. I am really thankful my teammates were behind me and helped me.”
Schechinger took over in the third quarter when she swished four three-pointers and helped the Bearcats overcome a 17-point halftime deficit.
Northwest even tied the game at 50-50 with 9:12 left on a three-pointer by Jaylah Jackson and again 3 minutes later on a three-pointer by Jasmin Howe, making it 53-53.
“It shows that we want to fight and we want it,” Schechinger said. “We are going to carry this over into Saturday. We are going to get a win there. It shows no matter how far behind we are, we are going to keep fighting.”
The Bearcats couldn’t sustain the moment Thursday evening, giving up five straight free throws. The Bearcats never recovered.
But the fourth quarter fade doesn’t diminish the performance by Schechinger. She provided senior leadership in the third quarter when her team needed her.
Trailing 41-24 at halftime, Northwest was on the verge of getting blown out of Hamilton Field House. Schechinger gave the Bearcats a chance to win.
Northwest scored the first 10 points in the third quarter, six of them coming on two treys by Schechinger. Schechinger finished the third quarter with a three-pointer, which drew the Bearcats to within one at 48-47. Schechinger made her first six three-point attempts. The only shot she missed was a desperation half-court shot just before the third quarter buzzer.
“She has been a driving force for us, especially the second semester,” Northwest coach Buck Scheel said. “She really stepped things up and got things going, being really aggressive.
“We have girls who have been following her. For her to reach, the 1,000 mark is huge. It was one of her goals coming into the season and she didn’t do it in a selfish way.”
In the first half, Northwest quickly fell behind 10-2, fought back and closed to 26-24 midway through the second quarter and then didn’t score again for the rest of the half.
The long scoring drought allowed Central Oklahoma to scored 15 straight points and take a 41-24 lead into halftime.
Early foul trouble to Schechinger and Tanya Meyer hampered the offense for the Bearcats in the second quarter. Both players picked up their second foul in the second quarter and didn’t see the floor for the rest of the half. Meyer played eight minutes and Schechinger played seven minutes.
Schechinger got off to a good start. She hit both of her shots, which were three-pointers. Her first three-pointer helped Northwest close to 10-5 and the second one later in the first quarter made it 15-10.
The play of Shelby Mustain helped Northwest close in the second quarter. At one point, Mustain made four straight free throws that drew the Bearcats to within two at 26-24. Mustain scored eight points in the first half.
— Northwest Athletics —