By David Boyce – Northwest Athletics
MARYVILLE, Mo. – A little under five minutes remained when Northwest Missouri State’s women’s basketball team put a scare into Northeastern State Thursday evening at Bearcat Arena.
Senior Tanya Meyer grabbed an offensive rebound and scored, helping Northwest close to four points in the MIAA opener for both teams.
Charged up by the narrow deficit, Northwest continued to play tough defense that helped the Bearcats erase most of an 11-point deficit early in the fourth quarter. Strong defense led to a possession that gave Northwest an opportunity to pull within two or one.
It was not meant to be for the Bearcats. The RiverHakws scored the next six points for a 10-point lead and went on to win 68-57.
Despite the loss, there were some encouraging signs for Northwest. Meyer had a stellar game, scoring 22 points and pulling down 13 rebounds. Freshman point guard Jaelyn Haggard showed she has the court vision, ball-handling skill and energy to consistently put a charge in the offense. Haggard finished with 12 points.
Northwest returns to action 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Bearcat Arena against Central Oklahoma.
In the first half, Northwest put together a couple of nice runs in each quarter that helped it go into halftime down only 35-30.
The Bearcats started slowly and quickly fell behind 8-2. A three-pointer by freshman Mallory McConkey and a three-pointer by junior Mallory McAndrews pulled Northwest into an 8-8 tie.
Northwest wasn’t done. A basket by Haggard gave the Bearcats a 10-8 lead. Unfortunately, Northwest was unable to extend its hot streak. Northeastern State closed out the first quarter with nine straight points for a 17-10 lead.
The RiverHawks continued to roll in the second quarter, scoring basket after basket in the paint. Northeastern State stretched its lead to 30-15.
Down 33-23, Northwest heated up in the last two minutes of the second quarter. The Bearcats outscored Northeastern State 7-2 and narrowed the margin to five.
It was a gritty effort by the Bearcats to stay within striking distance. Northwest shot just 27 percent from the field in the first quarter compared to 62 percent for the RiverHawks. But the Bearcats didn’t allow the discrepancy in shooting percentage to discourage them.
— Northwest Athletics —