By David Boyce, Northwest Athletics

MARYVILLE, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State’s women’s basketball team pushed No. 22 Emporia State to the final minute of the game.

The Bearcats took their first lead in the second half with 4:44 left on a basket by senior Taylor Shull. Northwest even went up by three points before falling behind again.

Undaunted, Northwest went back ahead with 2:04 left on a basket by senior Tember Schechinger.

Unfortunately, Emporia State showed why it has been one of the top women’s basketball teams in Division II for over 15 years. The Hornets made a couple of key defensive stops and were nearly flawless from the free throw.

Emporia State went 9-for-10 from the line in the final 1:48 and came away with a 69-63 victory Wednesday evening at Bearcat Arena. For the game, the Hornets were 25-for-29 from the line.

“For us to be in the game when the free throw margin is 29 to five was very impressive,” Northwest coach Buck Scheel said. “I felt these kids did everything they could tonight.”

Trailing 51-42 in the opening minute of the fourth quarter, the Bearcats put together one of their best stretches of basketball against a high-quality team. Sophomore Tanya Meyer was one reason Northwest was able to close to 54-53 with 5 minutes left. Meyer was finishing every attempt in the paint.

When Northwest took the lead on Shull’s basket, making it 55-54 with 4:46 left it appeared momentum was on the Bearcats’ side, especially when they moved their lead to 57-54.

“It showed that this team isn’t going to quit,” Scheel said. “They are not ready to be done. They are going to battle it out to the end.

“To do that against a team like this, one of the most prominent programs in the country year in and year out, it showed the tough kids we have.”

Despite giving up the lead in the final 90 seconds, the Bearcats never gave up. Meyer equaled her career-high 22 points. Junior Jasmine Howe added 13 points, Shull had 10 and Schechinger finished with eight.

“I felt on tonight,” Meyer said. “I don’t know what it was about it. I put shots up and they were going in. Tember kept saying, ‘You got to keep shooting. They are not letting me do anything.’ I kept shooting. I felt I definitely had to do something to help us get back in the game.”

Northwest went into halftime trailing 36-27, but the Bearcats showed a lot of fight to keep it under double-digits.

“I am real proud of the girls,” Schechinger said. “For us to go into the game tonight with nothing to gain from it except a win, having the young girls play hard and fight to the end, shows that we are all sticking together.”

Emporia State used its quickness to attack the basket and get several easy layups through the first half. Those layups helped the Hornets build a 33-18 lead late in the second quarter.

The Bearcats fought back. Consecutive field goals in the paint by Meyer, followed by a three-pointer from Howe helped Northwest close to 33-25, and the Bearcats weren’t done. Schechinger added a basket, making it 33-27. Emporia State ended the half with a three-pointer.

— Northwest Athletics —